Logistics & Trade
Logistics & Trade, the industry that runs the world.
Trading is something humans have done since we learned that others can make stuff we want, that we cannot make ourselves, and vice versa. The idea that giving someone something in exchange for another thing, is present in all cultures and eras, and has helped shape the modern world as we know it. The advent of international transportation only served to expand the trade industry, providing customers and merchants far more opportunities to trade and exchange goods and ideas than ever before.
Logistics is the process and method of sending goods and products from one location to another, in a timely and efficient fashion. And it has only gotten more important with the rising popularity of e-commerce and internet shopping, as more businesses use the internet to monitor and arrange the shipping of goods and products. Without such a bureaucracy to handle such processes, goods would never be shipped on time, if at all, the wrong items for the wrongs locations would result, and various other problems that would throw everything in turmoil given how important international trade is. The world would simply grind to a halt, without the ability to get the things we need in a timely and reliable manner.
- Supply chain management
- Customs/trade management
- Warehouse management
- Retail management
- Logistics
- Industrial engineering
One such career in the industry is that of logistics planning and management, let us look at that. Should you start in the industry from scratch, you would probably have to work your way up from an entry level position. Because as someone in planning and management, you would be expected to have a strong understanding of how the industry works and how to manage a warehouse for starters. You would have to spend a few years working around the warehouse by taking stock, picking and packing goods for shipping, and occasionally housekeeping. This is done to ensure you have a firm understanding of how the business works, so that eventually, you can teach and guide others. Although in some cases, you may start in a higher-level position, if you have the specific skills and expertise needed.
Eventually, after a few years, depending on your performance, you can take up a management role. This means apart from the same duties you handled previously, you now have to handle more paperwork and watch over the warehouse staff’s daily activities. You may also enter such a position if you have had prior experience in a management role in a previous job.
Wages for this job depends on company and location. This amount increases with experience and responsibilities taken on. Naturally, when you take up a management position, your salary goes up as you handle more tasks and responsibilities. The same for when you proceed up the company ranks and hold an important position.
Depending on how much you like the job, you could indeed make time fly by so fast as you complete your various tasks. It is a common agreement that most logistics and trade workers normally work from 9 to 5 like most people, but sometimes the job would require people to stay until later in the evening, as some deliveries may take longer to arrive and ship out to their respective locations. In some cases, you may have to regularly work night shifts, as overnight deliveries are a large and growing market. It can be a physically demanding task alright, but most people enjoy the opportunity to interact with others while working, and the sensation of completing an honest day’s work, putting their muscles to good use.
When it comes to life-long learning, most people simply learn how to manage a warehouse on the job, building up their skill in handling logistics, for that eventual promotion to a management position. For others though, it’s simply a day job to bring money in, especially if they are still in school. Some workers may also study business and related skills while working, to better facilitate their advancement to higher positions within the workplace.
You probably know of how robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning is becoming more widespread throughout society and the various industries. For one, more companies are using physical robots to handle packages and shipments in their warehouses, and at the ports where goods and products are loaded onto and off ships, trains and planes. This has the advantage of reducing labour requirements and maximizing efficiency due to how reliable robots and machines are. There is also the concept of self-driving cars and trucks, to deliver goods and shipments all over the country, regardless of weather or traffic conditions. Deliveries could be made overnight, thus reducing shipping time and cost.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning also contribute by speeding up the processing of orders and deliveries, thus helping to expedite the rate of orders processed even at night and during weekends and public holidays. This is especially important given that ecommerce and online shopping is becoming far more widespread, and more accessible to people around the world.