Logistics Engineer

Logistics has to do with coordinating the movement of objects from one place to another. That could be as simple as moving a broken down car off the street, or as complex as gathering all the materials needed to build a skyscraper. As a Logistics Engineer, you typically work for large companies who have a constant need to receive materials, produce goods, and transport finished products to another location.

When you’re a Logistics Engineer, you have your hands, and ideas, in each part of the process. In other words, when you’re a Logistics Engineer, you take a holistic view of the business. You evaluate which shipping methods are the most cost-effective, offer the services you need (such as oversize loads or refrigeration), and work within your required timelines. Trains might be the cheapest, but if your product needs to arrive overnight, FedEx might be your solution.

In addition to shipping, you’re concerned with the production process. Are the materials arriving a week before they’re needed? Is one supplier delivering the nuts and another the bolts? Coordinating these types of things streamlines the production process and increases efficiency.

Of course, these are simplistic examples of the activities you coordinate. In reality, you constantly evaluate processes, and gather information about employee tasks, inventory needs, sales goals, production capabilities, warehouse locations, fuel prices, tools and equipment maintenance, and any other factor that affects the bottom line. You then input these data into software programs, perform complex mathematical computations, and produce easy-to-read reports for the decision-makers in the company.