11Aug
Hello! Today we’ll talk about what transport logistics is and share tips on how to choose a transport logistics company. It is difficult to imagine a business that can exist, much less develop, without transporting various goods. Raw materials need to be delivered to production, finished goods to the intermediary, and from the intermediary to the consumer. Organize all movements while minimizing costs - this is the main task of transport logistics.
Transport logistics as part of logistics science
Let's imagine a person engaged in the manufacture and sale of wooden souvenirs. At first he will have enough own car to bring materials to the workshop and finished goods to the store. But over time, its production will begin to grow, and in addition to thoughts, you will need to think about finding new suppliers, opening a second workshop and branches in other cities.
How can he now manage to carry out all the necessary transportation himself while driving a single car? This is where logistics and transport companies.
It studies the management of all flow movements; its subsection, transport logistics, is responsible for the transportation of material goods through various vehicles.
Costs for transport operations take up about 50% of all logistics costs. The quality of transportation affects costs no less than their direct cost. In this regard, it is very important to consider transport logistics:
- From the point of view of the efficiency of the chosen mode of transport;
- From the perspective of organizing the transportation process;
- From the client's point of view, storage and cargo handling conditions are no less important.
History of the industry
For the first time, the phrase “transport logistics” was officially heard in 1974 in Berlin at the European Congress. At the same time, its main tasks and spheres of influence were formulated.
Transport logistics can be defined as the organization of cargo delivery to a specified point using an optimized route for required time with minimal costs.
In the West, the logistics services market was formed back in the 1990s and every year, according to experts, its capacity grows by an average of 20%. In Russia, people started talking about transport logistics only with the transition to a market economy.
Today at Russian Federation The development of transport logistics is not as fast as in the West. This is primarily due to the lack of clearly delineated responsibilities of the participants in the process. One employee is assigned various functions in which he is absolutely not an expert.
Among other factors that negatively affect the development of transport logistics in Russia, we can highlight:
- Instability of the economic situation;
- Slow pace of production development;
- Unsatisfactory condition of transport routes;
- Low level of production and technical base.
But there are also positive trends, thanks to which transport logistics in Russia will develop rapidly in the coming years. In this regard, two groups of prerequisites can be named:
- Scientific and technical (training of specialists);
- Technical (construction of new facilities for sales and supply systems).
Fundamentals of transport logistics, functions of transport logistics
Let's figure out what transport logistics consists of and what types of activities it includes:
- Forecast and organization of cargo delivery;
- Preparation of related documents;
- Legal support of transportation;
- Payment for transportation services;
- Loading and unloading;
- Packaging and warehousing;
- Process optimization;
- Information support;
- Additional services (customs services, insurance).
Types of transport logistics
Transport logistics is divided into internal (moving cargo within a company and between its branches) and external (for example, delivering a product from a manufacturer to a consumer).
Types of transport transportation are divided into:
- Unimodal (one-species). Carried out by one transport;
- Multimodal (multi-species). Transportation is carried out using several types of transport, with one responsible organizer. Officially, one vehicle acts as a carrier, the rest have the status of clients;
- Intermodal. Delivery of goods by several modes of transport, when one operator organizes the entire process of movement from the first point, through intermediate points, and to the recipient. Responsibility is divided between all carriers who are equal in their status, uniform tariffs are determined;
- Mixed. Two types of transport are used, when the first carries out delivery to the place of loading to the second (without intermediate points and warehousing). For example: rail and road delivery;
- Combined. Unlike mixed ones, more than two types of vehicles are used in the chain.
Two approaches to organizing the transport process
The transport logistics process is organized according to one of two principles:
- Logistic;
- Traditional.
In the traditional approach, there is no multimodal transportation operator who manages the entire process of moving cargo. Participants interact sequentially. Information and financial flows in a traditional flow are transferred exclusively between adjacent links in the chain. It is not surprising that uniform tariffs are not established in such a chain.
In the logistics approach, everything is managed by a single transportation operator, due to which the communication scheme is transformed into a sequential-central one. In this case, general transportation tariffs appear.
Tasks of transport logistics
The essence of transport logistics is the organization of timely transportation of cargo with minimal costs. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to complete a number of tasks:
- Conduct an analysis of delivery points;
- Analyze the properties of the cargo;
- Choose suitable transport;
- Select a carrier and, if necessary, other logistics partners;
- Build a route;
- Monitor cargo during transportation;
- Ensure technological unity of the transport and warehouse process;
- Optimize parameters (increase transportation speed, reduce the amount of fuel consumed).
End point analysis
At the first stage, the transport logistics manager plans an approximate route, taking into account the geography of the area and the type of cargo. Sometimes, even when solving this problem, it becomes clear that several types of transport will have to be used or intermediate points need to be worked out.
Analysis of cargo properties
The characteristics of the cargo largely influence the further choice of transport and the development of the route. For example, how bulky, heavy or fragile a product is will greatly influence the choice of vehicle. It is recommended to transport toxic and chemically hazardous substances away from settlements. Only after determining the properties of the cargo should you begin to select transport.
Choice of transport
Cargo transportation is impossible without transport. In many ways, logistics costs depend on the type of transportation chosen.
The most important criteria for transport logistics are the speed of delivery, its cost and time. In addition, the vehicle is selected based on:
- The nature and value of the cargo;
- Number of shipments and frequency of shipments;
- Distances and location features of the destination.
Transport varies according to destination:
- Public transport ( common use);
- Special use (owned by organization);
- Personal transport.
By energy use:
- On engine power (electric vehicles, cars with thermal or hybrid engines);
- On the strength of the wind (for example, sailing ships);
- On muscular power (moved by an animal or a person).
The most important classification for us is based on the environment of movement.
Ground transport. Cars
Pros:
- Low tariffs;
- Mobility;
- Availability;
- Speed;
- Possibility of sending small batches;
- High frequency of shipments;
- Large selection of carriers;
- There are no strict packaging requirements.
Minuses:
- Very low lifting capacity;
- Dependence on meteorological and road conditions;
- High cost of delivery over distances of over 300 km;
- Expensive service;
- Quick unloading required;
- Low level of reliability (risk of theft).
Ground transport. Railway
Pros:
- High load capacity;
- High regularity of transportation;
- Does not depend on weather and season;
- Fast delivery over long distances;
- Low cost.
Minuses:
- Low mobility;
- Carrier monopoly.
Ground transport. Pipeline
The pipeline is used to move liquid and gaseous substances through special structures. Here the load is usually liquids or gases, but it is also possible to move solid objects such as capsules.
Pros:
- Low cost;
- Does not require a large number of personnel;
- Reliability of cargo safety.
Minuses:
- A narrow list of transported goods;
- Transporting small volumes is not possible.
Water transport. Marine vessels
Acts as the main carrier on intercontinental routes.
Pros:
- Low cost;
- Reliability of cargo safety.
Minuses:
- Low speed;
- Limited geography of transportation;
- Rare shipments;
- Strict requirements for fastening and packaging.
Water transport. River boats
Particularly often used in areas where there are no airports or railways.
Pros:
- Very high load capacity;
- High carrying capacity.
Minuses:
- Limited geography of transportation;
- Depends on the weather and time of year;
- Low delivery speed.
Air Transport
The main vessels used are airplanes and helicopters.
Pros:
- Reliability of cargo safety;
- High speed;
- High mobility;
- Large load capacity;
- The shortest routes.
Minuses:
- The highest tariffs;
- Dependency on weather;
- Limited number of airports.
Other, less popular types of transport include space or underwater, as well as funiculars and elevators.
What are tariffs
Costs in transport logistics consist of the cost of transporting cargo, which is formed from the tariff (or freight rate) - that is, from the price for transportation set by the carrier for a certain period of time. Freight- an alternative to tariff used in maritime transport. The tariff provides the carrier with reimbursement of operating costs and generates its profit. Their tariff rates it can be divided into groups:
- By consumers;
- By type of cargo;
- By vehicle class.
Each type of transport has its own special tariff systems. The following tariffs are used for road transport:
- Piece work;
- Rates per ton/hour;
- By time of use of transport;
- By kilometers of route;
- For departure;
- Negotiable tariffs.
On railways:
- General tariffs;
- Exceptional rates;
- Local rates.
By sea transport:
- On regular lines - at the established tariff;
- On irregular lines - at freight rates.
For river transport, rates are set by the shipping company.
Having agreed on the terms with the customer, analyzed the geography of destination points and chosen the type of transport, the logistician begins to build possible routes. Using the full cost analysis method, several options are calculated in detail. Not only the cost of transportation is taken into account, but also possible risks, expenses, delays and chances of damage to the cargo. The final preference is given to the route with the lowest cost.
Often, after the final plan has been adopted, climatic, political and other conditions make adjustments to the route.
Cargo control during transportation
To avoid force majeure and make timely adjustments to the route, modern logistics companies use all possible navigation devices. It is also very important to keep the customer informed where and at what stage of delivery his goods are. Modern transport logistics is impossible without high-quality cellular communications and the Internet.
How to choose a transport company
A logistics company does not always carry out transportation using its own transport. Very often, for these purposes, logisticians turn to third-party organizations: carriers or forwarders.
Carriers only carry out physical transportation of cargo. Freight forwarders provide a number of additional services on paperwork, loading and unloading, storage, control and cargo insurance.
It is very important to choose a reliable transport company. What should you pay attention to?
- Experience. Long story The company talks about well-functioning delivery mechanisms and the ability to solve various emerging problems. A significant indicator of sustainability is the age of the company over five years;
- Technologies. The more experience a company has, the better developed its technologies for interacting with customers, which greatly simplifies cooperation;
- Staff. Professional employees are the key to the success of any company. The qualifications of the employees should not give you any doubt;
- Specialization. Young small company may turn out to be only an intermediary, adding his own markup to the cost of transportation, but a large company that confidently delivers groupage cargo is already worthy of paying attention to;
- Features of transporting your products. Choose a carrier who is already familiar with the type of your cargo. Almost every industry has its own nuances.
The technological unity of the process is understood as the correspondence of all parameters of vehicles and warehouses. The technology for working with each type of cargo - from package to container - must be clearly defined and worked out. Do you need a spacious warehouse, special systems loading, packaging machines, etc. - all this needs to be planned and brought to a holistic model.
Coordination of the commercial interests of the parties and the establishment of uniform planning algorithms can also be attributed to this task.
Optimization and management of transport logistics
We have already discussed the main goals of transport logistics above, but let's repeat it again. Transport logistics strives to deliver the required cargo to Right place, at the right time, in the required quantity, required quality, at the same time with minimal costs.
Time and money are spent on transporting goods, which means transport logistics must be configured to achieve financial benefits. Greatest profit can be achieved if:
- Reduce inventories in warehouses and in transit (they “bind up capital”);
- Minimize the costs of commodity and material resources;
- Increase the range and volume of cargo transportation. Delivering one shipment 300 km will cost less than transporting three shipments 100 km. A larger volume of cargo reduces the cost of transporting a unit; also, larger volumes will require other means of transport - rail or water - and their operation is cheaper than road or air;
- Timely prevent damage and loss of cargo.
Automation of transport logistics
To quickly and conveniently solve transport logistics problems, special logistics programs are used (Transport Management System, TMS - transport logistics management system).
Such a system calculates routes taking into account the transport network model, transport access to certain urban areas, and the volume and weight of products. The solution allows you to get a visual comparison of planned and actual routes on an electronic map. As a result, it is possible to establish route deviations from the plan, eliminate inappropriate use of transport, unnecessary downtime, and also solve a number of other analytical problems.
Documentation in transport logistics
Transportation rules in the Russian Federation are regulated by: The Charter of the Russian Railways, Inland Waterways, road transport, Merchant Shipping Code.
An agreement must be concluded between the carrier and the sender, according to which the former undertakes to deliver the goods to the specified point in deadlines, and the second is to pay for transportation at the established tariff.
To transport goods you must have the following documents:
- Power of attorney for transportation;
- Waybills;
- Summary statements;
- Invoice from the supplier;
Document flow varies depending on the transport used.
Automobile transport:
- Standard contract;
- Consignment note;
- Waybill - issued to the driver at the beginning of the trip, and usually returned at the end of the day.
Railway transport:
- Invoice;
- Travel manifest (issued for each departure, the counterfoil remains at the departure station, the rest follows to the destination station);
- Carriage sheet (for each car).
- Bill of lading (for linear shipping) or charter agreement (for non-linear, international shipping);
- Loading order;
- Invoice.
Conclusion
Now you know what transport logistics is, what functions and tasks it performs and how to choose a transport company for your business.
Good luck to you and your business!
Nowadays there is hardly a person who has not heard anything about the profession of logistics. These specialists are currently in quite high demand. Their activities are related to the movement of goods.
Demand
Payability
Competition
Entry barrier
Prospects
The essence of a logistician’s job is to organize the delivery of goods from one point to another. Many may think that there is nothing complicated about this. However, in reality everything is far from the case. When delivering goods from one point to another, it is important to consider many factors. This should include choosing a delivery method, developing a route, determining time frames, searching for shortcuts financial expenses for transportation of products. All this is especially important when organizing international transportation.
Story
The logistics profession appeared quite a long time ago. If we talk about its origins, logisticians existed during Byzantium. At that time, logisticians helped develop plans for the optimal movement of the army. In essence, a logistician is a specialist who organizes actions in certain areas. He is developing optimal plan implementation of the process for the most profitable solution assigned task. Nowadays, the logistics profession is in high demand in production and trade. These specialists are valued.
Description
Depends on the professionalism of the logistician successful activity many companies. Trade and market relations are developing at a rapid pace, and therefore such specialists are in high demand. “Logistics” is translated from Greek as “the art of counting.” So this specialist does a very important job.
What are the responsibilities of a logistician? The purpose of his work is to develop optimal solutions in the field of delivery of products from one point to another. It is important to take into account every little detail: from choosing the type of transport and route to calculating the cost of gasoline and the driver’s salary.
What specialties should I study?
Many higher educational institutions offer logistics education. If you decide to connect your life with this profession, then you can enroll in the Faculty of Management and Logistics. Choose the Logistics specialization. In this case, you will have the opportunity to obtain a bachelor's or specialist's degree.
Where to study?
If you have firmly decided to become a logistician, take the choice of a higher educational institution in which you will master this profession extremely seriously. Logistics education is offered by many Russian universities. Let's look at the highest educational establishments, where education is valued above all else.
- Moscow State University named after. V.M. Lomonosov.
- Moscow state institute international relations.
- International Logistics Center "State University of Foreign Economic Affairs".
- Russian Economic University named after. G.V. Plekhanov.
- State University of Management.
If you already have higher education(bachelor's degree), you can choose to specialize. They also provide decent specialized education here.
What do you have to do at work and specializations?
The responsibilities of logisticians depend on the areas of activity in which they will work. Such a specialist can get a job in a logistics company, manufacturing enterprise. Also, vacancies for logisticians are provided by forwarding and trading companies, companies providing warehousing services. A logistician who will work in the production department must perform the following responsibilities: organizing the process of customs clearance, warehousing, transportation, courier delivery. If a specialist chooses the field of sales, then in this case he will be engaged in servicing old and attracting new clients.
Who is this profession suitable for?
The profession of a logistician is suitable for people who are persistent, have an analytical mind, are hardworking, and successfully cope with difficulties. In order to become a good specialist, you need to be a confident negotiator, to know perfectly different kinds transportation, have experience communicating with suppliers. In addition, for successful work good knowledge in the field of warehouse and purchasing logistics will be required, knowledge of modern technologies, at least one foreign language, but several are better.
Demand
Due to the fact that at the moment trade and market relations between different countries The world is developing at a rapid pace, the profession of a logistician can be called in demand. Having received a diploma in logistics, you can be sure that you will find Good work and over time you will be able to make a successful career.
How much do logisticians earn?
The salary of a logistics specialist depends on the field in which he will work and on the company itself. In international companies, logisticians earn quite a lot of money. Minimum wage logistician is 15 thousand rubles, the average is 20-25 thousand rubles. In the field of logistics you can earn 40-50 thousand rubles. The fee also depends on the sales volume of the company in which the specialist works.
Is it easy to get a job?
If you are educated as a logistician and have good knowledge in this area, then you will not have problems finding a job. Now a large number of companies are interested in finding good specialists.
How does one usually build a career?
Logisticians have every chance to make a successful career. However, this will require more than just a higher education diploma. It is important to take initiative, constantly improve your knowledge, and speak several languages. In a word, do everything to become the best specialist. If you want to make a successful career, try to get a job in an international commercial organization.
Prospects
Logistics - promising direction. So feel free to study and improve your knowledge in this field of activity. This profession will always be relevant. Logisticians are highly sought-after specialists nowadays, and therefore you will not be left without work. The main thing is the desire to work in this field and a strong will to win.
What is logistics and how is it involved in each stage of business? 6 requirements for a professional logistician.
What is logistics?
This question is relevant for almost any enterprise in Russia.
The ability to optimize the delivery of goods from manufacturer to consumer is the key to a successful business.
Therefore, every entrepreneur (both experienced and new) needs to understand what it is.
Let's look at this concept in simple words, we will indicate the participation of logistics at each stage of your business, and also find the answer to the question of what qualities a logistician should have.
What is logistics in simple words?
Logistics is the science of the process of moving a product or service from the starting point (manufacturer) to the final point (consumer).
All processes related to the transportation of goods are subject to logistics.
Not all entrepreneurs understand that even production itself is established and operates without interruptions only due to the fact that the logistics scheme of interactions is clearly verified and calculated.
From the explanation above, a simple layman or a newcomer to the world of business may not immediately understand the whole essence of logistics.
And what is best explanation meaning of the term?
Of course, a real example of its application!
An example of the use of logistics at all stages of business
The ProjectSport company has developed a new line of sports nutrition.
Management plans include launching production and organizing the process of selling this product.
To accurately calculate each stage of the project’s implementation, you need to form a logical chain:
The scheme is quite simple; it simply divides the process of production and sales of products into zones.
Each segment has its own operating rules, often with separate leaders.
But what’s especially interesting is that every process, one way or another, is affected by logistics and is completely subordinate to it.
Below, the relationship of logistics to all stages of the path from the ProjectSport manufacturer to the consumer is explained in detail:
Production planning.
This First stage, where a sports nutrition manufacturer must establish a production process.
Why is the influence of logistics on building production so important?
Raw material supply planning, placement production capacity, raw materials and finished product as they are manufactured - each stage is accompanied by the movement of objects along the chain indicated above in the diagram.
Supply planning.
After production of the product, ProjectSport must take care of next stage delivery of goods into the hands of the client - distribution network.
To transport a product, it is necessary to determine the best and, at the same time, the shortest delivery routes.
The logistician’s task is to organize work on moving products with pinpoint precision.
If your logistics department is performing poorly, expect serious losses.
Sales process management.
Even when sports nutrition produced by ProjectSport will be on the shelves, logistics will still be involved.
Just not in its “pure” form, but in combination with marketing.
It’s interesting, but even just the movement of goods through the distributor’s warehouse and the height of the “facing”* of the product on the shelf is a derivative of logistics operations.
We can summarize briefly: the entire production process depends on logistics.
Well-thought-out and implemented logistics operations are the key to receiving the planned income within the specified time frame and in full.
* Facing (a term from merchandising) is a unit of product on a shelf located frontally (front part) to the buyer. Even when one unit stands on top of another, it is one face.
The versatility of logistics
As you already understand, logistics is not only about organizing the delivery of goods, contrary to popular belief.
It is also a whole range of operations related to business optimization.
The structure of logistics is very multifaceted and extensive.
It can be compared to marketing, since both directions in one way or another influence absolutely every process in the “Product-Consumer” chain.
Logistics Impact Sections
| Section | Definition in this context |
|---|---|
| Transport | Transport logistics occupies a leading position. The main goal is to move the specified cargo along the optimal route in short time and taking into account the least expenditure. Optimizing transportation is very important, because the cost of transportation depends on the cost of goods on the shelf, as well as the income of the manufacturer. |
| Information | Logistics is also involved in the process of working with information flows that accompany the “Product – Consumer” scheme. Documentation, verbal information to accompanying authorities, notification of electronic accounting systems and registers - all this is the work of a logistician. |
| Reserves | For this “zone of influence,” the participation of the logistician is to control changes in the lists of raw materials required at the stage of production or sales of products. The logistician must calculate the optimal path to avoid problems with the stable supply of the enterprise with the necessary goods or raw materials. |
| Production | Logistics also manages the financial support of production. The goal is to optimize production operations as much as possible, achieve the highest efficiency at minimum consumption time and money. |
| Procurement | Make the right purchase required material for production, or goods for sale, is very difficult. The logistics department of any organization deals with calculations of components that affect the sales process (use in production) of purchased goods (raw materials). |
| Stock | Warehouse logistics is one of the most difficult areas associated with constant calculations. Properly positioning goods in a warehouse is an art. The management of this matter can only be entrusted to an experienced logistician. |
| Customs | This level of logistics leads among those mentioned above in terms of the complexity of the organization. Product import and export operations consist of many smaller processes. In addition to establishing the transportation process itself, customs logistics includes information elements. It is logical, because crossing the border with cargo cannot do without the proper level of information to all subjects. |
The sectors of influence of logistics described in the tables make it clear that the term logistics itself is more extensive than it seems to ignorant entrepreneurs.
Having learned about this, you should have already guessed that the introduction of logistics operations into production is a necessity.
And by fine-tuning these processes, you can improve enterprise productivity and increase profits.
Logistics of the third millennium
Logistics is a science whose pace of development exceeds all possible expectations.
This is undoubtedly connected with the development of society as a whole.
It is very simple to carry out the logical chain: a constant increase in competition in the market provokes an increase in the quality of services.
This, in turn, increases the importance proper planning business processes.
Logistics allows you to take this process to a whole new level.
The motto of the twenty-first century: “Time is money!”
Twenty-first century technology is capable of carrying out calculations related to transportation at a very high level.
Design better ways cargo transportation, increasing the speed of information exchange - all this is now possible with the help of modern logistics tools.
The main changes that await logistics in the future, according to experts, are:
- increasing the share of information in the overall structure of activities.
- the penetration of logistics into all sectors of life, since the optimization of production processes cannot ignore undeveloped infrastructures or non-compliance with the requirements of social development.
- growth in the productivity of enterprises, which will provoke the development of the general level economic development.
The history of logistics is very surprising considering the fact that it has come a long way: from supporting the military operations of the past to defining the basic components of the infrastructures of the future.
"Logist"
If you have already realized that a logistician for your company is absolutely necessary, but do not yet fully understand what his future activities are and how to choose a worthy specialist, this section is a must-read.
First, we need to remind you that the work of a logistician can involve completely different types of activities.
But still there is General requirements to candidates for this role:
- Communication skills on top level– a mandatory quality of a logistician.
- Higher education in the field mathematical sciences, management or jurisprudence.
- Ability to quickly respond to changing circumstances and make appropriate decisions.
- Skills in management activities.
- Confidence in making decisive decisions.
- High level of analytical skills.
The activities of a logistician depend on the scope of the company whose functioning he must structure.
Based on statistical indicators Russian market, Logisticians are mainly required in the transport industry.
Its features are defined by the name itself, and the task is to optimize the process of transporting goods.
Let's summarize the main tasks of a logistician:
- Development of optimal ways to move products.
- Providing information support for goods.
- Transportation time calculation.
- Optimization of technical and human resource costs.
The tasks described above are only the basic, most common ones.
There are also a huge number of subordinate clauses that depend on the focus of the company’s activities.
The video explains what logistics is with the help of fun diagrammatic drawings
Do you need convenient and reliable logistics?
The logistics company RUSSIAN LOGISTICS provides services for the transportation and storage of any cargo, the client pays only for the space that the cargo actually occupies!
You can view the list of services provided on the company’s website.
What is logistics in simple words?
This is a determining factor in the economic development of any organization. The main goal of logistics is to optimize operations for the transfer of services and goods from producer to consumer.
That is, all key operations of moving material assets are based only on it.
Logistics is the logic of production, finding the shortest and cheapest ways to move goods to the consumer.
In tandem with marketing, logistics helps create powerful competitive advantages business.
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It is difficult to imagine modern business without logistics. There are independent logistics companies and their own departments in large corporations. What do logisticians do? These are qualified employees who professionally organize the delivery of products and their further storage. Their responsibilities include drawing up the most profitable transportation schemes, negotiations, concluding contracts with partners and suppliers, comprehensive analysis of their market and much more. We invite the reader to get to know this serious, promising and interesting profession in more detail.
About the profession
What do logisticians do? Specialists organize and coordinate the transportation of goods from the supplier to the recipient, from the manufacturer to warehouses or sales points, from the addressee to the addressee. The main goal of an employee’s work is to compose several optimal schemes delivery. Of these, the one that allows the products to be sent to the recipient as quickly as possible, but with minimal costs, is selected.
The main place of work for logisticians is transport companies engaged in cargo transportation. Specialists also work in the relevant supply departments of a wide variety of corporations - from metallurgical plants to agricultural firms (in any organizations interested in the fast and safe delivery of goods to their partners and clients).
History of the profession
Although in the modern world the logistics profession still seems like a newfangled phenomenon to many, its history literally goes back centuries. The word “logistics” itself is ancient Greek. Translated as “reflection”, “calculation”.
The profession appeared in Ancient Greece, was relevant in Byzantine Empire. Then logisticians were involved in organizing army supplies and transporting weapons. Subsequently, the activities became more “civilian”. To some extent, logisticians were merchants and trade associations distributing overseas goods.
The logistician must know...
Job Descriptions imply that freight logisticians are required to know the following:
- Regulatory legal acts regulating international transportation and commercial activities.
- Fundamentals of creating logistics systems, building logistics connections.
- Information systems in logistics, their functions.
- Fundamentals of marketing, management, production organization, modern business schemes and technologies in logistics, financial management.
- Fundamentals of transport and customs legislation - Russian Federation, international.
- Organization of transportation of products on all types of transport.
- Methodology for developing business plans, contracts, agreements with clients.
- Requirements for the preparation of official documentation - sales, transport, supply, warehouse, financial, etc.
Goals, objectives, main work
What do logisticians do? The purpose of their activity is to organize and ensure the uninterrupted functioning of logistics processes in the company. From here we can highlight the main areas of activity: planning, organization, management, control over execution and analysis of the logistics activities of the organization.
The main tasks of the logistics manager are as follows:
- Organization of uninterrupted and productive logistics activities of the employing company.
- Assessment and analysis of costs for transporting products.
- Analysis and evaluation of the performance of logistics operations performed.
- Assessment and analysis of the cost of working time devoted to logistics activities.
- Development of effective proposals to improve the organization of transportation.
- Work within the approved cost estimates and allocated budget.
- Development, implementation and improvement of work schemes that improve the productivity of the logistics department.
Job responsibilities of a specialist
Getting to know the functional responsibilities of a logistician will help us finally understand what representatives of this profession do. This is the following set of operating functions:
- Drawing up logistics plans and forecasts.
- Coordination of work on the creation of logistics systems and their implementation in the labor process.
- Development of a budget for transportation, monitoring compliance with its items.
- Management of technical and material supplies, procurement control.
- Analysis of the terms of contracts with partners for the fact of their benefits and reliability.
- Preparation and timely placement of orders.
- Direct conclusion of contracts with partners, subsequent analysis of concluded transactions.
- Getting to know production processes, product release for further successful supply planning.
- Planning the volume of raw material reserves for the continuous production of the company's products.
- Calculation of costs for the formation and storage of inventories in warehouses, costs for the purchase of raw materials, rent storage facilities, their insurance, etc.
- Inventory of raw materials, products in warehouses, control over inventory consumption.
- Organization of warehouse activities: selection of necessary equipment, calculations of its optimal volume. Drawing up cost estimates for warehouse activities and monitoring their adherence.
- Work to optimize the processes of moving products and raw materials within the employing company itself.
- Determination of conditions for shipment of goods.
- Coordination of work on acceptance, as well as on returned products (its placement, transportation for processing).
- Complete management of cargo transportation: identifying a suitable carrier, concluding an agreement with him, transport and forwarding support, developing transportation plans, organizing them technological process. The logistician is also responsible for document management. Subsequently, he analyzes the costs, quality, and timeliness of delivery.
- Organization of customs clearance. And the opposite obligation is customs clearance of products.
- Logistics risk management: insurance of supplies (cargo, goods, raw materials, liability of parties, equipment, transport, etc.), organization of measures for the safety of goods during transportation, storage, movement by employees.
- Management of subordinate logistics personnel.
Basic requirements for the applicant
So we figured out what logisticians do. The duties of specialists result in the requirements of employers for future employees:
- Profile higher education.
- Excellent PC skills, knowledge of office and accounting programs.
- Orientation in transport legislation.
- Experience working with official documentation.
- Work experience in a specialty related to logistics.
Additional requirements for the applicant
Those wishing to work as a logistics dispatcher may be subject to additional requirements:
- Russian citizenship.
- Fluency in a foreign language (from English to Chinese - it all depends on the foreign, international partners with whom the employer cooperates/intends to cooperate).
- Experience in the field of foreign economic activity: knowledge of the regulatory framework for international transportation, experience in cooperation with the customs system, international carriers - from sea to air.
- Knowledge of the basics of warehouse accounting, control systems for products stored in the warehouse.
- Age of the applicant for the position. As a rule, preference is given to applicants 25-35 years old.
Training of specialists
Is it enough to take a logistics course? It is worth understanding that this is only superficial preparation. The applicant must have a good “base” - higher economic and technical education. However, this is only sufficient for the lower steps career ladder to become an assistant logistics manager.
What is most valued in this area is practical experience, established business connections, and recommendations. A transport logistician must constantly “cook” in the world of transportation, because conditions, partners, legislative permits and prohibitions change very quickly here. Accordingly, a specialist cannot do without constant self-training. As a rule, it takes at least two years of work experience to become a sought-after logistician.
Salary
The logistics profession is promising and relatively new on the labor market. How is it going with wages? As in many other areas, the amount of remuneration here depends on three factors: region, size of the employer and professional characteristics the employee himself.
Offers from employers range from 30-100 thousand rubles. It follows that the average salary of a specialist is 40-50 thousand rubles.
This concludes our acquaintance with a responsible but promising specialty. Logistician is an employment already recognized in the labor market, requiring practical experience, constant self-education.
17Sep
Hello! Today we’ll talk about warehouse logistics. Almost every enterprise, commercial or manufacturing, has warehouses where something is stored. Warehouse organization is important stage in the development of the company. Let’s say that a novice entrepreneur engaged in business will at first be able to store all products and materials at home. But over time, when commercial success is achieved, its production will expand, which means there will be a need for warehouse space.
Basics of warehouse logistics
It is customary to consider a warehouse as a room in which the acceptance, processing, distribution, storage of goods and their delivery to their destination are carried out. Its main task is to accumulate inventories and supply consumer orders.
However, it is impossible to build a warehouse and not have further control over the inventory. They need to be managed in order to:
- The necessary supplies were available;
- Supplies did not linger and did not spoil;
- Inventory was delivered to the warehouse and dispatched from there on time.
Warehousing is responsible for the rational management of warehouse flows.
Warehouse Logistics - this is a technology for managing all types of inventories in an enterprise and their movement (their accounting and effective distribution). The company's warehouse logistics is part of the organization of the cargo delivery system, so it closely interacts with transport logistics.
Warehouse functions
Each properly organized warehouse performs a number of functions:
- Control over supplies (formation of assortment). There should be no shortage or excess of inventory. Both will entail an increase in the costs of the enterprise;
- Unitization of batches (combining small batches into large ones), which ensures simultaneous delivery to different, even small customer companies. This function is actively used by companies working simultaneously with several customers;
- Reception of goods into the warehouse and their shipment from the warehouse. This function most closely links warehouse logistics with. This also includes: product processing, quantity reconciliation, quality control, processing of related documents;
- Warehousing of goods and their storage;
- Providing other logistics services. For example: unpacking, packaging of products, assembly, testing the operation of devices.
There are several main flows in a warehouse, each of which requires management.
- Incoming flow. Cargo arriving at the warehouse must be unloaded, quantity checked, and accompanying documentation processed;
- Internal flow (movement of goods within the warehouse area). Cargo must be moved, sorted, processed, and warehouse documents must be completed;
- Outgoing. Products released from the warehouse must be packaged, unloaded, and accompanying documents prepared.
Classification of warehouses in logistics
There are several classifications of warehouses.
By purpose:
- Production (for raw materials):
- Workshop;
- Factory ones.
- Transit and transportation. They work at seaports, at stations railway or at airports, serve for short-term storage between the movement of transported cargo;
- Customs (storage before customs clearance);
- Early delivery. Located in areas with seasonal delivery;
- Seasonal storage (warehouse of seasonal goods);
- Reserve. Provide storage in case of unforeseen situations;
- Wholesale and distribution. Responsible for ensuring the supply chain;
- Commercial (public use). They are rented and serve any clients - owners of the goods;
- Retail trade enterprises.
According to storage conditions:
- General purpose;
- Reservoirs (for liquids);
- For hazardous substances;
- Specialized (for example, a frozen food warehouse);
- Warehouses.
By design:
- Open areas;
- Semi-enclosed areas (for example, using a canopy);
- Completely closed;
- Multi-storey.
By product type:
- Finished goods;
- Raw materials;
- Tools;
- Residues and waste.
In relation to the links in the logistics chain:
- Manufacturers;
- Forwarding organizations;
- Transport organizations;
- Intermediary organizations;
- Trade organizations.
According to the degree of technical equipment:
- Partially mechanized;
- Mechanized;
- Automated
- Automatic.
Principles of organizing warehouse logistics
Work on creating the system warehouse logistics can be divided into stages:
- Decide on the number of warehouses and their area;
- Choose between using your own warehouse or rented services;
- Select a warehouse location;
- Determine the warehousing system and cargo management methods;
- Equip a warehouse;
- Establish the flow of information;
- Hire and train staff;
- Launch a warehouse;
- Monitor products in the warehouse.
How many warehouses are needed?
The area of warehouse buildings and their number largely influence the further profitability of the enterprise. If there are too few warehouses, transportation costs begin to rise, work downtime occurs, and order fulfillment times are disrupted. Too much and maintenance costs increase. The decision must be made thoughtfully, after analyzing:
- Transport costs (more warehouses - less transport costs);
- Inventory holding costs (more inventory requires more warehouses);
- Warehouse operating costs (more warehouses - more expenses for their content).
You can come to a decision only by calculating all the options, their costs, and comparing them with the expected income.
Own warehouse or rented? Outsourcing in warehouse logistics
Warehouse logistics functions can be carried out in your own warehouse, or they can be outsourced, i.e. transferred to another company specializing in providing similar services.
More often, outsourcing is resorted to when a company does not have the necessary amount to build its own warehouse.
Cooperation with a company to provide warehouse services instead of independent organization warehouse:
- Expensive;
- Reduces the company's development prospects;
- Improves the quality of services;
- Increases the speed of skill acquisition.
To decide whose warehouse to use, you need to compare:
- Average cost of renting a warehouse;
- The amount necessary for the construction and arrangement of your own warehouse.
It is profitable to build your own warehouse if transportation costs are fully covered by the profit from transporting goods.
How to choose a warehouse services company
When choosing an outsourcing company, pay attention to the following points:
- If the company is large, the entire network should be connected by a single information flow;
- High speed;
- High accuracy of order fulfillment;
- Experience in this field is one of the most important indicators;
- The quality of services can be assessed by familiarizing yourself with the company’s work personally, or by looking for reviews from past clients on thematic forums;
- A large range of services provided (in addition to warehousing, the company can provide customs logistics and cargo transportation services) will significantly simplify your work.
Warehouse location
It is worth focusing on minimizing transportation costs. Each warehouse must fully pay for itself, which means it should not increase the company’s costs for transporting goods. There are the following methods for resolving the issue of choosing a location:
- The exhaustive search method (implies a complete assessment and calculation of all placement options);
- Heuristic methods (based on personal experience, the specialist eliminates unacceptable options for further calculation of the remaining ones);
- Method for determining the center of gravity (the most significant points are plotted on a map of the area, the warehouse location closest to them is selected).
Warehousing systems, cargo management methods
Organization of warehouse logistics implies:
- Selection of storage unit (for example: boxes, tanks);
- Selecting the type of storage (for example: blocks, racks, stacks). Depends on the size and layout of the warehouse, on the product carrier used and on storage conditions;
- Selecting the type of storage. Methods for storing goods in a warehouse:
- varietal (different grades of goods are located separately from each other);
- batch (divided into groups according to the parties that arrived);
- batch-varietal (products are divided into batches, and within each batch - into varieties);
- by name;
- Selection of special equipment (if all the work will not be done manually);
- Selecting a product picking system. Packaging takes place in three stages: processing of goods, order picking, batch picking for shipment.
Choosing a configuration system implies:
- Selecting the area where the selection of goods and packaging technology will take place;
- Determining the degree of order completion (with a centralized degree - one employee collects one type of goods for all clients, with a decentralized degree - one employee collects all types of cargo at the request of one client);
- Selecting a method for controlling the movement of cargo (automatically from the control panel, online or manually).
Rational warehouse layout
At the warehouse planning stage, stock layout plans are developed and the possibility of care, control and monitoring of goods is provided. The more rational the layout, the higher the efficiency of warehouse logistics. The volumes of receipts, their frequency, and shipment volumes are taken into account. Frequently demanded goods are placed closer to the loading zone, and long-lasting goods are further away.
Rational warehouse layout implies:
- Allocation of special work areas;
- Efficient use of space when arranging equipment;
- The use of universal equipment that replaces part of the lifting and transport equipment;
- Maximum usage single space, with the least possible number of columns, without unnecessary partitions;
- No empty space above the shelves;
- For public warehouses, premises are required: administrative, household, technical, auxiliary and main purpose.
Correct stacking of goods greatly increases the speed of order completion:
- Goods are placed along the route, on both sides of the corridor (this shortens the transportation route);
- The packaging is turned so that the marking is clearly visible from the aisle;
- On upper levels only shelf-stable goods are placed;
- Bulk cargo is stored in bulk, liquids are stored in tanks.
Warehouse equipment
Necessary warehouse equipment includes:
- Communications;
- Shelving;
- Ventilation and, if necessary, air conditioning;
- Fire safety;
- Security systems (alarm, video surveillance).
Organization of information flow system
The documentation received along with the goods must be processed and systematized. For each unit in the warehouse, information should be available at any time: when the cargo arrived at the warehouse, how long it will be stored. When leaving the warehouse, each cargo must be provided with documents that help it be written off from the warehouse and describe where it needs to be transported.
The information flow can be processed:
- In manual mode (without using a computer);
- In batch mode (data is entered into the computer periodically, in “packets”);
- In real time (data is entered into computer program simultaneously with the movement of goods through control points);
- Online (at any time during cargo processing you can determine where each unit is located).
Warehouse documentation includes:
- Primary documents accompany each movement of cargo, its arrival at the warehouse and delivery to the customer. They contain information about the quantity and type of product. Their execution is regulated by the “Regulations on Accounting and Reporting in the Russian Federation”;
- Shipping documents (invoice, waybill) - accompany the cargo when moving it from the supplier to the consumer;
- Goods receipt journal - for accounting primary documents, filled in upon receipt of cargo, maintained in free form;
- Power of attorney to receive goods;
- Form M-2a - for registration of issued powers of attorney;
- Receipt order (M-4) - to record the receipt of processed materials;
- Request invoice (M-11) - records the movement of goods between departments and persons within the organization;
- Materials accounting card (M-17) - classifies materials and takes into account their movements;
- Invoice for the release of materials to the third party (M-15) - if the cargo needs to be transported to a third-party organization or a remote branch of your company.
The sufficient number of workers in a warehouse varies from one or two to several thousand. Sample positions:
- Warehouse manager (carries full responsibility for products in stock);
- Accountant or warehouse controller (keeps records of products);
- Storekeeper (receives and issues products);
- Loaders;
- Forklift operators (if special equipment is used);
- Pickers or packers (sort, assemble products);
- Markers (engaged in marking incoming goods);
- Watchmen (guard supplies during non-working hours).
You should never skimp on personnel. Each department and in particular each employee must know, understand and freely carry out their tasks. It is the irrational use of personnel that is one of the main problems of warehouse logistics in Russia.
Monitoring warehouse operations and inventory management
To effectively control the operation of a warehouse, optimization of warehouse logistics is necessary.
Product management in a warehouse is considered successful if the company always has the quantity of the required product necessary for sale, it is neither more nor less than needed.
The optimal inventory level is somewhere between too high and too high. low levels. In this case, reserves are considered separately for each item, and not as a single whole.
Inventory management is carried out under various restrictions:
- According to the deadlines for submitting applications and their execution;
- By economic volume of batches;
- By stock level.
There are several types of systems for promoting goods through distribution channels; each warehouse chooses its own system, which should:
- Pull systems (goods are shipped as orders are received);
- Push (goods are issued to suppliers according to a pre-agreed schedule);
- Combined (assumes the presence of computer communication between the manufacturer, intermediaries, sellers and enterprises; orders are placed and confirmed in electronic format).
In modern logistics, warehouse management becomes easier thanks to the latest information systems, which help the manager control all warehouse logistics tasks while sitting in his office.
WMS warehouse management systems
WMS (Warehouse Management System) is a warehouse management system that uses automatic identification technologies for targeted storage and remote employee management. Reduces the influence of the human factor on warehouse logistics processes, increases the speed and accuracy of order fulfillment. The operator receives a task from the system with instructions on where and from where the cargo needs to be moved. All information is entered into the database via a barcode system. At any time you can see where the pallet with the goods has been moved and what is on it.
WMS warehouse management systems can be:
- With a set of standard options (for small companies);
- Created to order (for large warehouses with a complex individual system);
- Adaptable (for large and medium-sized companies, such systems are able to adapt to new user requirements that arise, for example, when expanding the warehouse network).
Packaging in warehousing logistics
Transportation and storage of any cargo is impossible without packaging and containers.
Packaging in logistics has many important functions:
- Protective. Properly selected packaging protects the product from the influence of the external environment at all stages of transportation and storage;
- Warehouse, transport and handling. The packaging must be strong enough to withstand the process of loading and unloading goods, and also be of a universal shape for convenient storage, have a design that facilitates convenient manipulation of the cargo (handles, hangers, grooves);
- Informational. The packaging can include information about the name of the product and its manufacturer, transport markings and a barcode;
- Recycling. Recycling of packaging and its disposal are also included in the cargo logistics system.
Container is a type of packaging to prevent damage to goods during transportation, loading, storage and unloading. For example: boxes, barrels, containers.
Container classification:
- By materials: wood, metal, glass, combined;
- By size: large-sized, small-sized;
- By time of use: disposable, returnable, returnable;
- By strength: hard, soft, semi-hard;
- By design: non-removable, folding, collapsible, collapsible;
- Properties: temperature-retaining, pressure-retaining, leak-proof;
- Possibility of access: open, closed;
- By constructive purpose: transport; consumer.
Modern warehouse logistics in Russia
Currently in our country the development of the warehouse logistics industry is hampered by:
- Lack of qualified personnel;
- Weak logistics infrastructure;
- Outdated warehouse logistics technologies;
- Lack of understanding by management of the problems of their enterprise;
- Lack of knowledge in warehouse management.
However, the growth in warehouse services is growing every year, which means there is a good incentive for the development of the industry. Warehouse logistics management cannot be underestimated - it is a very painstaking work that requires constant attention. Not a single warehouse, even the smallest one, can exist without leadership over its processes. It is necessary to cultivate competent warehouse logistics managers. Then it is likely that world standards of warehouse logistics will be achieved in Russia in the near future.