From the paper towels that you buy at the grocery store to the medicine that is given to you at a clinic, without supply chain logistics, none of that would be there when you need them. Even the device you are reading this on had to have been made from parts that have to come in on schedule to reach the next destination to be in your hands.
Over 51 million pounds of freight is moved throughout the United States daily, with goods and materials shipped from across the world!
It first begins with the raw materials. Metals, rubbers, and wood must be extracted from somewhere, and workers ensuring that those materials are in the right place after they have been mined is vital to maintaining the production schedule.
Once materials have reached the production stage, they can be prepped into Items ready for consumption. Operational managers coordinate with workers and drivers to send the raw material to plants to be processed and assembled. Safety specialists ensure that workers are not put in danger.
After this, the prepared material must find its way to the consumer, but first, manufacturers must find a business to sell the products to. While the manufacturer is looking for a buyer, they must find a place to store the product.
Warehouses come into play by providing a place for storing all sorts of products and items. Warehouse managers coordinate with workers to ensure everything in the facility is unloaded, stored, and organized. Inventory managers make sure that all products are accounted for.
Transportation companies soon work to ensure that products go from the warehouse to the distribution center. Distribution centers are hubs that connect to other distribution centers and major cities. The distribution center acts as the middleman between the warehouse and the retailers.
Freight brokers go into work as they connect shipping companies with carriers to ensure that any product that has no way of transportation makes it to its destination. Dispatchers also work closely with drivers to ensure the product on the carrier end gets to the retailer safely.
Finally, once trucks reach their destination, the retailer can sell the product directly to the consumer. Sometimes, the destination may not be a retailer. Trucks can go out to hospitals, disaster areas, and warzones to ensure that the correct items get to the right place.
The job of supply chain logistics extends even beyond the supply chain process. Logistics and supply chain analysts break down what works, what needs improvement, and what needs to be removed entirely to make the supply chain as seamless as possible. As the supply chain industry expects to expand by 30% by the year 2030, more and more companies find the efficiency of their supply chain models to be paramount to their business plans.
Want to know where you fit in this growing industry? Look at the various careers and opportunities supply chain logistics offers!
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