Supply chain integration creates new skills demands

The change to comprehensive, doorto- door supply chain management has led to a whole new recruitment scene for the freight industry, according to Glenda Manning, Johannesburg branch manager of Orange Recruiting. “Now,” she told FTW, “clearing and forwarding agencies, manufacturers, importers and exporters are looking at the supply chain holistically. So this leads to more need for skills on both sides of the fence.” This has been the integration of the physical supply chain with logistics. “Before, trading companies used to have a shipping department and a forwarding department working completely separately from each other,” Manning added. But, with a big move to just-in-time (JIT) shipping, the current need is for personnel with the skills to work in the integrated environment, with working knowledge of movement of goods along the supply chain combined with that of the complete field of logistics. She also noted that the same was true in the manufacturing/import/export sector. “Most of the big corporates are opening up supply chain management divisions to be able to offer complete end-to-end services,” she said. Manning also stressed that integrated supply chains can offer companies benefits all round. “And this is where Orange comes in,” she told FTW. “We can offer recruitment with supply chain and freight and logistics skills.” This is designed to satisfy what she described as “a high demand” for skills in areas such as planning, procurement, strategic sourcing and supply chain management. Two degrees that are now much in demand are the B Eng (Ind) in engineering, and the B Comm (Logistics) in supply chain management. “These are the type of people that we are now feeding into the supply chain field,” Manning said.