Supply Planner - #1406699

The Supply Planner is responsible for managing the supply chain of assigned product groups, ensuring inventory levels align with customer demand and company objectives. This role requires proactive demand forecasting, inventory optimization, coordination with internal teams (customer service, sales, marketing, and finance), and collaboration with external suppliers/vendors to optimize material flow.

The Supply Planner plays a key role in integrating new products and customers while effectively managing excess and obsolete inventory. Utilizing APICS global supply chain standards, this position ensures seamless operations, cost efficiency, and supply continuity.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities:

• Demand Forecasting & Planning: Analyze historical data, market trends, and sales projections to develop accurate demand forecasts, ensuring optimal inventory levels.
• Inventory Optimization: Manage stock levels to prevent shortages and overages, implementing strategies to reduce excess and obsolete inventory while maintaining service level targets.
• Maintain clear communication with stakeholders and vendors by promptly responding to email requests and providing updates on current/in-transit orders, past-dues, volumes, lead-times/fulfillment dates.
• Establish, track and report supply chain KPIs as required.
• Regularly analyze data to create clear, data-driven reporting & presentations on inventory insights, forecast accuracy, and supply chain performance metrics to key stakeholders.
• Provide improvement recommendations on inventory reporting, processes, sourcing, and efficiency enhancements, using best practice measures.
• Manage Excess Inventory to track, measure, and oversee the disposal or repurposing of excess inventory to optimize stock levels.
• Collaborate with cross functional partners to provide updates on inventory, sourcing, lead times, and analysis while proactively identifying and resolving inventory challenges. Assist in planning for product packaging and purchasing strategies.
• Optimize freight & supplier replenishment to evaluate freight options based on cost, efficiency, and delivery timelines in collaboration with the Traffic Manager to ensure the best cost-benefit ratio.
• Assist with pricing updates, generate reports for planning, accounting, and sales teams, review forecast accuracy, coordinate product launches, manage data and BOMs, and oversee inventory levels at third-party logistics providers (3PLs).
• Participate in projects and process improvement initiatives related to material and inventory requirements, distribution flow enhancements, new customer onboarding, and freight cost reduction.
  
  

Knowledge & Experience:

• BA or BS Supply Chain Management or related field preferred ; Professional Certification preferred (CPIM/APICS/CPF/Lean Six Sigma) .
• 3-5 years material/inventory planning for a distribution center, Automotive Aftermarket experience considered a strong asset, global supply chain experience considered a strong asset.
• ERP system experience, COIN, Epicor CMS and/or BPICS preferred.
• Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills (V or X-lookups/Pivot-Tables/data analysis).
• Broad knowledge of Supply Chain & Inventory Planning field.
• Knowledge & experience using APICS global standards.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• A critical thinker and strategic planner with a “continuous improvement” mind-set and eagerness to learn .
• Ability to work professionally with internal teams at various levels and comfortable with decision-making .
• Highly organized with ability to prioritize and re-prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent attention-to-detail to maintain 100% accuracy on various parameters and reports.
• Adaptable to change.