Import Coordinator
Thousands of manufacturing businesses in the UK rely on a smooth and uninterrupted flow of imports to ensure productivity is maximised. The same applies to retailers and wholesale companies too. Warehousing can take up some of the slack, but in many cases, wherever imports are optimised and storage is minimised, efficiency is at its peak. Ensuring all this happens is the import coordinator (no pressure then).
The import coordinator will be in constant contact with suppliers all around the world, making sure stocks and production levels are adequate for the projected needs of their employer. And that’s just the start of the journey – import coordinator jobs tend to require oversight of the freight import process, and that means being on the ball with transportation, usually via third party carriers.
Many import coordinator jobs will also require a degree of understanding of the paperwork and customs requirements to bring goods into the country from the various jurisdictions they deal with, although the job is often purely logistical, with the legals being covered by other specialists.
The skills required
Import coordinator job descriptions often ask for accomplished jugglers – people who can have dozens of ongoing tasks at any moment and retain a firm grasp on all of them. While you’ll usually be helped in this with software and a team of import assistants, you’ll be expected to know exactly what is coming in and how they tally with your employer’s demands.
Language skills will often be required, particularly if the employer deals with a single country. But even if your native tongue is enough to excel, you’ll still need advanced communication skills to make sure your instructions are understood – your business relies on it.
Some employers are looking for specialists in road, rail, air or sea imports, as the logistics, speed, volumes and regulations are often specific to that mode of freight transportation. Always check the description carefully.
Import Coordinator Jobs in Widnes
At the north-eastern edge of Cheshire lies Widnes, a town of around 60,000 population built on heavy industry, particularly chemicals, where ICI had a huge presence for decades before fragmenting in the 1990s. The chemical industry chose Widnes partly for the plentiful supply of water, just like Runcorn, to which it is joined by a railway and road bridge over the Mersey.
The centre of Liverpool is 11 miles (17 km) to the west, with Liverpool John Lennon Airport just 4 miles (7km) form the centre of Widnes. Although not actually in Widnes, the Jaguar Land rover car production plant is just outside the town in Halewood, and it has been a large employer of people from Widnes. For decades the plant was owned by Ford, and the locals still cal the main boulevard that passes it “The Ford Road”. Under the new management, the factory is doing extremely well, helped by a local enthusiastic workforce.
Widnes has two musical claims to fame, one certain, one apocryphal. First was the Stone Roses’ Spike Island gig, the pinnacle of the Madchester scene in 1990. The second claim is that Paul Simon wrote “Homeward Bound” at Widnes Station, although Simon isn’t 100% sure himself!
Widnes has retained many of its industrial plants, although they are no longer owned by the giant ICI, and have been taken over by a multitude of companies. The well-connected town is handy for Liverpool, Warrington, St Helens and Runcorn, and has the M62 at its northern point. All this makes it a good place to locate any logistics operations, and indeed, Import Coordinator jobs or similar positions have been through our system in Widnes.
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Jobs and candidates incoming at Cast UK
If you’re looking for the perfect import coordinator, we at Cast UK specialise in transport and logistics, and have fantastic talent pools with diverse skill sets in our networks & database with diverse skill sets. Why not give us a call on 0333 121 3345?
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