Analyse supply chain trends

Analyse and make predictions about trends and evolutions in supply chain operations in relation to technology, efficiency systems, types of products shipped, and logistical requirements for shipments, in order to remain at the forefront of supply chain methodologies.

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skill/competence

sector-specific

Analyse supply chain trends is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Purchasing manager: Purchasing managers are in charge of buying goods, equipment and services for their company, and try to ensure the most competitive prices. They are also responsible for negotiating contracts, reviewing the quality of products and analyzing suppliers , and the use and resale of goods and services.
Forwarding manager: Forwarding managers plan and organise cargo shipments within national and international areas. They communicate with carriers and negotiate the best way to send the cargo to its destination which can be a single customer or a point of distribution. Forwarding managers act as experts in supply chain management. They know and apply the rules and regulations for each specific type of cargo and communicate the conditions and costs to the clients.
Logistics analyst: Logistics analysts streamline product manufacturing, transportation, storage and distribution. They assess production and supply chain problems to determine economically efficient solutions. They assists company managers in decision-making processes and direct programs designed to provide subcontractors, managers and customers with logistic technology.
Logistics and distribution manager: Logistics and distribution managers take decisions on logistic services, operations and provisions. They take internal and external variables into consideration for effective and successful organisational logistic services. They give appropriate support to all the activities of the supply chain from the beginning to the end. These professionals organise the storage and distribution of goods and ensure that the right products are delivered to the right location on time and at a good cost.
Rail intermodal equipment operator: Rail intermodal equipment operators assist in the loading of trailers and containers on and off railcars and chassis. They manoeuvre tractor-trailer combinations around tight corners and in and out of parking spaces. They use an on-board computer peripheral to communicate with yard management computer system and to identify railcars.
Resource manager: Resource managers manage resources for all potential and assigned projects. They liaise with the different departments to see that all various resources are met, in a timely manner, and communicate any resourcing issues that may impact scheduled deadlines.
Supply chain manager: Supply chain managers plan, manage and coordinate all activities related to the sourcing and procurement of supplies needed to run manufacturing operations from the acquisition of raw materials to the distribution of finished products. The supplies can be raw materials or finished products, and it can be for internal or external use. Moreover, they plan and commission all the activities needed to be performed in manufacturing plants and adjust operations to changing levels of demand for a company’s products.
Forecast manager: Forecast managers have a deep understanding of the operations of the company, the inventory levels, production batches, requirements and costs of production per product, and trends in the demand levels. They use all that information in combination with forecasting software in order to define production orders aiming for the most efficient production combinations.
ICT vendor relationship manager: ICT vendor relationship managers establish and maintain positive business relationships between stakeholders (external or internal), by deploying activities which are compliant with organisational processes. They also manage the outsourcing process for the organisation’s ICT department and the supply chain communications.

Analyse supply chain trends is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Market research analyst: Market research analysts collect the information gathered in the market research and study it to draw conclusions. They define the potential customers of a product, the target group and the way they can be reached. Market research analysts analyse the position of products in the market from different perspectives such as features, prices and competitors. They analyse cross selling and interdependencies between different products and their placement. Market research analysts prepare information helpful for the development of marketing strategies.
Logistics engineer: Logistics engineers design and implement systems aimed to optimise the time and efforts invested in transportation activities. They ensure that systems allow for micro-tracking and smooth communication across transport methods and stages.
Application engineer: Application engineers deal with the technical requirements, management, and design for the development of various engineering applications, such as systems, new product designs, or the improvements of processes. They are responsible for the implementation of a design or process improvement, they offer technical support for products, answer questions about the technical functionality and assist the sales team.

References

1. Analyse supply chain trends – ESCO