The Council in logistics

The council in logistics is an activity of services which aims either at delivering with the Entreprises of the councils specialized on the strategies and the tactical in Logistique, or to complete a very specialized work there.

By extension, a council in logistics is also a natural person, the Consultant in logistics, or a moral person, the consultancy in logistics, which delivers this service type.

Principal activities

The council in logistics is interested in flows matters (or goods) and in their environment. The concept of environment is always a relative concept.

For the council in logistics, the material flow of goods is the main object of the activity (the center), whereas the immaterial flow of information which is associated for him (financial flows included) is the accessory. The data processing consultant will probably see the same things…. on the other side of the mirror.

Flows matters are often subdivided arbitrarily like: " amonts" (of the production to the warehouse); " avals" (of the warehouse to consumption); " retours" (of consumption to the production).

The environment is made up, for the council in logistics, of the resources (human resources, energy sources and fuels,….), of the goods necessary to the realization of the logistic service (warehouses, tools, machines…) and of the services (packing, supplies, transport, information systems, control management).

The activities of the consultants in logistics are described in the card A.P.E.C and specialize as described in the article Logistique.

Organization of the profession

The activity of council in logistics is distributed between large actors (effective, notoriety), actors of intermediate size and consultancies unipersonal. As in many trades, the large actors bring means in quantity whereas the actors of modest size exploit the reactivity.

Large actors

The large companies of council in logistics carry out the projects whose management requires many consultants. If it is necessary, they sub-contract part of the project at moreover small companies.

Specialists or general practitioners, the large companies are in competition between them and with of companies of modest size.

Actors of modest size

These actors have team of reduced size and intervene in a way personalized while being integrated within the teams of their customers. By this situation, they are the occasion to create new Work stations.

The difficulty, however remains for them as for their customers preserving at their relation his commercial character (control by the Code of the trade) and not slipping towards a relation of the subordination type (governed by the Labor regulation)

To realize with the several great projects, these more small companies often gather around trade Marks. They mutualisent then their information networks, their resources, their expertises and their work tools.

Common points and specificities

All carry out missions, i.e. interventions and studies at limited duration and surface whose objectives are contractualisés All face the same commercial problems, which consist in identifying projects to offer their services to their prospective customers. The knowledge of the projects (thus the apprehension of the markets) is taken by the average following:

notoriety, mainly for the large actors, contacted spontaneously by their (future) customers
the management of the Address book for all
consultation of the invitations to tender, for the Government contracts

The profession as a whole probably pre-empts heavy evolutions of the organization of work, favoured within the framework of the council in logistics, by the dissemination of the places of production, storage and distribution of the companies customer: precariousness, nomadism, domestic industry or the customer, membership of networks probably precede a new organization of work in the industrialized countries and in the course of industrialization.

The market in Europe and in the world

According to Jean-Luc Claim, president de Syntec " The trinity: Germany, the United Kingdom and France First report: the European market of the council in management gained 14% in 2005, to 61,6 billion euros. One is well far from the 3% of annual growth in 2003 and 2004 which marked already a light recovery after one difficult period. In 2005, the sector counted more than 53.000 cabinets of consulting, all types of specialities confused, that is to say 565.000 consultants in Europe, whereas the average amounted to 300.000 the three previous years.

Evolution of the turnover of 2002 to 2005 (Source: FEACO 2006) In this landscape, Germany and the United Kingdom respectively occupy 39 and 27% of the market in term of turnover. " If Germany and Great Britain are the European leaders of the council, it is because their growth is posted with two digits and that they have an important tank of large SME exportatrices." France, as for it, is the third European market of the council, with almost 10% of market share and a growth of 9% in 2005. " That the two next years should remain on a level of 9 or 10% " , Jean-Luc Placet adds.

The United States regards Europe as a market with a future. Thus, in 2005, the market of the council in management presents a growth of more than 26% to the United Kingdom, 23% in Denmark, 20% in Romania, etc In spite of its fourth position on the European market, Spain posts a growth of 11% in 2005, finally more than France. The French market of the council in management employs 27.000 people nevertheless and engaged 2.700 people in 2006, especially young people diplômés."

Emerging markets

The councils in logistics are engaged in depths in the companies and they draw the privilege from it to have a strategic, total vision and neutral of the evolutions sociétales. This is why, the profession implies in the emerging markets generated by the socio-economic problems and environmental like:

the organization of transport and the reduction of the emission of the Gas to greenhouse effect
the organization of the production and logistics associated with the delocalization and relocalizations, related themselves to the cost prices extrèmement fluctuating of the goods. They are themselves induced steps the trends of costs of the labor and the costs of energy
the organization of the Logistique of proximity and its capacity to be delivered downtown. The organizations to be implemented, let us report some with the development of the E-trade.
organizations and logistics to be implemented in relation to new concepts like: the Globalisation, the " behavior citoyen" , the Sustainable development,…

Within this framework, the councils in logistics imply themselves in the predictive reflection, in relation to governmental organizations, as PREDICTED.

Futurology: market and future of the companies of the Council in logistics

The number of small companies of council in logistics has increased quickly for a few years, for various reasons related on the growth market or the economic situation of the countries where they are created. This multiplication of the small companies of council in logistics is explained by:

The request of the companies

The industrialists put everywhere the question to know where to produce better and less expensive, then how to place at the disposal of the consuming markets, the marchandides which they manufactured elsewhere. The great movements of research of profits and increase in the market shares, by the reduction of the costs and the amelioraration of quality or the creation of new products/services increases the request of specialists in logistics, able to intervene on projects of all dimensions. In this context, the call to the companies of councils in logistics is strong, because they their bring what they seek:

Flexibility : quick change of the number of collaborateurses according to the projects and of the Resource available;
Expertise : implementation of specialists
Reactivity : speed of interventions
Flexibility : commercial Contrat favors over the work contract
Economie represented by the Consultant, taking into consideration direct cost of paid (Salaire S, travelling expenses and social contributions) and indirect (data-processing offices, stations, management of the representative organizations, management of the Work contract and remuneration, management of the vacation…)

The offer with the companies

Surge of frameworks of logistics tested on the job market, like consequence of the bringings together, repurchases and amalgamations, in particular in the large operators of transport and logistics. For example: La Poste, Deutsche Post, Géodis… These fusions - acquisitions lead immediately to the duplication of the stations of expertises and management within the new structures which result from it. The decision is generally, the setting on the job market of people very tested in logistics. Failing to find an equivalent employment, or by vocation, this personnel can create their own company of council in logistics, or be made engage by an organization existente.
Surges of graduates in logistics very described (titular of D.U.T, Mastères or D.E.S.S., which inevitably does not find an outlet in the companies which maintain their hired labor charges with low, and which them also will decide to join an organization of council in existing logistics.

Within this framework, the future of the cabinets of consultants in logistics is probably everywhere assured and probably still will develop. However, the main risk is the very important surge of councils in logistics in certain industrialized countries, which could lead, according to the Loi of the market, with an offer exceeding the request, then with a devalorization of the trade and the impoverishment of the Councils in logistics. In reaction, This type of situations generally leads to the disaffection for the trade, then with the reduction of the offer. It could then be controlled by some large cabinets in dominant position.

French actors

Companies

Among the very many companies of council in logistics, let us quote as examples:

has 22, expert in logistics
Consulting ACES, specialist in establishment and organization of warehouses, assistance and , grid systems copacking to the head of undertaking
AT Kearney
Argon Consulting
Axel Boss
Cape Logistique
Diagma
Ineum Consulting, resulting from the externalisation of the pole council of Deloitte France
Infineo (Business Group & Decision)
Log & pi Consulting, specialized company in Logistics and Industrial Performance
Métis Consulting
Sopra Group and its subsidiary companies (consulting Orga,…)
TL & Associated: elaborative of a system of calculation (index) of the logistic costs, on behalf of the Federation of and the logistics haulage companies of France (T.L.F.)
Trigonal Logistics, guide of the economic main actors of the life since more than 20 years
Transept, specialized in software of optimization for logistics

Contributors of businesses

They are companies of council in logistics, whose mission is of prester " intermediations commerciales" , i.e. to answer in the search of a company of suppliers, subcontractors, conveyers… by a proposal of potential suppliers. The role of the council in logistics is, within this framework, to bring the best operational answer to the company applicant. This mission is particularly delicate, because these companies of contributions of business are remunerated by taking, in a form, or under another, a commission, sometimes invoiced with the customer, generally with the supplier of materials or services. Deontology and impartiality of the company " contributor of affaires" is consequently a factor discriminating for the customer. Among these companies of council, let us quote for example:

Arpaconseil
Dialogis

Associations with nonlucrative goal

ASLOG: Created in 1972, its vocation is to promote logistics in all its dimensions. It gathers today nearly 1500 members belonging to all the trades of logistics. The ASLOG is founding member of the ELA, or European Logistics Association, which joined together in Europe more than 60.000 members.
SYNTEC: Federation SYNTEC has as an ambition to gather the whole of the trades of the knowledge.
T.L.F. : Professional organization who says " modern and innovating whose essential missions are to defend, promote and develop the industry of transport and the logistique"
AFILOG: If AFILOG, association law 1901, were created in October 2001 by a group of actors of the trades of logistics, it is primarily to meet different needs, centered on the real approach and the exploitation of the logistic platforms.

Public agencies

ADEME Agency of the Environment and the Control of Energy
APEC Employment agency of the executives
INRETS National research institute on transport and their safety
OSEO born, in 2005, of the meeting of competences - in the financing and the accompaniment of SME - National agency of valorization of research (ANVAR), said Agency of the innovation and BDPME (Bank of the development of SME), including Sofaris (Company of guarantee of the financing).

Public schools or private

Universities delivering of Mastères

Institute of higher learning of Industrial Logistics I.S.L.I of Bordeaux
the university of Paris I - Sorbonne University of Paris Sorbonne
the university of Paris-Dauphine Dauphine University of Paris
the university of Provence - Aix - Marseilles University of Provence
the university of Artois - Faculty of Science Applied of Béthune FSA of Béthune

Schools delivering of the diplomas for the occupation of engineers

the 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of arts and trades (E.N.S.A.M.) - Paris 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of arts and trades (E.N.S.A.M.) - Paris

Academic institutes of Technology (I.U.T.) delivering Diplomas Academics of Technology (D.U.T.)
Institute of higher learning of Logistics and Transport (I.S.L.T) Montaigu-85 delivers titles de" Person in charge in logistics of National Distribution and Internationale" levels II http://islt.info

Lexicon

Lexicon of French Association for logistics (ASLOG)

See too

See Logistic

Publications

Specialized sites

Newspaper of the Net - Management
Strategy and Logistique
Logistic council

periodic Newspapers

official of the conveyer
Logistic ones magazine
the new factory
Supply Chain Magazine

Random links: