Millions of jobs are available across the counter for the unemployed while an equal number or more opportunities await entrepreneurs to launch their own ventures in the supply chain management and logistics sectors in the country.
More than the manufacturing and services industries, the Supply Chain Management and Logistics fields have emerged as the sunrise sectors of the nation’s economy, according to veterans in the business.
“This is not our own words. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, has endorsed this fact in his speeches. It is for the youth and entrepreneurs to make use of the opportunity,” says K Ramachandran Nair, vice president, Indian Institute of Materials Management (West Zone). He said that opportunities are galore in the sector and people with educational qualifications as well as skills need only to tap the avenues for well paid jobs in these sectors.
While graduates in engineering and management are assured of high paid jobs in the booming supply chain logistics sector, even school dropouts who possess heavy duty and commercial vehicles driving licenses stand to get jobs as drivers and delivery executives.
World trade is increasing by leaps and bounds. The goods imported have to be delivered to the consignees while materials to be exported have to be taken to the ports for trouble free loading into the ships. “The statistics provided by the commerce ministry itself prove that business in this sphere has become vibrant,” said Nair. He also pointed out the hi-tech trucks and medium sized commercial vehicles manufactured in India as further proof of the ever-growing supply chain and logistics sector. What we see right now is a flourishing industry similar to the Information Technology revolution in late 1990s and early 2000s,” said Nair.
Professional managers who know the inside game of the supply chain logistics branch of the industries hold the keys to success. “The professional who has the answer to solutions like where, when and how the materials for the business could be procured is the key player in the business. He has to get the input from the logistics person about how the same could be transported to the work site for a trouble-free operation of the venture,” said Nair.
Supply Chain Management (SCM for short) is a vital function in any organization because it is the only function which affects the bottom line of any organization. This contributes directly to the profit of any organization. Main function of the SCM is buying at the right price, right source and right time. It is the SCM department that maintains the vendor management such as life long relationships between companies and suppliers. A robust SCM is a measure of the healthiness of any organization,” said Nair.
The icing on the cake is the emergence of women in this branch hitherto dominated by men. The recently held award evening at Pune for professionals in the field of supply chain management saw woman walking away with top honors much to the surprise of their men counterparts. Sharmila Kesarkar, head, supply chain, Jehangir Hospital, Pune and Esquire Healthcare and Logistics are names which would be heard frequently in the coming decades.
Suhas Gawas, chairman, Indian Institute of Materials Management, Pune, said all that the engineering and management degree holders have to do is to tone up their skills with various training programs held by IIMM.
