The world is changing at an increasingly fast speed and so is the supply chain management profession. “Twenty-five years ago, the term “supply chain management” did not exist. The core elements of the supply chain were managed by different people in different departments without any specialisation or coordination. This scenario is inconceivable today,” says Wesley Niemann, Supply Chain Coordinator of the Department of Business Management at the University of Pretoria.
Since its inception, the field of supply chain management (SCM) has become extremely important to firms in an increasingly aggressive marketplace. Businesses realise that being competitive in the 21st century requires leading-edge thinking around supply chain management and logistics. Companies are looking for talented individuals with a strong mix of education, potential and motivation to manage and lead their global supply chains and the real good news for the aspiring SCM workforce is that the industry’s leading supply chain executive recruiters agree that the demand for good supply chain talent is going to outstrip the supply for the foreseeable future. A recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 48% of US companies plan to snap up supply chain and logistics graduates in 2012 – and thanks to globalisation, the situation on South African soil is not much different.
Due to the fact that supply chain management is a systems approach which manages the flow of material, information, services and finances, the opportunities for someone pursuing a career in Supply Chain Management (SCM) are almost endless. Says Ken Titmuss, CFPIM, CSCP and director of SAPICS - The Association for Operations Management of Southern Africa: “Careers in SCM provide job opportunities from entry level up to executive management. An interested candidate can take up a position after school and develop it into a successful career. Qualifications in Human Resource Management, Financial Management, Information Technology and Operational Management all stand an applicant in good stead. However successful supply chain employees – those with a chance at reaching executive levels – need a broad set of skills beyond the ‘engineering and technical’ talents that used to be the most in demand. Qualifications specifically relating to SCM will fast-track career growth,” comments Titmuss. Titmuss further explained that people within organisations need to begin to look at the organization as a whole and understand the supply chain within their own organisation and resist the temptation of thinking and working in silos.
Titmuss maintains that there is no such thing as a standard career path in SCM and that an individual’s road to success will be largely influenced by his or her skills, interests and personal decisions. He also indicates that individuals with an affinity for a fast paced job that demands continuous personal development will thrive in this environment.
Richard Henderson, Vice President, Procurement of Limited brands managed to encapsulate the reasons why an individual should consider a career in SCM when he said: “I enjoy, and am sometimes amazed at, the diversity of the supply chain (if we can change this because by just putting supply we are merely talking about procurement!) management practice. In any given week, I can be involved in or called on to influence strategic decisions in logistics, marketing, benefits, travel, telecommunications or any number of functional areas. The diversity keeps the work interesting, influential and challenging. The level of talent, business acumen and intellectual horsepower necessary for success grows daily. It's a great way to gain direct exposure and broad-based business knowledge across a lot of areas. I also like the growing respect and admiration the practice is gaining. It's a great time to be in supply chain management."
