What is a Logistics Career?
Logistics roles cover lots of things in the food and drink industry, but mainly it’s about getting products from A to B to C. From warehouse operations to planners, logistics roles are very varied.
Warehouse Operative
A Warehouse Operative role is a more hands-on, entry-level role. Operatives work in a team to deal with products coming in and out of the business warehouse.
Supply Chain Manager
This role is vital to the company as it is one of the main sources of profit for the business. In the food industry, you will be working closely with supermarkets and wholesale distribution businesses. Overall you will be responsible for the organisation and movement of all goods through the business. You will be working closely with purchasing officers, warehouse staff and transport clerks to ensure that all products reach depots on schedule and in perfect condition.
Warehouse Manager
As a Warehouse Manager, you will be responsible for the warehouse operatives and any other team members whose role requires them to work on-site. You will oversee all operations, whether it is inbound or outbound processes. You will also be responsible for all health and safety concerns in the building. As you are working with food, the warehouse may be temperature controlled so it is vital that you maintain the equipment and make sure it is running smoothly.
Planner
As a planner, you will be ensuring that the correct products are manufactured efficiently and of the best quality. You will be working with a variety of departments from sales to production so that the business can establish a suitable production schedule. our role will also entail making sure that all raw materials are in place so that the production team can be on time and meet your schedules.
What You Will Be Doing:
- Planner – Constructing daily production schedules for departments
- Planner – Forecasting long-term customer requirements
- Planner – Managing production performance so that outbound products do not fall behind schedule
- Supply Chain Manager – Planning an effective strategy for your company in connection with company Directors
- Supply Chain Manager – Supporting production departments and ensuring all materials are located when needed.
- Supply Chain Manager – Overseeing product movement of products to destinations and stores
- Warehouse Manager – Planning delivery and dispatch of materials and products
- Warehouse Manager – Ensuring Health and Safety measures are always maintained, with accidents and near misses properly reported
- Warehouse Operator – Handling delivery of stock, goods and supplies
- Warehouse Operator – Unloading trucks (forklift truck licence required)
- Warehouse Operator – Storing goods in the correct place in the warehouse
Skills and Knowledge
Within logistic roles and careers, the skills you will need can be broken down into soft and hard skills. Soft skills are more transferable skills, whereas hard skills focus more on technical ability. There are many kinds of soft and hard skills but we will break down the most common ones.
Soft Logistics Skills
- Communication
- Coordination
- Teamwork
- Organisation
- Time management
- Process-driven
Hard Logistic Skills
- Machine Learning
- Industry Knowledge
- Customer Service
- Forklift Truck Licence
- Health and Safety knowledge
Routes into a logistics role:
- High-level / higher-level apprenticeship
- Applying directly
- University degree
- Training with a professional body such as MDS
Career Options
There are a lot of career prospects in Logistics and you can be employed across a variety of areas. These include but are not limited to:
- Warehouse Manager
- Supply chain design and planning
- Freight transportation
- Distribution
