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Description

Logistics for Non-Specialists: Mapping Flows, Engaging Teams and Tracking Costs

Acquire the vocabulary and key logistics reference points needed to work with warehouse and transport teams

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Buyers, sales staff, accountants and project leads make decisions every day that land on the logistics function: an urgent order, a promotion announced too late, a change of packaging. Without shared reference points, conversations with the warehouse and the transport provider turn into blame and the real cost of these decisions stays invisible.

Two days to build that foundation: follow a flow from supplier to customer, name each stage correctly, understand what stock actually costs and what a service level rate really covers. Examples cover both distribution flows and industrial flows so that every participant recognises their own environment.

Learning objectives

  • Describe the stages of a flow from the supplier through to the end customer
  • Use the everyday vocabulary of warehousing and transport
  • Explain the purpose of stock and the costs it generates
  • Read the main service level and logistics cost indicators
  • Anticipate the impact of a sales or procurement decision on the supply chain

What makes this programme different

Participants reconstruct the end-to-end flow of a product before any theory is introduced
Every technical term is linked to a physical operation observable in a warehouse or on a loading bay
A sales decision is quantified in lead time and logistics cost to make the trade-off tangible

Programme

1Overview of the Supply Chain

Following a flow from supplier to customer

  • Inbound flows, internal flows and outbound flows
  • Internal stakeholders, service providers and principals
  • Vocabulary of handling units and containers
  • Stock-based flows versus just-in-time flows

2Stock and the Warehouse

Understanding what happens inside the four walls

  • Purposes of stock and the costs it generates
  • Goods receipt, inspection and put-away
  • Order picking and dispatch
  • Stock counts and the reliability of reported quantities
  • Classifying items according to their turnover rate

3Transport and Delivery

Moving goods without unpleasant surprises

  • Transport modes and selection criteria
  • Transport documents and the responsibilities of each party
  • Reservations, disputes and claim deadlines
  • International rules for sharing costs and risks (Incoterms)
  • Route planning and customer receiving constraints

4Engaging with the Logistics Function

Asking the right questions and reading the indicators

  • Service level rates and on-time delivery performance
  • The cost lines that make up total logistics cost
  • Effects of an urgent order or an inaccurate forecast
  • Working with a logistics provider and drafting the service specification

Who is it for

Staff in procurement, sales, administrative, finance or IT functions who need to work with the logistics function.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.