What do Logistics Analysts do?

A Logistics Analyst would typically need to:

• Analyse the company’s supply chain; manage how the products are acquired, allocated, and delivered
• Understand how company products need to be handled and stored; operate equipment needed to store and ship products
• Make use of IT systems to manage product inventory, transport costs, and delivery times; control the order cycle; coordinate carrier and third-party services using related information systems
• Maintain company warehouses; monitor carrier and third-party services
• Set objectives; plan projects; brainstorm supply strategies to make delivery more efficient; coordinate vehicle routes for a streamlined transport of products
• Document invoices and payment postings
• Liaise and negotiate with suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers
• Manage the relationship between suppliers and clients; understand how to meet client needs effectively; provide consultancy services using specialised knowledge
• Respond to consumer complaints related to shipping, lost items, or damaged products
• Develop the company business by acquiring new contracts, advancing e-commerce activities, analysing logistical problems, and producing feasible solutions
• Ensure progress is compatible with fuel costs, current legislation and increasing environmental issues
• Evaluate staff performance and quality of products; implement health and safety procedures; allocate resources as needed
• Communicate with company management and merchandise salespeople; train members of staff; motivate team members; inform management of pressing performance issues

Standard Work Environment

The working environment varies depending on the firm, but Logistics Analysts typically work in offices, warehouses, and on shop floors.

Logistics analysts may be required to travel vast distances, and in some cases, even internationally, to production sites or distribution centres.

Work Schedule

Logistics analysts often work 60 hours per week on a flexible schedule. Some businesses that provide 24-hour services may need staff to work in shifts, including evenings and weekends.

Employers

Logistics analysts are required in nearly every industry, both private and public. They typically work in a company’s logistics department or for organisations that specialise in logistics. Asking your network for referrals, contacting firms directly, using job search portals, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies can all help your job hunt.

Logistics Analysts are generally employed by:

• The Manufacturing Industry
• Government Organisations
• Retail Companies
• Aviation Companies
• Rail Providers
• Engineering Firms
• Freight-Shipping Companies
• The Wholesale Trade Industry

Unions / Professional Organizations

Professional groups and organisations, such as the International Society of Logistics (SOLE), are essential for Logistics Analyst who wants to further their professional growth or interact with other professionals in their sector or employment. Membership in one or more of these organisations adds value to your CV while strengthening your credentials and qualifications.

Workplace Challenges

On the one hand, stress from fast-paced logistical work; on the other, a lack of mental stimulation due to the repetitive nature of specialised duties.
The requirement to stay away from home for extended periods of time while going large distances, sometimes even overseas
Intense competitiveness and deadline pressure

Suggested Work Experience

Work experience in industries such as logistics, logistical assistance, supply chains, and business may help prospective employers notice you. Dispatchers, clerks, and those in logistics positions in the military learned a lot about manufacturing and supply procedures, which can help them if they want to change careers and become Logistics Analysts.

Large logistics organisations may offer graduate recruitment programmes to help trainees comprehend transportation laws and management abilities, among other aspects of supply chain management.

Reading as much as possible about the field and interviewing others who work in the logistics sector are also useful approaches to exploring your interest.

Recommended Qualifications

Employers favour applicants with a bachelor’s degree in business, systems engineering, or supply chain management over those with an associate degree.

Operational database management, system dynamics, and software like radio-frequency identification (RFID) will demonstrate your ability to handle complicated logistics and supply chains.

In some locations, a degree, foundation degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) in logistics, distribution and transportation management, business, computing, economics, geography, information systems, and management may be required.

Certifications, Licenses and Registration

A Logistics Analyst’s proficiency in a skill set is demonstrated through job experience, training, and passing a test. Supply chain and supplier relationship management certification can demonstrate your professional expertise and in-depth knowledge of logistics. Candidates seeking employment with their country’s equivalent of the Department of Defence may need to obtain extra credentials. For more information, see the official website.

Projected Career Map

A Logistics Analyst with suitable professional qualifications and experience, as well as consistently high levels of performance, may be eligible for advancement into larger unit management or logistic management positions.

Additional tasks in senior jobs include business growth and monitoring the efficient management of an organization’s labour, information, capital and facilities, finances, human resources, production, and IT systems.

Job Prospects

Candidates with the requisite abilities, education, and experience in using logistical software or performing logistical tasks for the military will have the best job opportunities.

Beneficial Professional Development

Qualifications such as the Certificate or Diploma in Management Studies (CMS/DMS) or a Master in Business Administration (MBA), logistics, or supply chain management may be required for advancement.

CPD will assist an active Logistics Analyst in developing personal skills and competency through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning. It enables you to always improve your skills, regardless of your age, employment, or degree of expertise.

Conclusion of Logistics Analyst

General Eisenhower famously stated that battles, campaigns, and even wars are mostly lost due to logistics. No surprise, then, that a competent Logistics Analyst who is willing to be held accountable is critical to an economy’s best functioning.

Advice from the Wise

You should create flow charts providing information on commodities procurement, storage facilities, and product delivery to a specific area while operating an operation.

Explore Also: How to Become a Logistician