Supply Chain Professional Profile

In this article we want to identify the skills and knowledge that every professional working in the world of logistics must handle.

The day to day in the logistics area is always fascinating, the realities are constantly changing and so are the necessary adjustments to meet the commitments with internal and external customers. The decision making process involves technical issues, information analysis, operational and financial risks and impacts, in order to develop implementation and communication plans to maintain a continuous follow-up.

That is why both the individual and the entire team responsible must manage and complement hard skills with soft skills, in addition to the advances in technology. To develop these skills and knowledge, there are two methods of training: academia and on-the-job experience.

University degrees, specialization and post-graduate studies, along with continuous training, attending conferences, participating in associations and keeping up to date with different publications allow us to be trained with theory and methodological tools.

Job responsibilities start with tasks, then move on to processes and projects, followed by supervision and team leadership, and finally to defining plans and strategies. Work experience is the result of a career plan that identifies which technical and managerial skills need to be developed and the time this development can take.

Today a combination of the two methods is mandatory and ideally balanced. We see three groups or components that this professional profile should contemplate.

1. Important technical knowledge and analytical skills are:

-Distribution, Warehousing and Transportation
-International Trade
-Sourcing and Procurement
-Demand and Supply Planning
-Inventory Management
-Reverse Logistics
-Processes, Productivity and Efficiency
-Contracts
-Risk and Financial Assessment
-Products and Services
-Languages