Buyer I

Materials BuyerThrough developing relationships with vendors and negotiating purchasing agreements, purchases materials for use at plant locations in the manufacturing and/or assembling of products resulting in manufacturing and/or sales improvements as well as improvements in cost, quality and delivery.Responsible for raw material processes, Direct AND Indirect, including procurement through Kanban, Plan for Every Part (PFEP), Warehouse layout, and audit processes which are necessary to support production requirements across value streams.Essential Duties and Responsibilities:Maintaining and developing vendor relationships/partnershipsWorks with vendor representatives to develop new methods, material, or items which will generate manufacturing or sales improvementParticipates in supply based continuous improvement in cost, quality & deliveryInvestigates new sources of supplyCoordinates and implements supplier managed inventory programs and/or KanbanCoordinates supplier involvement in new product designInteracts with Product Engineering for new products/projectsAssists plant level Materials personnel with vendor and material issuesExpediting, including formal expedites from Customer Service, casual inquiries, checking on past due orders and missed shipments.Act as mentor and trainer of any Purchasing CoordinatorsPrepares purchase orders and inventory orders. This requires reviewing customer orders to verify specification, pricing, and ensure proper communication of order with vendor. In addition, reviews lot sizes and purchase cost for inventory orders.Working directly with Customer Service team on verifying components for MTO customer orders.Daily release management and Kanban card execution, including data entry of releases (Kanban ordering), reprinting, and tracking cardsConduct regular analysis to anticipate and resolve potential problemsProcess supplier forecast report monthly and adjust Kanban card quantities in coordination with Purchasing Coordinator.Manage packaging visual management system/Central storageProcess various purchasing reports and incident reportsOwn SAP & Access purchasing data filesConduct Kanban Card audits and counts as neededAssist production with home location identification and overall warehouse customization through PFEPAdministrative duties including data entry and filing when necessaryAssist in resolving invoicing and receiving issuesRun and submit supplier forecasts, supplier scorecard ownerAssist with quality hold tags, incident reports and process vendor returnsGeneral office tasks in support of the business as needed, including data entry and cross functional projects as assignedSpecific duties may vary between Buyers.Critical Competencies:Knowledge of Lean, thorough knowledge of Kanban principles, product component knowledge and assembly processesExperienced SAP userProfessional and excellent oral and written communication skillStrong attention to detailsStrong project and time management skills, as well as math and analytical skillsAbility to work collaboratively with all functions to build positive relationships throughout the entire organizationAbility to problem solve and the ability to multi-taskEducation and Experience Requirements:High School Diploma, required. Advanced degree, preferred3+ years inventory, material handling, or material presentation experience, preferredProficiency in MS Office suite, requiredPrevious experience in SAP (ERP), preferredPhysical Demands and Work Environment:The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and peripheral vision.The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.