Dear Aspirant,

Glad to know your interest in SCM - the most uttered word in the industry today. Glad to see you approach CareerGuide.com.

Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services. It includes the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption. SCM draws heavily from the areas of operations management, logistics, procurement, and information technology. Supply chain management is a cross-functional approach that includes managing the movement of raw materials into an organization, certain aspects of the internal processing of materials into finished goods, and the movement of finished goods out of the organization and toward the end consumer.

Career in SCM

There are Diploma / PG Diploma / Master Degree courses in SCM in almost all Universities in India. MBA SCM is also available in select Institutes and Universities. These courses are from one year to two year of duration.

Minimum graduation is required for doing an SCM course.

Best wishes

Dear Aspirant,

Thanks for writing to www.careerguide.com!

Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of transportation, storage and distribution goods and services from point of origin to point of consumption. SCM includes collaboration with suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers, and includes:
Sourcing raw materials and parts
Manufacturing and assembly
Warehousing and inventory tracking
Order entry and order management
Delivery to the customer

To make career in SCM, you need education qualification and work experience working in the field. If you have work experience, then you can do distance course (masters/PG diploma) in SCM. If you don't have relevant work experience, then you can go for regular masters course in SCM from reputed institutions that offer job placements. As mentioned by Dr. Anand, graduation is minimum eligibility criteria for the admission in masters course. Most universities/institutions conduct entrance test and interview.

Certification in SCM
In addition to master's degree, certification in SCM would enhance your job profile. If you have masters degree, following certification is very important to enhance knowledge and skills. Certification may also give you a competitive edge while seeking supply chain management jobs. Employers do prefer CPSM, CPIM, and CSCP certified candidates.

Certified Professional in Supply Management designation (CPSM) is offered by ISM, is recognized internationally.
Certified Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) certification is offered by APICS, and is well known to thousands of employers worldwide.
Certified Supply Chain Professional designation (CSCP) is also offered by APICS, is the most widely recognized credential in the field.

Hope I have answered your query. If you have any other queries, feel free to write back to us.

Best wishes for bright career,
Apurva Kumar Pandya, PhD

Hi There,

I am not repeating the meaning or definition of Supply chain management.

As you might have understood from the explanation above, SCM involves dealing with inventory management, logistics, shop floor management and statistics as well as public relations.

The reason I mentioned the above is because please note that though SCM covers the above mentioned topics, but there are certifications and or short term programs available separately for the above courses too.

Though you may be SCM Qualified, but pursuing short term courses would add on to your qualifications and experience too and at the same time you can look across varied options in various industry type.
AT the same time, after few years of experience and studying the market I would recommend you to opt for SAP courses.

Hope this helps.

Wish you good luck..........