Job Responsibilities
My main responsibility is to ensure that we effectivel utilise
our trucks to transport our product from manufacture to
customers. Currently I spend 80% of my time on this aspect of
the job which includes driver management, load scheduling,
customer service, vehicle maintenance, breakdown management and
a few other bits that make things run smoothly. I am also
looking after the construction of a new warehouse and
distribution complex we are building. Contract warehousing means
I must plan for the optimum storage racking space that we can
utilise as this aspect of the business provides a very good
passive income for the business. Once you have 100 pallet racks
full of customer product then every other business you do
outside of storage is pure profit. As we expect the construction
to be completed within 8 weeks this part of the job is getting a
bit intense. A part of this development includes ratifying the
specific forklifts and other material handling items you will
need and as this is capital expenditure you must get it right
the first time. I also look after the delivery of incoming sea
containers from overseas manufacture, mainly Asia. This includes
employing an effective customs clearance agent, transport of
containers, destuffing of containers and distribution of
product. There are a number of administrative tasks associated
with the position and apart from resource management I also
gather statistical analysis of the fleet operation which
includes fuel and load efficiencies associated with the
scheduling, total number of pallet deliveries and driver hours.
|
Job Requirements
Not sure what you mean here. For my position you need a
Logistics diploma / degree and as it is a specialist field not
all colleges or universities provide the learning facility.
Logistics concentrates on the receipt, storage and distribution
of any sort of product bu there are large differences between
engineering style logistics, construction material logistics,
food and beverages logistics and bulk product logistics. Each of
these areas tend to have their own specialists and it's not
often that these sub fields cross pollinate in companies. I have
been fortunate that with over 30 years experience I have been
involved in all these different types of Logistics. For some
reasons, unknown, it has only been of late that countries and
education systems have acknowledged the specialist aspect of
this field which is now being referred to as Supply Chain
activity. There are few experts or people qualified enough to
instruct or tutor at a tertiary level because most of the old
scool have come up through the ranks and have few if any
profesional qualifications. This is however changing albeit
slowly. The best part of learning this business that the real
test, or final exams to pass summa cum lauda will be from
actually working in the job and using academic projects on the
job. For my part I did not take a formal education in Logistics
as none were available but I did complete a Diploma Course in
Business specialising in Frontline Management because the real
path to success in this field is the effective mangement of the
human resource side of the matrix. But that's really the secret
of most mangerial positions. I also completed an American Based
qualification in Purchasing to becoms an Approved Purchasing
Professional as part of the Supply Chain world.
|
Uppers
There is no doubt that the best part of this type of work is the diversity. You
have to juggle quite a few different roles from man management, machinery,
customer service, planning scheduling, entrepeneural promotion of your
distribution facility, computer programs, accountancy, administration, overseas
consignments...you name it, there isn't a limit in the fields which you work at
times.
|
Downers
There is always a problem in any job, not just this type, that
once you have mastered your environment and are running a smooth
operation, that boredom sets in and you start operating within
your comfort zone. Dangerous. You must always extend the
parameters of the job wherever and whenever possible to ensure
that there is a new challenge to be met constantly. Continuous
improvement. Downers are when everything goes bad and you are
having personal problems on the man management side. Humans are
the hardest aspect of any job and good management and
preparation in this area is invaluable.
|
Lifestyle
Well, the work hours certainly vary and I have gone from 60 -70 hour weeks
worked when you are busy setting up new establishments and striving to put in
place new processes and procedures while trying to gain the respect of your
subordinates to 35 - 40 hour weeks which you can work comfortably when you have
everything running smoothly. However, the incidence of constant 38 hour weeks is
rare because the nature of this business doesn't really allow the luxury.
Business travel can be a couple of trips a year attending conferences held by the
industry and as long as the subject matter is relevant and you feel the company
will benefit as much as you the individual then they are worth attending. I have
had periods where business trips occur maybe every second year. There are plenty
of social events involved but like most of these corporate days you need to be
able to make the time from your busy schedule to attend. As the manager it is
important that you hold social occasions with your own team as part of the team
building process and the number of times you do this is up to you. It's not a bad
form of reward for the employees as well. Dress code is really up to the
individual. A collar and tie has never made me do the job any better and as a
manager your actions speak louder than your dress code. So if you walk the walk
and talk the talk the talk and your subordinates (fellow team members) respect
you then it is immaterial whether you turn up to work in surfing shorts or a
tuxedo. Ahving said that, board shorts would probably be inappropriate but there
should not be an overwhelming need or a rule in place that designates you should
be wearing a suit or dressed in collar and tie. The sooner the tie is done away
with as a form of trying to earn respect the better.
|
Compensation
There are a number of postions and a sort of ladder of
recognition in this industry and the salary obviously falls in
line with that unwritten rule. Firstly, some industries pay a
lot better than others. The food industry used to pay a
notoriously poor salary compared to Mining and Oil & Gas or
petroleum. Although the food game still pays less it's not as
bad as it used to be. In the Logistics pecking order let me give
you an idea of the status as per the title. Starting at storeman
to supply officer, to supoply administrator, to supply
supervisor to warehouse supervisor, to warehouse co-ordinator,
transport scheduler, transport co-ordiantor, warehouse manager,
distribution manager, Supply Chain co-ordinator, Warehousing and
Distribution Manager, Logistics Co-ordiantor, Logistics Manager,
Warehouse superintendent, Supply Superintendent. There are many
names and many titles and the salary range is from $32,000 to
$120,000 AUD. The higher positions include a motor vehicle,
mobile phone and expense accounts and some profit sharing and
bonuses. In my last position I was paid $90,000, I had stock
options, a company car, mobile phone and an annual bonus. In my
new position I have a company car, salary of $50,000, expense
account, and a large annual bonus based on performance.
|
Advice to Jobseekers
If you want to work in a dynamic profession then this is a good
choice. I cannot see a time in the future, allowing for matter
transferral and huge technological advances, when trucks and
storage and distribution of goods will never be an integral part
of the world's operation. A Logistics Degree coupled with a
Business Degree would place the individual into a highly sought
bracket of requirement by operating companies. Good computer
skills are a must as well. However, all qualifications aside,
this field of work requires a certain amount of first hand
experience along with the qualifications to make a good manager.
And let's not forget about the human factor. The better the man
management skills the better the chances of success. As I stated
before one of the major attractions of this profession is the
task diversity which helps to not only maintain an individual's
interest but also adds extra skills to his / hers portfolio.
Even in the very distant future you may not be scheduling trucks
on the highways and into distribution warehouses but doing the
same with spaceships, space cargo ships while they transport
gear to other planets and distant galaxies. The main disciplines
of Receipt, Storage and distribution will never change.
|
|
