A Comprehensive Look at Industrial Metal Supply Careers
When designing a career path, it can be difficult to parse through all the many factors of that choice. Jobs applicants must consider personal interest levels, available job benefits, and performance of the specific industry. With these considerations in mind, industrial metal supply careers have much to offer.
What Are Industrial Metal Supply Careers?
Supply careers in the metal industry have two facets: working with metal and working in the supply chain industry. Both aspects play a key role in finding the right career path, and should be examined carefully by prospective employees.
Metal Careers
The use of metal is ubiquitous in all industrial processes and beyond. We rely on it in creating manufacturing tools, marketable products, and other equipment. Industrial metals usually include (but are not limited to) such staples as copper, aluminum, iron (and its carbon alloy steel), zinc, nickel, and tin, and metal careers often center around processing these raw metals, shaping them into commercial or industrial products, and distributing such finished products to the populous.
There are metal careers available which specialize in every step of the production process. Those who enjoy working with their hands and using heavy-duty machinery and tools should consider these metal career options:
- Fabricator
- Laborer
- Craftsman
- Furnace operator
- Finisher
- Assembler
- Casting manager
There are also options for those who prefer more white collar work but still enjoy working with metal and having the job security of a manufacturing material that is never going away. The industry also provides jobs in customer service or sales prospects. Management, including supply chain management, is rife with opportunities.
Industrial Metal Supply Chain Careers
The supply chain industry is on the rise. Because the manufacturing process and the subsequent distribution process are so nuanced, a chain of command in the supply chain is essential. Perhaps the most glorified career in supply chain management is the supply chain manager. That individual’s job description includes things like coordinating, organizing, and managing the logistics of the production and distribution processes of a company’s services or products. From start to finish, supply chain managers oversee a product’s entire life cycle.
Where Do Supply Chain Managers Work?
Because their work is so integral to both production and distribution, supply chain manager positions can be found at any major company. They are also available in more of a specialist capacity, working for third-party companies or transportation companies that offer their expertise in supply chain management. In addition to Norfolk Iron & Metal Co, companies like Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Apple, General Electric, Intel, and the United States Air Force lead the way in employing supply chain managers.
What Careers Are in Supply Chain Management?
As with metal careers in general, industrial metal supply careers have a little something for everyone. For those who enjoy the finesse of fabrication, operations positions are available. Analyst positions exist for all manner of expertise, including business, logistics, operations, research, and procurement. Management is needed for every level of the supply chain, including procurement, operations, logistics, purchasing, and distribution. Consulting positions are also available.
Why a Career in Supply Chain?
Working in supply chain has an abundance of benefits. The industry is among those with the most rapid growth, so job prospects are good as labor is in demand. In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites supply chain jobs as growing at twice the rate of other jobs in the United States and other industry-relevant countries. That kind of job security is not likely to dwindle any time soon.
This is no wonder considering the crucial nature of the work supply chain management does. A supply chain manager oversees every phase of a product’s life cycle, beginning with planning and acquisition and continuing through distribution and delivery. The work supply chain managers do makes everyone else’s roles possible. Being so integral to the process makes the work they do fulfilling.
The field is also full of variety. Those with industrial metal supply careers get to work with every aspect of production, meaning that the possibility that every day holds something different is high. On the other hand, specialization is also available if prospective employees prefer to be hyper-focused.
Benefits are promising, including salaries at $60,000 for entry-level positions and median salaries closer to $82,000 or $90,000. The industry is also very resilient: according to BLS records, 95% of supply chain employees kept their jobs despite the uncertainty and shortages associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A quarter of that force even received promotions, indicating that the opportunities for career growth are vast.
Industrial Metal Supply Careers with Cd’A Metals
Part of Norfolk Iron & Metal Group, Cd’A Metals is a frontrunner in the metal supply industry. Cd’A Metals is at the top of their game to provide non-ferrous and carbon flat-rolled products, now with improved resources.
Being a part of the Norfolk Iron and Metal Group allows for a greater number of available industrial metal supply careers to support the company’s output. There is something for everyone looking to build a career in supply chain management or industrial metal supply in general. Those looking for a secure choice in their personal careers would do well to include Norfolk in their considerations.