What do companies value more when hiring logisticians: an academic background or real-world experience in several functions? As the supply chain continues to evolve and change, the answer is increasingly both.

Switch on the TV or click through Web ads and you’ll quickly see how supply chain management and logistics permeate mainstream media. UPS loves logistics. CSX knows how tomorrow moves. These companies and others have done a laudable job advertising the importance of transportation and technology in today’s consumer economy. Supply chain is crossing over to everyone’s benefit.

As its visibility grows, supply chain management has inevitably become more sophisticated and disciplined. Commoditized warehousing and transportation are making way for an emphasis on cost reduction and customer service, composing an amalgam of artificial intelligence, assets, and human touch.

Read more here.