The term supply chain management can be confusing to some of us when we hear it the first time. The availability of the products – the attires we are wearing, the phones we are using, the cars we own – that we use every day is made attainable through the products’ respective supply chains, each of which consists of a plethora of activities ranging from the sourcing of raw materials to delivering to our hands. The conducting of these activities is controlled and managed by numerous personnel on various career paths at different managerial levels, tasked with ensuring a streamlined and cost-effective supply chain. 

Supply chain management is a comparatively board field involving various individuals having different career paths and whether or not a career in supply chain management is right for you depends on what your specific interest is. To make sure you make the right decision, you should research lengthy on what is your best choice. 

Demand Planning

Without having demand planning undertaken, a company may end up introducing a large quantity of less-sought-after product into the market. A demand planning analyst is responsible for determining the quantities of different types of products needed at different times of the year to maximize sales by satisfying demand.

Procurement

Purchasing raw materials for a product is one of the very first components in a supply chain cycle. The relevant careers are procurement officers who focus on purchasing and procurement analysts having the roles that are aimed at and sourcing and comparing materials from different suppliers and ultimately selecting materials based on the relevant quality, speed of deliveries and price requirements.

Manufacturing

If you are not interested in the procurement component of supply chain management, getting involved in the manufacturing field is another option. One of the most common careers in manufacturing is a production manager who is tasked with overseeing product manufacturing processes, coordinating the schedules of production, determining production durations and keeping track of the quantities of finished products. 

Data Analyst

To ensure that a particular supply chain work efficiently and at or to the required standards, a data analyst steps in. This position entails understanding and analyzing a variety of production data to make the relevant supply chains work more efficiently. Apart from analyzing production data, a data analyst is also involved in increasing customers’ satisfaction evaluating customer service data via suggesting associated improvements.

Transportation

The final component of a supply chain is delivering products to the hands of consumers, which is done via transportation. There are many career options in relation to transportation, such as a senior-level option that is a transportation manager who is responsible for the overall logistics aspect, managing the staff involved in the logistics and transportation of products, and a more entry-level career option, a logistics analyst who is tasked with ensuring the movement of products to consumers is efficient.