Storage and Distribution Managers
Transportation, Distribution & Logistics > Logistics Planning and Management ServicesProjected Growth: Average
Projected Job Openings
Considerable Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Plan, direct, or coordinate the storage or distribution operations within an organization or the activities of organizations that are engaged in storing or distributing materials or products.
Common job titles of Storage and Distribution Managers include:
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Experience and Education
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for this occupation. For example, a person in this occupation must complete four years of college and work for several years in industry to be considered qualified.
50% said they needed a Bachelor's Degree.
20.83% said they needed a High School Diploma.
Tasks
Confer with department heads to coordinate warehouse activities, such as production, sales, records control, or purchasing.
Prepare or direct preparation of correspondence, reports, and operations, maintenance, and safety manuals.
Respond to customers' or shippers' questions and complaints regarding storage and distribution services.
Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
Participate in setting transportation and service rates.
Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
Examine products or materials to estimate quantities or weight and type of container required for storage or transport.
Review invoices, work orders, consumption reports, or demand forecasts to estimate peak delivery periods and to issue work assignments.
Track and trace goods while they are en route to their destinations, expediting orders when necessary.
Issue shipping instructions and provide routing information to ensure that delivery times and locations are coordinated.
Arrange for necessary shipping documentation and contact customs officials to effect release of shipments.
Examine invoices and shipping manifests for conformity to tariff and customs regulations.
Schedule or monitor air or surface pickup, delivery, or distribution of products or materials.
Advise sales and billing departments of transportation charges for customers' accounts.
Monitor inventory levels of products or materials in warehouses.
Evaluate contractors or business partners for operational efficiency or safety or environmental performance records.
Evaluate freight or inventory costs associated with transit times to ensure that costs are appropriate.
Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing, shipping, or salvaging products or materials.
Interview, select, and train warehouse and supervisory personnel.
Evaluate locations for new warehouses or distribution networks to determine their potential usefulness.
Arrange for storage facilities when required.
Prepare and manage departmental budgets.
Negotiate with carriers, warehouse operators, or insurance company representatives for services and preferential rates.
Select modes of transportation for the distribution of goods that minimize pollution, such as carbon output or other environmental impacts.
Plan or implement environmental training programs and activities.
Identify and implement carbon minimization activities to offset carbon emissions, such as by planting trees, purchasing carbon credits, or purchasing green technologies, such as air filtration or alternative energy vehicles or power.
Evaluate the environmental implications of new warehouses or distribution networks.
Develop storage and distribution models that include factors such as warehouse locations, customer locations, or available transportation modes to maximize operational efficiency or sustainability.
Develop or implement plans for storage and distribution activities that emphasize technological solutions for sustainability, such as investment in smart or eco-friendly containers, dynamic distribution networks, warehouse renovations, or fuel efficient fleets.
Develop or implement plans for facility modification or expansion, such as equipment purchase or changes in space allocation or structural design.
Tools
Wireless communication and satellite positioning tools
Radio frequency truck-mounted terminals
Radio frequency identification RFID devices
Radio frequency handheld terminals
Personal digital assistants PDA
Personal computers
Pallet jacks
All ToolsLaptop computers
Global positioning systems GPS
Forklifts
Digital cameras
Desktop computers
Cell phones
Barcoding labels
Barcode scanners
Technologies
IBM Notes
Infor ERP Baan
Microsoft Dynamics GP
Microsoft Excel
Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
ABOL Manifest Systems
All TechnologiesAljex Inventory
CA Erwin Data Modeler
Cadre Technologies Cadence Warehouse Management System
Catalyst International CatalystConnect
DSA Foxware Warehouse Management
Graphics software
Hewlett Packard HP-UX
HighJump Software Warehouse Advantage
IBM i2 Transportation Manager
IBM Lotus Notes
IBM Power Systems software
Infosite Technologies DM Warehousing
Integrated Decision Support Corporation Netwise Supply Chain
Integrated Decision Support Corporation Swap Advice
Integrated Decision Support Netwise Enterprise
Integrated Decision Support Netwise Frontline
IntelliTrack Warehouse Management System
Iptor Supply Chain
Logility Voyager WarehousePRO
Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
MRA Technologies MRATrack Warehouse Management System
Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
QUALCOMM QTRACS
QUALCOMM ViaWeb
Radio Beacon WMS
RedPrairie DLx Warehouse
Scanlon Associates LogPak
Sentai Pinpoint
Spreadsheet software
SSA Global Warehouse Management System WMS
Supply chain event management software
TECSYS EliteSeries
TECSYS PointForce Enterprise
Veritas NetBackup
Word processing software
WorkForce Software EmpCenter Time and Attendance
Skills
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Management of Financial Resources
Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Operation Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Abilities
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression