Sr. Buyer

Job Title: Sr. Buyer
Location: Gardena, CA

About the Company:
IPS Corporation is a global, market-leading provider of solvent cements, adhesives, and specialized plumbing products. Founded in 1954 in Los Angeles, CA, IPS began by producing clear cements for laminating acrylic sheet for aircraft canopies. Today, IPS, with its three operating companies, has nine manufacturing plants and nine distribution centers supporting sales to a diverse set of end markets in 85 countries.

Weld-On Adhesives is the pioneer and leading manufacturer of Weld-On solvent cement, primers, and cleaners for PVC, CPVC, ABS and other plastic piping systems. Weld-On products are globally recognized as the premium products for joining plastic pipes and fittings and are used by professional installers around the world in a variety of applications such as, but not limited to, construction (residential & commercial), industrial (chemical process, water treatment, mining, etc.), irrigation (landscaping & agricultural) and others. Headquartered in California, Weld-On has operations throughout the United States, as well as China, and a worldwide network of sales representatives and distributors.

Position Summary:
Reporting to the Materials Manager, this role will be responsible for the purchasing of raw materials and other materials as needed based on E1 demand, outside influences, and product availability to support customer demand. They will issue, confirm, and follow up on purchase orders to ensure timely material flow into production.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinates purchasing activities with manufacturing and scheduling teams to acquire inventory in a cost effective and timely manner.
• Research products and materials and prepares/places purchase orders through appropriately vetted vendors and suppliers.
• Analyzes quotations received, selects or recommends suppliers based upon pricing and supplier suitability, and schedules deliveries in advance of need to avoid production limitations.
• Manage and maintain relationships with existing suppliers, monitoring their performance and addressing any issues that may arise.
• Collaborates with Sourcing team on new supplier onboarding, purchase order placement and for identifying new sources for alternate materials and/ sourcing for existing materials.
• Partners with R&D team to qualify alternate materials to prevent inventory shortages impacting customer commitments and on timed delivery.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand their requirements and provide procurement solutions that meet their needs.
• Under minimum supervision, manages all assigned suppliers and ensures supplier on time delivery. Keep suppliers accountable to their promise delivery dates and formulates a recovery plan for any late delivery.
• Actively participates in daily Production meetings, communicates supply status, risks and actions and help problem solve shortages impacting production schedule.
• Critical member of the monthly Sales, Operations & Inventory planning process; uses good judgement and utilizes purchasing tools to provide long term forecast to critical suppliers.
• Regularly reviews raw material inventory and partners with Inventory Control to ensure inventory availability.
• Review Production schedule and MRP daily to make informed decisions about purchase order placement and On-Time-Delivery from suppliers
• Review Production schedules in high volume high mix manufacturing environment. Collaborate with Scheduler and Production Supervisor daily. Understand the Production requirements and make recommendations on supply capabilities to meet the plan or make alternate scheduling suggestions to the plan.
• Identify material and resource constraints and coordinate/expedite their resolution with responsible parties.
• Communicate with the management when there is supply constraints or disruptions that could impact production plan and customer commitments.
• Communicate and develop relationships with vendors.
• Expedite or delay orders as may be needed to ensure proper inventory levels.
• Manage raw material safety stocks.
• Answer MRP messages.
• Ensure SKUs set up is correct (buyer number/supplier number/safety stock/ordering qty)
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• 10 years of experience in scheduling/planning/purchasing within a manufacturing environment
• Bachelor's degree required or 11+ years of experience in a related role.
• Demonstrated knowledge and use of Daily Management (Business Systems), and Standard Work.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Pull Systems/MRP Systems
• Fluency in analyzing cost, supplier pricing, and completing a competitive analysis
• Intermediate level in MS Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Experience with an MRP system, such as JDE E-1, SAP or similar strongly preferred
• Advanced appreciation for the interconnectedness of workflows and impact of each role within the production environment to impact manufacturing excellence, supply chain, and service level to customers. Ability to anticipate changes, shortages and/or downstream impacts to subtle and/or significant supply issues.
• Understanding of Scheduling and Production Planning within a complex manufacturing environment
• Ability to travel to suppliers 5%
• ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management) CPIM or CSCP is a plus.
• Self-directed with a high sense of urgency and excellent organization skills
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and demonstrate strong problem-solving skills
• Must have exceptional listening and interpersonal skills

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to work near moving mechanical parts; fumes or airborne particles; extreme cold (non-weather) and extreme heat (non-weather). The noise level in the work environment is sometimes loud.

Physical Demands:
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 may occasionally lift and /or move up to 30 pounds. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to walk and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; sit and use hands to fingers, handle, or feel; the employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms.

IPS is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and veteran or disability status.

Salary Range: $82,000 - $100,000

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