From A to B: Keeping California’s Goods Moving

Logistics—or how goods move from manufacturer to consumer—is a critical part of global trade. It’s also a booming industry and a white-hot job market; U.S. job growth in the sector is expected to increase 22 percent by 2022.

California is at the intersection of major global trading routes: The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are the largest maritime gateways in North America; Oakland International Airport and LAX serve as principal air freight centers; and goods are distributed to and from Latin America and beyond via border crossings in the south.

By 2030, the Los Angeles metro area alone will need to fill 350,000 more jobs just to maintain the flow of goods, and professional jobs in logistics are also expected to grow for the rest of the state.

To meet these workforce needs, the California State University is preparing many of the logistics and supply chain management professionals that will support and advance the trade and transportation industry.

“Logistics is a global arena; companies from all over the world are competing in terms of efficiency and innovation,” says Thomas O’Brien, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT) at California State University, Long Beach. “As it evolves, the field of logistics is increasingly integrating with other sectors, such as business and finance, health and sustainable energy."

California employs more logisticians than any other state. But what exactly does a logistics manager do? “[They] make decisions from the beginning of the transporting process to the end, so that companies operate as efficiently as possible,” says Dr. O’Brien. “They look at cost, they analyze whether to buy products overseas or locally, and they decide how to use various transportation methods in the most effective way.”

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona prepares students to enter the booming field of online business through the e-business concentration offered in the Department of Technology and Operations Management. “Cal Poly Pomona’s ‘learn by doing’ approach to logistics and e-commerce has earned 2018 graduates job offers at logistics centers throughout California, including Amazon, Sysco and Target,” says Yuanjie He, Ph.D., chair of the technology and operations management department at Cal Poly Pomona.

You might not immediately think a business development career is linked to logistics, but finding new clients and forging strong professional relationships are essential to the movement of goods.

CSU Long Beach alumnus Kevin Argueta (shown in the photo above) is an intern analyst in the business development division at the Port of Long Beach where he focuses on local and global trade policies and evaluates their effects on cargo coming into the San Pedro Bay Port Complex. His work includes analysis of the Trump Administration’s tariff lists imposed on China and assessing cargo traffic coming into the port.

“While using the skills I learned during my undergraduate studies at CITT, I gained an interest in learning more about transportation and the movement of goods and looked into potential careers in the industry,” says Argueta, who worked with METRANS and the Southwest Transportation Workforce Center while an undergraduate. There, he examined issues affecting trade and transportation, new policies, and how new technology might help workers.

Moving products across thousands of miles takes a toll on the environment, increasing the need for environmental engineers in logistics who can evaluate the impact on land, water and air.

“Environmental scientists and engineers work on improving logistics operations to protect natural resources,” says CSU Long Beach's Dr. Thomas O’Brien. “They ensure that a company’s operations comply with environmental laws and that customers understand their firm’s values on sustainability.”

When shipping materials and packaging are discarded, they become waste. At San José State University, for example, the Globalization and Environment course teaches students about issues related to corporate social responsibility and specific actions businesses can take to reduce their environmental impact.

“Nearly every organization has operations that have environmental consequences, presenting opportunities for efficiency improvements,” says Bruce Olszewski, lecturer in environmental studies at San José State.

For environmental engineers in logistics, this might mean working to modernize ship-loading equipment and diesel trucking fleets that serve the ports, reducing emissions and improving air quality in and around the port.

Weather forecasting, which is critical to safely transport goods across seas, offers another area for improving efficiency. SJSU meteorology students are learning how to do just that.

“Many alumni go on to work for companies such as StormGeo as weather forecasters for container ship movement and other transport,” explains Eugene Cordero, Ph.D., professor in the meteorology and climate science department at San José State.