Logistics and Supply Chain

Logistics refers to the transportation of goods from A to B, or more accurately, the delivery of that blender you bought over the weekend from a warehouse to your house. The supply chain includes a whole series of different operations that resulted in making and packaging your new blender. 

The logistics and supply chain industry is one of the most exciting industries that you can work in and has enormous potential for lucrative career progression. As you’ve probably guessed, without the manufacture, distribution, or transportation of goods, many companies would cease to function. This gives logistics and supply chain professionals a fantastic overview of how the business works as a whole. Many of these professionals use the sales, financial and managerial skills that they gain in the industry to progress into senior management positions in some of the world’s biggest businesses. The industry is facing such a range of challenges, that anybody with the creativity and talent required to progress through could find themselves taking on one of these globally significant management roles. 

Increasing costs 
Increasing fuel costs represent a huge challenge to the industry. As global tensions push oil prices up, businesses need to manage increases in fuel costs without passing on unacceptably higher prices to consumers.

Adapting services in line with changes in consumer behaviour 
A huge challenge in supply chain management is responding to consumers’ constantly evolving and ever more demanding expectations. As well as requiring faster distribution and customer service responses than ever before, consumers are also buying products based on the ethical considerations made during manufacturing processes. The environmental impact of the manufacturing of products that they use on a daily basis is at the forefront of consumers’ minds. If businesses are unable to show that strenuous attempts to protect the environment were present throughout their supply chains, they may find themselves losing many previously loyal customers. Making these environmental adjustments without swelling production costs or pricing products out of the market is a huge issue throughout supply chains in every sector. Additionally, the migration of large companies’ IT software to new, more technologically advanced systems is a wonderful innovation in theory and very often in the long-term. However, in the short-term, this technological change can present a range of seemingly intransigent difficulties whilst consuming time that could be put to valuable use elsewhere in the business, as well as spiralling costs.  

Brexit
Then there’s Brexit. The possibility of importing to and exporting from the UK in the event of a no-deal exit presents a whole plethora of previously unimaginable challenges throughout the logistics and supply chain industry. What happens if parts cannot be sourced from their typical EU-based location due to regulatory changes? What happens if huge queues at ports cause perishable items to become unusable (or inedible) before they arrive at their destination? How would the placement of checkpoints across the Irish border be geographically possible - let alone viable from a logistics and supply chain perspective? What happens if Brexit is cancelled and businesses have invested huge amounts of time and cash in preparing to leave the EU for absolutely no reason? 

Solutions to the issues described above will distinguish companies that lead the industry from those that just operate within it. If you relish challenges and have the ability to think creatively under pressure, while maintaining excellent communication skills and meticulous organisational and time management skills, then a career in the logistics & supply chain industry at the forefront of the industry’s responses to these challenges could be perfect for you. 

More work needs to be done to encourage more women to apply for logistics and supply chain roles. Only 5% of top supply chain roles in Fortune 500 companies are held by women. That’s a deeply disappointing statistic. Leading executives such as Mary Barra, who took a supply chain route to become Chairwoman and CEO of General Motors, show that women thrive in supply chain roles and use these roles to propel themselves into the most influential boardrooms in global business. 

At TLP, we actively encourage a diverse pool of applicants to apply for the logistics and supply chain roles for which we recruit. We do this because our clients want world-class staff to fill their vacancies. If the ideal staff member is sitting at home and not applying because they feel as though logistics and supply chain is not a sector that welcomes people who look like them, then our clients lose out hugely and the sector as a whole has failed these candidates. If the industry is going to solve the many challenges it faces, it is vital that it approaches them from multiple perspectives, by drawing on a diverse pool of knowledge and cultural experience from the staff who represent a wide range of demographics. Beyond the recruitment and talent consultancy, we provide our customers and candidates, we also play an active role within women in logistics supporting the marketing and taking an active role in promoting diversity across the profession.

Administrator 
Popular starting roles in this sector are often as an Administrator. Whether as a Logistics, Goods In or Goods Out Administrator, this role will give you a great overview of what working in the heart of the supply chain is like. Without talented Administrators, the logistics and supply chain industry would collapse. Some of the main responsibilities of an Administrator involve: 

• Building excellent relationships with customers and keeping them informed of each step of their delivery’s journey until it reaches them. 
• Carefully managing stock to ensure that the right quantity of goods is always purchased at the right price and is delivered in good time so that all orders are fulfilled.  
• Ensuring that all paperwork is maintained in an orderly fashion and that all administrative deadlines are met. 

Salaries for administrators can vary from approximately £19,000 - 24,000 p.a. depending on the specific nature of the role and an employee’s previous experience. 

Transport Planner 
A more advanced role is as a Transport Planner, where responsibilities include: 

• Managing drivers transporting goods to ensure that processes run as smoothly as possible. 
• Using creative thinking under pressure to improve performance, and ensure that customers always receive sensational service. 
• Engaging with key stakeholders within the company to ensure that nobody feels as though their perspectives and opinions have been ignored in any planned or enacted changes to internal systems and processes. 
• Strong experience using Excel is essential to ensure efficient completion of day-to-day administrative tasks. 

Salaries for this role increase to between £24,000-28,000 annually and often come with benefits. These benefits vary from company to company but often include free or heavily subsidised insurance plans, increases in pension provision, share and stock options as well as more holiday days and access to free or heavily subsidised fitness facilities. 

Logistics Shift Manager 
Further progression to the role of Logistics Shift Manager would involve:

• Managing a large team and ensuring that each different section of the team worked together seamlessly to create enjoyable client experiences. 
• Overseeing staff development to ensure that all employees are working as productively as possible at all times. 
• Maintain exceptional H&S and Quality standards. 
• Set team of objectives and then ensure that they are met or exceeded. 

Salaries for logistics shift managers increase £30-34k + shift allowance. Remuneration packages often include very generous employee benefits. From there it’s possible to progress to a whole range of management posts in Logistics and Supply Chain, as well as general management positions in the company as a whole. These positions are accompanied by increased salaries and benefits. 

Academic 
Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in Business Management or in a whole range of areas of the Logistics and Supply Chain industry provide a perfect path to management positions within it. Students looking for experience in the sector can apply for a number of internships and graduate schemes which offer excellent preparation for a career in the management side of the industry. 

Non-Academic
Alternatively, success in supermarket stock management and maintenance roles can lead to progression to entry-level packaging or driving jobs, which are and have provided perfect starts to many Logistics and Supply Chain careers. Drivers require various licences, such as HGV Class 1 and 2 to progress to more senior roles. Many employers and reliable recruiters such as TLP will fund or heavily subsidise the cost of this training so that talented individuals can progress in Logistics and Supply Chain careers, no matter what their social backgrounds may be. 

TLP is fortunate to work with some of the industry’s biggest names, such as Eddie Stobart, UPS and DHL. These global businesses and other leading brands provide graduates with the opportunity to rotate around different teams in different locations, to find the perfect role and city for them. Many of these businesses also offer international secondment opportunities to high performers. 

The most important aspect of any job application for a logistics or supply chain position is a candidate’s skill set. Organised, agile thinkers who are able to liaise with senior management in multiple departments, and are also happy to get involved with the nuts and bolts of the business (such as administrative tasks) will do well in this industry. If you are a team player with the drive and initiative to make things happen and the attention to detail needed to constantly perfect systems, then a career in Logistics and Supply Chain could be perfect for you.