What is a logistician, and how can they help your business? Most people believe they have a basic understanding of the question, yet they do not.
A logistician’s primary responsibility is to manage a company’s supply chain. This covers managing a product’s entire life cycle, from acquisition to distribution to delivery.
In reality, however, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Understanding the true nature and function of a logistician is critical to hiring the right one for your team. So, If you’ve been struggling with how to answer the “What is a logistician?” question, you’re in the right place.
CSMI was founded in 2002 and offers Integrated Logistic Support Services in the Aerospace and Defense industries. This article will explain what is a logistician and why they are important to your business.
Logistic Professionals
A professional logistician is frequently seen as determined, innovative, efficient, observant, and collaborative due to the nature of their work. They can be found in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, transportation, packaging, agriculture, and, of course, the military.
These days, however, professional logisticians are in high demand and can be found in almost any industry. Their work falls under the purview of supply chain management (SCM). This is the procedure for delivering a product from a supplier to a customer.
Logisticians are primarily concerned with assessing and coordinating all aspects of an organization’s supply chain. This includes virtually all aspects of purchasing, inventory, warehousing, and transportation.
An Explanation of Logistics
The phrases supply chain and logistics are sometimes used interchangeably. In contrast, logistics is a component of the overall supply chain.
Logistics, in its most basic form, refers to the movement of goods from point A to point B. This procedure includes two critical functions: transportation and warehousing.
Overall, the supply chain is a network of businesses and organizations that manufacture and distribute items via a variety of procedures, including logistics.
Logistics Is a Huge Industry
When considering potential career options, the field of logistics is not one that typically comes to mind. However, it is an industry that is vital to our economy, and logistics professionals are in high demand.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, over 18 billion tons of goods worth more than $19 trillion moved on our nation’s transportation network in 2015.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused major disruptions in maritime and air freight transportation. Trucks transported 10.23 billion tons of freight in the United States in that year. Nonetheless, total freight is estimated to exceed 27 billion tons by 2045, with a value of $38 trillion.
When a business produces or sells a product, logistics professionals are required to keep their operations on track. A career in logistics offers a compelling opportunity as the economy and transportation industries recover from the pandemic.
What is the Role of a Logistician?
A logistician’s talents are in high demand, and their function in any business can be quite valuable. Professional logisticians help businesses manage their product supply in response to the needs of their customers.
They also constantly analyze and organize the acquisition, distribution, and delivery of goods. These individuals are, in many ways, data analysts who understand how to coordinate an organization’s supply chain from supplier to consumer.
A good logistician will keep their company’s operations on track at all times. If any problems arise, they will not hesitate to get to work on finding a solution as soon as possible.
Logisticians typically perform the following tasks:
- Manage the life cycle of a product from conception through disposal.
- Control the distribution of materials, supplies, and products.
- Establish business relationships with suppliers and customers.
- Recognize and respond to your clients’ needs.
- Examine logistical functions and make necessary improvements.
- Propose ways to cut the cost or time it takes to transport goods.
Logisticians are in charge of purchasing, transportation, inventory, and warehousing. They may also assist in the coordination of the transportation of a variety of items, persons, or supplies. These can range from everyday items to military equipment and troops.
Professional logicians often use software solutions that allow them to plan and track product movement. They may also use software designed specifically to manage logistical functions. These include procurement, inventory management, metrics management, asset visibility and other supply chain planning and management systems.
Let’s get into a little more detail on these concepts.
Help a company’s supply chain run more effectively
Supply chains are complex networks that are continually changing in response to client demands and competitor performance. A competent logistician will make sure that a company’s supply chain is always working smoothly and efficiently. That makes a good logistician a highly-valued asset to the organization.
The efficiency with which the components of a supply chain operation have a significant impact on the performance of a business. It only takes one element to go wrong for the entire network’s flow to be disrupted.
To illustrate, let’s say a PC maker is experiencing a delay in receiving key computer chips from their supplier. That can potentially impact the company’s ability to ship out their PCs to their customers. Such a delay could generate customer dissatisfaction which can lead to lost sales and tarnish their brand reputation.
Loss prevention strategies
A good logistician can solve problems quickly. They’ll figure out how to make complicated supply chain components work together seamlessly. They will also assess the supply-demand balance.
Assume a food distributor has an excess supply of fruits and vegetables from their crop. This could result in the surplus product spoiling and becoming immobile, costing the food distributor money.
In addition to assisting businesses in reducing losses, logisticians help fulfill changing customer expectations. Influencing factors like technical innovation can help achieve this.
As more businesses provide online shopping, logisticians will play a larger role in ensuring that customers’ needs are met in a timely and efficient manner, which is a key component of customer satisfaction.
What Is a Logistician’s Working Environment Like?
The federal government employs the most logisticians, including many civilians working in military logistics. Some logisticians work in a company’s logistics department, while others work for logistics companies like freight shipping companies.
Because logicians frequently visit a company’s manufacturing plants or distribution sites, frequent travel can be a large component of their job. Most of them work full-time during regular business hours. However, delivery and other logistical issues frequently require logicians to work countless overtime hours to keep business operations running smoothly.
Logistics professionals typically work in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment. Not only that, but they must ensure that activities are completed on time and that any problems are resolved as soon as possible. Needless to say, it can be a demanding and stressful job, but it can also be highly rewarding.
The Typical Duties of a Logistician
Logisticians and transportation, distribution, and warehouse managers are classified differently by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A logistician’s responsibilities in business include everything from purchasing raw materials and inventory to warehousing and transportation.
That being said, their duties and responsibilities can expand as the concept of logistics grows in complexity.
Methodology of Logistics
Logistics entails far more than simply packing items in a box and shipping them to their destination. While a product is still in the design phase, a logistician will be thinking about ways to cut costs on material and part transportation.
The logistician will ensure that the essential parts and materials arrive on time from the suppliers. They’ll keep track of the parts or raw materials as they go from the warehouse to the factory. Following the acquisition and manufacturing of the product, logisticians will prepare for its shipment and distribution to customers.
Transportation and Other Services
Being able to create strong relationships with the suppliers of goods and resources, as well as the transportation companies who deliver them, is one of the most crucial components of being a logistician.
One of the most essential qualities that set logisticians apart from the competition is their ability to establish good relationships with both suppliers and transportation companies. In addition, they should also be able to build strong business relationships with their customers.
These are some of the key customer relationships they should strive for:
- Warehouse supervisors who handle incoming and outgoing shipments.
- Personnel in charge of receiving raw materials and producing parts.
- The people who buy the finished goods.
Throughout the process, logisticians and management will look for opportunities to highlight both successes and areas for improvement. Staying up to date on changes and new technologies is also an important part of this effort.
The Growing Importance of Logistics
The increased demand for logisticians reflects the growing importance of logistics in commodity shipping, particularly as the global economy expands. More businesses are looking for ways to move items more efficiently, solve problems, and identify operational areas where they can gain a competitive advantage.
Since 2002, CSMI has provided customers with a complete solution for technology lifecycle support for both domestic and international deployment. We provide technology installation and integration, integrated logistics support, operations and maintenance, lifecycle support, and training. Contact us for more information.