The Warehousing and Storage Sector represents a crucial link in the operations of the Transport and Logistics Industry. It involves the receipt, handling, storage and despatch of both packaged or non-bulk products as well as bulk products.
The non bulk products may include goods in packages, envelopes, boxes, barrels, containers and/or drums. Examples are food products, refrigerated products, equipment parts, computers and telecommunications equipment, furniture, electrical appliances, hardware, etc.
Bulk products may include grains, flour, chemicals, soils and gravel, bulk vegetables, sand, cement, concrete, oil and petroleum products, milk, sugar and sugar cane, gases, coal, mineral ores, timber, etc.
A range of equipment is used in warehousing and storage operations, including cranes, forklifts, pallets, and racking systems for handling goods and computing and communications technologies for managing and controlling warehousing operations as well as tracking and locating goods.
Career pathways in the Warehousing and Storage sector provide opportunities in general warehousing, as well as in specialised storage facilities such as cold storage, and various types of bulk storage facilities (e.g. grain handling and storage, coal handling terminals, chemical handling and storage, etc.). Job opportunities include dockhands, order pickers, store-persons, vehicle loading and unloading staff, customer service staff, quality assurance personnel and persons with responsibility for using info technology systems to track and locate goods and services and to coordinate warehouse and storage operations.
Modern warehousing systems are highly IT reliant and a growing part of this sector requires individuals with a knowledge and understanding of IT systems and systems management.
