Florida Logistics and Supply Chain Report

Executing Real Solutions

Whether it’s getting freight to port, or workers to the office, transportation costs are increasing as demand is spiking. And the challenges impact every business sector in Florida. Whether they realize it or not, every business is involved in logistics — either on the sending end or the receiving end.

A report issued in June 2008 notes a $91 billion increase in U.S. business logistics costs from 2006 to 2007. For the first time since 2000, “logistics costs are exceeding 10% of GDP,” says Elaine Purie, director of the Employ Florida Banner Center for Logistics and Distribution in Lake City.

Purie says transport costs are likely to increase in Florida, due to changing environmental regulations, a dynamic global economy and national security measures.

Besides the actual physical challenges of keeping goods and services flowing, Purie says one of the biggest hurdles for business is the supply of talented workers. The good news is there are solutions. And they begin with education.

The Logistics Banner Center was launched in 2007 to train the next generation of distributors and suppliers. In the past, students in the industry may have learned basic inventory procedures, basic math skills and — essentially — how to drive a truck. Now, Purie and her staff teach advanced computer skills, commodity control and international economics.

Polk Community College in Winter Haven partners with the Banner Center to provide convenient, tailored programs for logistics and distribution career professionals through its Corporate College Supply Chain Management Institute. SCMI’s programs respond to the new, increasingly global needs of the industry professional who now needs to understand subjects and technology beyond the basics, subjects such as best practices in export, global commerce and project management.

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