In a world where personalization and punctuality are the watchwords of any business that wants to survive in the competitive environment! the figure of the Supply Chain Manager – responsible for the logistics and supply chain – plays an increasingly strategic role in the era of electronic commerce and omnichannel . 

With the pandemic and the shift from traditional sales telegram data channels to online delivery! the logistics sector has experienced a profound revolution that seems destined to stay ! as the numbers show. If during the strictest lockdown! shipments linked to e-commerce experienced a jump of +103%! growth now stands at +68.5%.  

Based on this consideration! ManpowerGroup! in collaboration with E&Y and Pearson ! carried out the survey entitled “Research on employment trends in the logistics sector” with the aim of investigating employment trends for Logistics until 2030. 

The study reveals that the most sought-after positions in the sector over the next 10 years are: team leaders/warehouse managers

Alongside these figures! there are also warehouse workers! transporters and shipping managers! warehouse managers and! of course! Supply Chain Managers. 

Who is the supply chain manager? 

Let’s start by defining the role. Who is the Supply alignment of the company with the most current market practices  Chain Manager today? It is the resource entrusted with the responsibility of the entire supply chain in the company ! which allows the logistics chain to function. 

From the procurement of raw materials and their storage and transport to the shipment of finished products! including the relationship with suppliers and the management of stocks and movements of goods! the Supply Chain Manager is responsible for planning! organizing! controlling and optimizing all the activities that allow the company to begin the transformation process that generates the goods or services it offers to the market. 

The subtlety of the figure is therefore evident: a snag in a critical process! a slowdown in the processing of inputs! a bottleneck during a peak in workload! and the business risks losing value! with consequences that can generate a long wave of inefficiencies in other divisions as well. It is no coincidence that those who manage to carry out this responsibility have! for example! very respectable salaries. 

What does a Supply Chain Manager do in a company? 

There are essentially three areas of action for the Supply Chain Manager within the organization! and they are divided into three objectives: 

Planning an efficient logistics chain 

From designing an efficient system for receiving! storing! distributing and shipping goods and products to ongoing process fine-tuning activities! the Supply Chain Manager is much more than a controller .continually comparing himself or herself with operators in his or her department and with those in charge of other business units to gather feedback on the status quo and develop optimization projects for each supply chain . 

Managing active collaborators on the logistics front 

Enabling an organization to express its full potential means! first! instructing and directing human resources to develop the ability to better perform their tasks and adapt operations to unexpected changes and emergencies. 

The Supply Chain Manager therefore has the task of forming a team made up of specialists! but without fixed roles. A group of people in which each skill is enhanced through the principles of flexibility and complementarity. 

Driving the digital evolution of the department 

When we talk about flexibility! it is inevitable to call digital technologies into question . Indeed! digital transformation also has a decisive impact on the management of logistics and warehouse activities! both in terms of the dematerialisation of data entry and reporting processes and – thanks to analytical platforms – on budget planning and the use of space and the optimisation of the goods handling cycle. 

It is no coincidence that the Top 25 Global Supply Chain ! compiled in 2023 by Gartner ! placed Schneider Electric on the podium! overtaking Cisco. Colgate-Palmolive is confirmed in third position.  

Why were they awarded? Above all! for the virtue of prioritizing fax lead  business driven by new technologies demonstrated by their Supply Chain Managers and the Corporate Social Responsibility strategies implemented. 

The Supply Chain Manager is therefore tasked with accelerating the digital development of his department! ensuring complete interoperability with all other divisions of the company during .