Industry Demand & Engagement

The logistics industry is expansive and growing in the Central Ohio Region.

The Logistics Industry

Columbus is the nation’s 15-largest city, home to the Ohio state capital, The Ohio State University, and the headquarters of major insurance companies (Nationwide, Motorists, Grange, and State Auto), 1,800 manufacturing companies, and 4,000 logistics companies with more than 76,000 employees, according to Columbus 2020. In the past decade, the fastest-growing sectors have included logistics/transportation and utilities with a 26 percent growth.

Continued investment in the region's logistics sector, as well as the complementary growth in retailing, pharmaceutical, and advanced manufacturing sectors, indicate continued demand for college graduates with a strong technical engineering education. Among Central Ohio’s largest logistics employers are Honda Logistics North America, Amazon, Target, Witron, GAP, Cardinal Health, MAST L-Brands, Boars Head, Midwest Express, One World, Intelligrated, and Rogue.

According to the National Center for Supply Chain Technology Education (2013), logistics engineering technicians oversee a variety of software and equipment related to mechanical, applied electronics, manufacturing, automated systems, and information technology.

Columbus Region: Logistics Market Overview

Workforce Need

The Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card (Ball State University, 2013) reports that Ohio is one of only two states with an “A” grade in the importance of its manufacturing and logistics sector. However, the same report shows that Ohio merits only a “C” in the development of human capital. It is this significant gap in the supply of trained Logistics Engineering Technicians that this grant will seek to ameliorate.

Job openings for Logistics Engineering Technicians will remain strong and offer an attractive wage. Considering only targeted occupations for Logistics Engineering Technicians, Central Ohio boasts a steady expected growth of 12.1 percent between 2015 and 2025, with 2,493 more jobs, compared to a state increase of just 8.5 percent (EMSI, 2016). The median earnings for these occupations are just under $37.91 per hour.

Columbus State and Logistics

Columbus State Community College has a long history of collaboration with the logistics sector. A unique asset of the region is the 200-member Columbus Region Logistics Council. Now 20 years old, the government-, academia-, and industry-supported council has served as the catalyst for the growth of the Central Ohio region’s logistics sector. The council is leading the implementation of a strategic roadmap that will continue to grow the region’s tremendous industry assets. Columbus State has been a council member from its inception and has a leadership role in its workforce-development activities.

For two decades, Columbus State has offered logistics education. The college has a well-established educational pipeline with multiple high school programs and multiple baccalaureate institutions. Our faculty members have established statewide academic standards in the field and serve as advisors to other academic institutions seeking to add the logistics program of study to their offerings.