Introduction
Distribution management is a new branch of logistics that was proven as important, especially for large retail chains and supermarkets. We are talking about the major chains of distribution across the country, stores that have to be perfectly coordinated, especially in the area of distribution. The clients would be disappointed if they can’t find the products they want in a store, and they will probably try to find other stores. This is why a distribution manager is required for those chains, a manager that is responsible for all the logistics chains of a company.
History
A person that wants to work as a distribution manager needs a vast experience in logistics, managing, and even accounting and software. The manager has to make sure that all the stores in the network have enough supplies to cover all the needs of the local market, and to send the goods to the respective store as soon as they are needed. Some people think this is an easy task, but you should know that the job of a distribution manager is not as easy as it seems.
Especially in the area of food, beverages and other perishable goods, the market suffers large modifications from one week to the other. For example, a store placed in a summer resort might have insignificant sales, but as soon as the weather is good, the tourists will probably fill the resort, and they will expect for your store to be fully supplied with everything it needs. It is the job of the distribution management specialists to check the weather forecast, to anticipate the number of clients of the respective store, and to send them the necessary goods. This is only an example of responsibilities of a distribution management, but those cases are diverse and often..
Features
Finding a good distribution management specialist is a real problem for companies, because of those reasons. On one hand, the salaries requested by those specialists are high. On the other hand, the companies also prefer to promote employees from the logistics and accounting departments on those positions, but the risks are high even in those conditions, as an unsuited person in this job might result in serious financial loses for the respective company.
Tips and comments
Either way, it is important for the managers of the retail companies to understand the importance of this position. The distribution management chain can also be outsourced. There are some specialized companies that could take care of this process for you, allowing you to save some money, and to benefit of professional assistance at the same time.
The distribution management department is important because it usually works with other companies. Let’s take the example of a chain of supermarkets. The respective company has to buy food, drinks from one company, clothes, and shoes from the other, and of course, other goods from other companies. The distribution management department has to make sure there is always a distributor available to sell those products, and also to make sure that the transportation network is always ready to send the respective goods in the locations where they are needed.
