This sector can be divided up into sectors purchasing, logistics and materials management.

The Purchasing/Logistics/Materials Management sector is primarily concerned with the procurement, dispatch/shipping and administration of physical goods at home and abroad. This can happen within companies or with independent, partly internationally active service providers.

Within companies, this concerns, for example, the flow of goods between suppliers, customers, production and warehouses. The specialisation of external service providers is usually the transport of goods from consignor to consignee, regardless of whether they are companies or private individuals.

The Purchasing/Logistics/Materials Management sector is recording steady growth, but is also subject to seasonal influences, which can have an intensive impact on employees and working hours. Training in this area is offered as a specialist for warehouse logistics or as a businessman*woman in freight forwarding and logistics. Some positions require a degree, e.g. materials management, logistics or business administration.