Description
Direct or coordinate production, purchasing, warehousing, distribution, or financial forecasting services or activities to limit costs and improve accuracy, customer service, or safety. Examine existing procedures or opportunities for streamlining activities to meet product distribution needs. Direct the movement, storage, or processing of inventory.
- • Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.
- • Diagram supply chain models to help facilitate discussions with customers.
- • Negotiate prices and terms with suppliers, vendors, or freight forwarders.
- • Meet with suppliers to discuss performance metrics, to provide performance feedback, or to discuss production forecasts or changes.
- • Document physical supply chain processes, such as workflows, cycle times, position responsibilities, or system flows.
- • Develop or implement procedures or systems to evaluate or select suppliers.
- • Design or implement plant warehousing strategies for production materials or finished products.
- • Confer with supply chain planners to forecast demand or create supply plans that ensure availability of materials or products.
- • Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality.
- • Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service.
- • Analyze information about supplier performance or procurement program success.
- • Participate in the coordination of engineering changes, product line extensions, or new product launches to ensure orderly and timely transitions in material or production flow.
- • Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as sales, marketing, finance, production, or quality assurance.
- • Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.
- • Conduct or oversee the conduct of life cycle analyses to determine the environmental impacts of products, processes, or systems.
- • Design or implement supply chains that support environmental policies.
- • Design, implement, or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed.
- • Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory.
- • Identify opportunities to reuse or recycle materials to minimize consumption of new materials, minimize waste, or to convert wastes to by-products.
- • Investigate or review the carbon footprints and environmental performance records of current or potential storage and distribution service providers.
- • Locate or select biodegradable, non-toxic, or other environmentally friendly raw materials for manufacturing processes.
- • Review or update supply chain practices in accordance with new or changing environmental policies, standards, regulations, or laws.
- • Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
- • Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving.
- • Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance.
- • Monitor suppliers' activities to assess performance in meeting quality or delivery requirements.
- • Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes and predict effects on supply chain activities.
- • Identify or qualify new suppliers in collaboration with other departments, such as procurement, engineering, or quality assurance.
- • Forecast material costs or develop standard cost lists.
- • Appraise vendor manufacturing capabilities through on-site observations or other measurements.
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Supply Chain & Transportation
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
