Logistics Leadership Insights

There's a No Man's Land for small and midsized companies where they're 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 for another role to handle the logistics but 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 to hire a full-time Director- or VP-level role to lead it, and I find them to be typically in the sub-500-employee size range.

They often seek the 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, with a Logistics Coordinator. Coordinators add coverage but don't provide any strategic direction and don't typically bring 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐞𝐧𝐝-𝐭𝐨-𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, meaning quite a lot can slip through the cracks.

And optimization or continuous improvement? 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

This is where 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 is a great fit for these organizations and why it’s becoming a practical model for small and midsized companies.

This video kicks off a series where I’ll break down:

💡 what fractional logistics leadership actually is
💡 who it’s for (and who it’s not)
💡 and why it often delivers more value than adding full-time headcount

Hiring a logistics coordinator often solves the immediate problem.

It rarely solves the right one.

As logistics complexity grows, the gap usually isn’t effort or execution.

It’s clear ownership at the decision level.

That’s where fractional logistics leadership fits.

Most of the time, a manufacturer's logistics operation isn't a complete failure. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥.

When it has to be handled by Purchasing, Operations, Customer Service, or another area of the org, it's hard to know whether the network is well-optimized or if 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦.

𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 brings an experienced level of direction 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞, helping teams to make smarter, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 and to obtain more value out of the resources they already have.

❓ If you've ever wondered if your logistics network is truly optimized. . .

❓ If you've ever wondered if the way transportation operates in your organization is the best way to do business. . .

❓ If you've ever wondered if you're getting the most bang for your buck in your organizational structure. . .

💡 . . . it's worth a conversation.

Most urgent logistics decisions are of a tactical nature. But what about the choices we make in logistics that have a longer-term effect and a more direct impact on financial performance?

Those decisions often go unmade because the team is managing the fire of the day.

Those decisions build over time, and they have real cost, service, and capital outcomes.

That’s where experienced logistics leadership makes the difference.