Logistics in Atlanta

Atlanta is the capital and the most populated city in Georgia with more than 4 million people in the Atlanta metropolitan area. This has made it a very attractive location for companies to maintain inventory and to distribute products and materials so in turn it has become a popular area for third party logistics providers (3PL) to maintain logistics centers.

It is an economic hotbed in the Southeast region of the United States and is a major part of the more than 110,000 miles of public roads and 18,000 miles on the Georgia state highway system. Truck transit times from the metro Atlanta area typically range from 1-2 days to reach the Northeast and Midwest regions and around 3-5 days out West. Class 1 rail carriers serving the Atlanta area include CSX and the Norfolk Southern.

Regarding industry, Atlanta is the seventh largest industrial market in the U.S. and is home to both the distribution centers and manufacturing hubs for many of the countries largest companies. It is also home to an increasing number of respected third party logistics companies offering outsourced warehousing, transportation, and logistics services.

For maintaining and distributing inventory in the Southeast, the Atlanta metropolitan area is one of the more sought after locations. The majority of Atlanta logistics providers operate warehouses in the outlying suburbs of Atlanta located within close proximity to major highways (I-85, I-20, and I-75)

Sources:
Atlanta Logistics Innovation Council
Atlanta, GA (Wikipedia)
Atlanta Warehousing and Logistics

Logistics Jobs

Logistics professionals are in high demand these days to take on increasingly complex supply chains. According to Logistic's Today's recent 2006 salary survey the average salary for a logistics professional(male) is $78,834 and (female) $56,710. Alot of anonymous comments pulled from the survey tended to skew towards negative regarding their careers in logistics, but I think it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. There is no question that working in logistics is a difficult job. But it is also very rewarding. It is an action packed field where things are constantly changing and evolving and no day will be the same as the next.

Here is a list of currently open logistics jobs courtesy of Indeed

Supply Chain Manager

Logistics Manager

Materials Manager

Procurement Manager

Logistics Analyst

Warehouse Manager

Receiving Manager

Logistics Coordinator

Logistics Engineer

3PL Financials for 2005

According to Armstrong & Associates U.S. revenues for the third party logistics industry broke $100 billion for the first time in 2005, breaking all previous records. 3PL gross revenues hit $103.7 billion, a 16.1% increase. EBIT margins improved to 9.3%. The margin for after-tax income was 5.4%.

Domestic Transportation Management (DTM), including freight brokerage, lead third-party logistics segments with an 18.3% gain in net revenues (gross margin). Gross revenues (turnover) were $30.3 billion.

Additionally, total turnover in the 3PL industry for 2005 in the U.S. is estimated at $103.7 billion. $3 billion is included for the logistics software segment. Continued growth in global economic activity and increased supply chain management produced substantial increases in International Transportation Management (ITM), including freight forwarding. Gross revenue increased to $38.2 billion. Net revenue increased 13.6% to $14 billion.

Tight trucking industry capacity made for another good year in asset-based domestic transportation management (Dedicated Contract Carriage, DCC). Growth of 10.2% was double-digit for the second straight year after several years of limited expansion.

Value-Added Warehousing/Distribution (VAWD) expanded to $22.3 billion with 9.5% growth. After-tax profit margins in this segment improved to 4% as industry leaders were more inclined to cull unprofitable business.

The following information is part of a more detailed report that can be obtained by contacting Armstrong and Associates directly @ 3PL Logistics