Supply Planner jobs
As customer demands fluctuate throughout the seasons and in response to promotions by vendors and the manufacturer’s own marketing and PR departments, it is vital that the start of the supply chain is not overlooked. Failure to order enough raw materials and components will of course means that customer demands cannot be met and they will start to look elsewhere. But over-ordering can be a drain on cash flow and ramp up the costs of warehousing and processing of the goods, regardless of whether they are raw materials or finished products. And where a product requires several raw materials (as most do), any increases and drops in demand need to be choreographed with the various suppliers in unison.
All this is overseen by the supply planner, who will work alongside the manufacturer’s sales and marketing team, forecasters, buyers and production management to ensure there are no shocks to the system and that supply is kept at its optimum level in line with what can be expected.
They will need to be constantly aware of stock levels and incoming deliveries to ensure production carries on at the perfect level and that there is never any down time for want of raw materials. There will be a good deal or liaison with the suppliers themselves, and part of the job will be to try and drive down costs by seeking out new supplier or entering into negotiations with existing ones. There will also be extensive reporting and auditing duties.
The skills required
A thoroughly logical and analytical mindset will be a key attribute in the successful supply planner, and at management level this will need to be demonstrable by having some experience in buying, forecasting, analysis or production.
The supply planner will need to work relatively autonomously, without regular contact with senior management, and will probably have a strict budget to work with. He or she must be able to show maturity and responsibility with money to qualify for the job.
Successful applicants will also need to be excellent communicators. Listening to data from the sources listed above and converting it into actionable data and supply requests will be important skills.
Supply Planner Jobs in Newcastle-under-Lyme
The Staffordshire town of Newcastle-under-Lyme (not to be confused with Newcastle-upon-Tyne) adjoins the city of Stoke-on-Trent along all of its eastern edge; without looking at a boundary map it would be difficult to discern where one ends and the other begins. The town did have a similar industrial history to Stoke, namely pottery and porcelain manufacture, until the mid-1700s when it all but stopped, giving way to brick making, clothing, cotton milling, coal mining and engineering. Engineering and clothing manufacturing still dominate the town’s industries; many military and police uniforms are made here.
In the early 1900s, the Stoke area was an amalgamation of a number of moderately sized towns, chief among them Stoke, Hanley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Burslem, Fenton, Tunstall, Longton, Smallthorne, Kidsgrove, and Audley. A motion was put to parliament to amalgamate them all into one city in what was known as the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent. Newcastle-under-Lyme was the only one to reject the plan, partly because the others were heavily involved in the pottery industry and Newcastle no longer was. Newcastle’s opposition was recognised and so it came to be that the town now exists almost engulfed by Stoke-on-Trent.
With a population of about 75,000 and a huge regeneration effort recently being completed, Newcastle-under-Lyme has undergone something of a rebirth of late, after a few decades of gradual decline. We do see more Supply Planner jobs appearing in the town, which is often indicative of renewed economic activity.
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Cast UK’s supply chain opportunities
Our founder members and consultants all have backgrounds in logistics, procurement and supply chain, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for in their staff and careers respectively. Thanks to this focus, many employers come to us first to create a candidate shortlist because they know we’ll deliver the best people to them. Please see what’s available in your region and if you’ve seen something you’re interested in, do get in touch – whether it’s today or tomorrow, we might have the best position for you.
People approach Cast UK for a number of reasons, whether seeking more job fulfilment or simply relocating with the family, so it’s good to know that we always have the complete range of positions available nationwide. We are a growing force in logistics, procurement and supply chain recruitment, partly because these are the only sectors we deal with.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Supply Planner for your business or find you a job as a Supply Planner then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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