Logistics Engineer Career Profile

Logistics Engineer Career Profile. A logistics engineer is a professional who works with the logistics of a company. Logistics is a science that deals with the purchase, storage, warehousing, transportation and distribution of goods. A logistics engineer is responsible for providing logistics solutions to the production department and also to the customers. Devising plans for speeding up the production without any compromise on the quality is also the job of a logistics engineer. The duties of a logistics engineer can change with the type of organization in which he or she is employed. But there are some basic duties that a logistics engineer has to do: Coordinate with the suppliers for the effective supply of the raw materials. Analyze agreements with subcontractors and manage them. Keep track of the customer specifications and changes in the basic designs as per specifications. Manage the product manufacturing throughout its life cycle by ensuring the supply of all essentials. Liaise among subcontractors, production department and marketing or sales personnel to ensure the smooth working of the manufacturing. Conduct time studies and implement engineering standards for each job. Take care of the timely supply and distribution of the finished or semi-finished goods by tackling the location, environmental or human resource factors. Devise plans for improvement in the process of production or quality. Work for cost reduction throughout the life cycle of production. Train operations personnel about performance management, work measurement, data management, problem solving and time management. Coordinate with the business development, customer service and field support work forces to find out the pros and cons of the company’s products and bring in improvisation. Update to current technological advances for an efficient delivery system after a careful study of the distribution network. Most of the jobs are done in offices, while a few of the functions have to be done at production or manufacturing units. The work schedule for logistic engineers is the standard 40 hours a week. Occasionally, depending on the organization and its plant locations, a logistics engineer might have to travel a lot. The median annual salary for a logistics engineers with 5 to 9 years experience is between $58,579 and $74,032. A logistics engineer with more than 20 years of experience earns more than $90,000. This information is from March of 2010. After gaining experience in this field, you can advance to higher positions like a head of a logistics department or a leader or director of logistics engineers. Join professional associations like the Council of Logistics Engineering Professionals to be updated about technological improvements and for better placements in larger firms. You can also search for better placements in this field with the help of the online job search site www.fleethelper.com. It is an extensive resource for finding suitable opportunities in the transportation and logistics industry. If you have a flair for management and excellent mathematical skills, you may enjoy working as a logistics engineer and have a very successful career. This engineering field is slowly becoming essential to almost all production houses or divisions.