Image via Wikipedia
No matter the size, all companies must devote considerable resources to supply chain management. What is supply chain management? As the name implies, it involves managing the entire supply chain from raw materials to finished products to storage and transportation. The system that is utilized by the management team is called logistics.
Introduced in Ancient Greece, logistics was used on the battlefield as a way of ensuring that soldiers received food, weapons and medical supplies in a timely fashion. In our time, logistics is utilized as a way of removing inefficiencies from a company’s supply chain. It also ensures that customer’s receive their products from the transport company when and where they need them.
The person whose job it is to make certain that everything runs smoothly is called a logistics manager. It ever there was a high pressure job, this is it. Not only does a logistics manager have to keep an eye on the supply chain at all times, but he must also consult will all the other managers who are responsible for some leg of the supply chain.
For example, he must collaborate with the purchasing officer to make certain that inventories remain at the appropriate levels. Then he will have to talk to the warehouse manager to ensure that the products are properly stored and that inventory levels are accurate. Next, he will have to have a chat with the transport manager to see to it that goods are reaching their destination in a timely manner and that the transport company is doing is its job.
The logistics manager will take the opinions and advice of each of these managers under advisement before he reports back to his bosses with his recommendations on how to improve the efficiency of the supply chain.Transport company managers and fulfillment managers with a technical background may also be asked to analyze current computer systems and networks.
Why would anyone want this job? Well, for one thing it pays quite well. Logistics managers who work for large companies typically receive six-figure salaries. Also, the work is quite challenging and some people thrive on that. But probably the number one reason why professionals become logistics manager is because they want to be critically important to the success of the company. Other than the head of the company, the logistics manager is the person most responsible for the way the business is run. He is in charge of managing every leg of the supply chain. Not surprisingly, his opinions and advice carry a lot of weight.
