What is Supply Chain Management?
A fundamental aspect of every company is an organized stock flow. A supply chain manages this process, ensuring that the correct channels are visited and the expected destination is reached. If you are one of those tiny (and annoying) people who enjoy nothing more than keeping everything nice and orderly, then you’ll be well equipped for a career in this field.
An efficient supply chain is extremely important to manufacturing companies due to the nature of the competitive international environment. Recent years have seen the specialization of roles within the supply chain, as companies seek to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their product supply. Supply chain management is hugely influenced by technology and it is common for manufacturing companies to have computerized systems that handle inward and outward deliveries, stock control, and production forecasts.
What Courses Are Available?
Honors Bachelor Degrees in Supply Chain Management are provided by DIT and IT Carlow. The DIT option is applied for through the CAO process (course code: DT358), while the IT Carlow program is a two-year, add-on option to a relevant ordinary degree or higher certificate.
Some of the topics covered in these degree courses include Introduction to Logistics & Supply Chain, Inventory Management, Transport & Distribution Management, Global Supply Chain Management, and Purchasing Management. TU Dublin students take part in a minimum 15-week, paid work placement in their third year, and students at Carlow IT will have the option to study a language. Graduates of IT Carlow will be admitted as full members of the professional body of the Irish Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management (IIPMM).
Transport Management is a key ingredient of an efficient supply chain. Three CAO courses in this area are Road Transport Technology & Management (Limerick IT), Transport Management and Technology (Cork IT), and Transport Operations & Technology (DIT).
Studying Supply Chain Management in College
By studying supply chain management, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of how businesses operate. You’ll learn about the processes within an organization and between them. This area of study is offered by educational institutions online, which comes with several benefits.
Career Options
Graduates in supply chain management can find work in any sector of the manufacturing industry – electronics, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and so on. There are also many logistic and distribution companies that regularly recruit new employees.
Roles available largely depend on the size and function of the manufacturing company; some organizations may have a transport manager and a logistics manager, or one warehouse manager overseeing the wholes process. The bigger companies may well employ people in all of these roles.
The logistics (or distribution) manager has the responsibility for warehousing, stock control, order processing and packaging, planning and scheduling deliveries, and controlling the operation of the company’s fleet of vehicles.
A transport manager is responsible for organizing the transport, scheduling deliveries (inward and outward), organizing routes, managing drivers, and overseeing vehicle maintenance.
Logistics companies, which are often hired by manufacturers to carry out supply chain functions, perform all of these roles.
Purchasing is also an important aspect of the supply chain; without the right flow of raw materials inward, whether by over-or under-supply, a manufacturing company’s production operation cannot run effectively. The purchaser must also ensure that the best materials are bought at the lowest possible prices, to maintain the organization’s profitability.
Related Jobs
- Data analyst
- Logistics and distribution manager
- Market researcher
- Retail buyer
- Risk analyst
- Transport/logistics manager
Further Study
Further study is recommended for anyone pursuing a career in logistics or supply chain management, with many employers demanding a master’s level degree from potential recruits.
FAQ
What skills do I require to study Supply Chain Management?
Time management is the most necessary feature to possess in supply chain management. Any stoppage in a company’s production line quickly leads to serious financial losses, and stoppages are, more often than not, a result of glitches in the supply chain.
Good ability with mathematics is of benefit, particularly in the areas of production forecasting, purchasing, and stock control. Technology is increasingly widespread in the supply chain sector – such as with the use of SAGE software – so IT skills will prove very useful.
Where Can I Study Supply Chain Management?
Explore your options here.
Did you know?
US expenditure on logistics is larger than the national GDP of all but ten countries.
Further Resources
- National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL): www.nitl.ie
- The Irish Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management (IIPMM): www.iipmm.ie
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