The digitization of the logistics sector and the entire supply chain has been brewing for years and the pandemic has accelerated it. This is reflected in a study by Randstat and is reflected in the International Logistics Exhibition (SIL), which kicked off yesterday at the Montjuïc fairgrounds with autonomous warehouse forklifts and transport management programs, among a variety of examples of the technological advance that is giving the sector
A transformation that implies changes in the professional profiles that are required, which have more and more added value. Jobs like stock boy are changing.
According to the aforementioned study, one of the most in-demand jobs is that of warehouse manager with the ability to manage teams and plan strategies. Also account executives specialized in the logistics sector and programmers capable of designing control systems and the operation of automated machinery.
"Tasks with more added value, such as project planning and management, are increasingly in demand," says José Estrada, Director of Strategy at the Catalan Institute of Logistics (Icil). “Robotization dignifies work. The brute force of people does not generate value”, defends César Castillo, academic director of the same entity.
Marcos Garatachea, from the company Cadepa, exhibits an automated warehouse truck that goes around the pavilion thanks to its sensors to prevent accidents. It can support up to 1,300 kilos. “The work is automated, but there will always be a person who marks the route. So the profiles will be different”, he considers.
"Contrary to popular belief, logistics requires qualified profiles," remarks Ramón García, general director of the Spanish Logistics Center (Cel). According to him, the profiles of operators, such as forklift drivers, must "know the technology from a functional level, know how to use it".
On the other hand, managers must be aware of the "impact of technology" to define strategies. For the director of Cel, the pandemic has "accelerated all the digitization processes" that were already taking place.
Víctor Vilas, from the transport and logistics software firm Andsoft, elaborates on the issue: “Computer science is a necessary value for any profile. It's already a day-to-day tool,” he says. "There are generations that must work on their technological base, and those that already have it incorporated sometimes lack business concepts," he says.
