Purchasing agents in USA.
Purchasing agents in France.
Purchasing agents in Australia.
Purchasing agents around the world may speak different languages, but they are share many of the same job descriptions. Working within a company, a purchasing agent is responsible, at least in part, for approving the acquisition or buying goods and services that are needed by the company. For a large school district, the purchasing agent may be in charge of everything from staples and paper to the latest classroom technologies. In a large hospital, a purchasing agent might be in charge of ordering surgical supplies and cleaning equipment. In fact, few companies, of any size, can function very efficiently without the help of a purchasing agent.
Once materials and supplies are ordered, a complex system of air and ocean logistics experts work to make sure that the ordered materials are delivered. From large sea freight shipping to plane and rail deliveries, the items that are ordered can sometimes filter clear through the logistics diagrams until the actually reach something as specific and orchestrated as door to door service.

Although most of us may not put much thought into the how the things we order or buy get to us, it is likely that somewhere in the process a purchasing order specialist was involved. Consider some of this information about the shipping and delivery industry that provides the goods that we rely on every single day:

• While also reducing the frequency of damaged goods, point-to-point transportation reduces the need for connection time.
• The global aviation industry transported an estimated $6.4 trillion worth of cargo in the year 2012.
• Cargo only aircraft handle an estimated 60% of global air-freight shipments in 2012, according to the plane maker Boeing.
• The air cargo industry is generated an estimated $75.4 billion in revenue in the year 2013, according to IBIS World research.
• Ensuring a higher quality product delivery, the short transportation time air cargo provides also decreases the risk of damage to products.

From air and ocean cargo to products that are made just a few miles from your home, it is likely that most of the items that you buy involved the work of a purchasing agent. From purchasing agents in USA to a purchasing agents in Europe, these jobs are more similar than different.