Attracting Talent in Project Logistics: Gaps and Opportunities

By Gautham Krishnan

In an honest and engaging thought leader taken from Issue 4 of Breakbulk Magazine, Fluor’s Gautham Krishnan argues that breakbulk and project cargo may need to break new ground if it wants to continue attracting the best and brightest talent.

How receptive has the industry been in attracting fresh talent or welcoming back those who have left the sector for other arenas? Are the pastures green for project logistics? These are relevant questions amid the various challenges in the supply chain today.

While passion towards particular roles and/or sectors are definite drivers when individuals choose a career, project logistics isn’t usually among the most preferred choices. Start-ups, E-commerce, consulting, investment banking and so on are well-sought avenues, favored for their quick, high-flying career paths, albeit with long and demanding hours. The rigors and processes behind moving heavy equipment or critical packages might also require haphazard working hours, but it is irregular and on a case-by-case basis.

There’s also the complex nature of project cargo and the traditional nature of projects to consider, with both calling for experts and specialists at the helm. Specialization in certain areas means that some roles can be considered richer than others. Conventional roles in the sector lean towards specializing in a specific/ particular key area while gradually exposing the professional to other areas. There is also cognizance of the fact that the sector is perhaps out-of-tune with the younger generation.

A couple of decades ago, professionals would have agreed to take on back-end clerical roles that would lead to gradual carving of a specialist. But today, professionals are ready to embrace challenges more quickly, demanding a quicker path to the top. The agile nature of projects and the flexibility of challenges steer professionals towards roles where in-depth knowledge in a set of work functions result in better rewards in terms of designations and compensations.

Is this something that the project logistics sector should consider? Rather than expecting the newer talent to fit to existing roles, can the industry be flexible to the tunes of the younger generation? This needs food for thought from all stakeholders.

The project cargo industry has seen pioneers who’ve steered the industry through tough waters, but many of them are in the twilight of their careers. While natural succession of incumbent talent is a must to replace this knowledge drain, there should also be breakthroughs beyond conventions to look out for talent from other sectors.

The sector estimates a compounded annual growth rate of 4 percent through to 2027-28. Considering the opportunities in infrastructure and consumption across the globe, this could be viewed as conservative. This growth requires fresh perspectives and knowledge beyond conventional project logistics functions.


Training Gaps

Another aspect that the industry needs to be aware of is how to bridge the gap in training.

Learning and development is a key facet of digitally driven sectors. Unfortunately, for our sector, learning and development and upskilling have been concentrated in geographies and areas. Consequently, there is a need for more affordable and better chalked, ‘all-round’ programs for professionals, which again demands the joining of hands. This stands apart from the need of mentorship at each organization level for budding professionals and other aspirants.

This isn’t to say that project logistics has always been hard to populate. International exposure via travel to project sites helped mold professionals. However, the industry has evolved with a realization that a fair degree of execution and interaction can happen without travel. This evolution is possibly less attractive for new professionals who may have considered travel as the industry’s unique selling proposition (USP).

This can be offset to a great degree by more networking opportunities such as Breakbulk conclaves, project logistics conferences and cross-stakeholder lunch-and-learns while also expanding these opportunities across geographies. This should also be seen by enterprises as avenues for participation for their younger and mid-level talent, allowing them to shape their personal brand as ambassadors for their companies.

Raising awareness of the job of a project logistician can also attract talent from outside the industry. As someone who has been in the sector and worked in others in the past, I have first-hand experience when it comes to saying that no two days have been equal.

There has been a lot of scope to learn, plan, implement, and self-reflect – be it moving heavy equipment from the equator to Europe, planning the roll-on, roll-off operation of a 9,000-metric ton heavy module, or devising pricing strategies for project awards. There has been some satisfaction in delivering both at the individual level and as a team.


Sustainability Starter

Sustainability, meanwhile, is painting the sector greener. Despite being a late-starter and a slow-adapter, the era of analytics and digital transformation will catch-up the sector. Adoption is the key to remaining competitive and project cargo companies can use these tools to usher in strategic differences in corporate strategy. From dashboarding and tracking mechanisms of cargo to adoption of AI/ML for planning and audio-video analytics for site management – all will become a part of the sector at some point in the not-so-distant future.

The very nature of contracting too has undergone changes. The industry is gradually seeing the rise and benefits of index-linked contracts, hedging strategies, and predictive pricing algorithms. This could attract new talent with different perspectives and experiences into the industry.

While these are some of the key areas the industry can offer professionals looking for a different set of challenges, the basics will hinge upon the necessities of competitive benefits, a well-rounded atmosphere at work, the scope to learn and the broadening of experiences across geographies or functions, leading to high-paying, growable career paths.

The packaging of a well-structured talent management plan for the project logistics professional is as complex as the sector itself. Still, the sector could help itself by listening and adapting. It could bring in newer faces, solutions, perspectives and perhaps a newer path to evolution.



Gautham Krishnan is a logistics professional with Fluor Corporation. A project management professional, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and a naval architect, he has handled and led heavy-lift projects and project logistics implementation. He has also worked in the areas of project management, business development and government consulting.


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