The Supply Planner is the key person between Business, Sales, Customer Service, and Scheduling. The main target for the Supply Planner is to guarantee an uninterrupted supply process in accordance with the needs of internal and external customers, and in line with business, functional guidelines, and targets. The Supply Planner reports to the Supply Chain Manager.
Responsibilities
Supply planning
- Develop and maintain the 6-month rolling supply plan/production plan for one or more production units.
- Review, understand, and challenge the 6-month demand forecast. Identify, recommend, and/or manage forecast adjustments prior to the supply planning process.
- Provide forecasts to procurement as dictated by the S&OP Plan.
- Reviewing, releasing, and confirming orders in SAP.
- Understand and execute the key analytics in line with manufacturing processes to achieve an optimal demand & supply balance.
- Evaluate new business opportunities and provide assessment of supply capability.
- Develop and implement a detailed master production schedule (MPS) that supports business strategy, related to (financial) consequences, and communicate to key stakeholders.
- Identify, communicate, and escalate variances from plan. Manage and resolve variances and exceptions. Work on bottlenecks with proactive communication.
- Monitor and optimize supply plans to maximize value through a focus on asset optimization, plant balancing, logistics costs, inventory control, and product transition minimization.
- Support inventory reconciliations.
- Interface with Manufacturing, Logistics, QA, Receiving, Purchasing, and other planning groups regarding RM procurement issues.
- Provide report inputs or updates. Continually seek ways to improve information visibility and availability.
- Responsible for Master Data Analysis and maintenance to allow for Advanced Planning Tool usage.
- Model "what-if" scenarios and propose optimized solutions based on variable supply/demand conditions.
- Provide support and analysis for business unit demand planning for the Annual Business Plan (ABP).
- Be an active partner on all supply questions for business partners (BU Management, Demand Managers, Sales, Logistics, Customers Services, and Supply Planners).
- Actively support the Supply Manager.
- Creation of the weekly Opex reports and leading the team meetings.
- Represent Integrated Global Supply Chain (iGSC) cross-functionally in local, regional, and global teams reinforcing roles and responsibilities of the Supply Chain.
- Weekly OE meetings with manufacturing.
- SDI reporting for bulk materials.
- SPI and customer order patterns are used to plan the monthly production schedule, ensuring that all customer orders and inventory targets are met. Close liaison with the Demand planner is necessary to facilitate this requirement.
- Based upon the monthly production plan, raw material planning, and scheduling takes place for Therminol.
Other Responsibilities
Inventory Management
- Seek to minimize expired/excess/obsolete/aged (EEOA) inventory.
- Work with the Supply Manager to determine appropriate material disposition or financial posting of EEOA inventory (quarterly).
- Identify and support inventory optimization opportunities.
- Assist with inventory adjustment analysis including storage location proposals.
- Execute the business plan inventory targets.
- Maintain bulk and packaged finished product, raw material, intermediates, and by-products inventory levels within targets.
- Stock replenishment for multiple locations (Antwerp / US).
- In case of deviations with monthly reconciliation, work to resolve issues.
- Raw Materials Delivery Plan.
- Manage and maintain raw requirements plan, based on the agreed Supply Plan.
- Seek opportunities to optimize raw material stocking and procurement strategies in collaboration with Supply Manager.
- Actively communicate with procurement the needs for raw materials.
- Control inventory levels of raw materials, semi, and Finished Goods in line with agreed inventory targets and provide appropriate reporting.
- 3rd party warehouse planning Antwerp resale, Oiltanking facility.
- Procure raw materials.
- Coordination with AMS.
- Creation of process orders for production.
- Production records.
- Create purchase requisitions to arrange drumming.
- Perform SAP movements to transfer material.
- Arrange customs clearance for incoming goods.
- Do safety and target stock calculations and analyses.
Leadership
- Lead or serve as SC Representative on cross-functional, customer, or co-producer teams.
- Define and implement site, global, or cross-functional process, and cost improvement projects. Seek continual improvement in all areas of influence.
- Actively participate in training and sharing knowledge with others.
- Develop and maintain in-depth knowledge of key customers, markets, and products in the area of responsibility.
- Participation in audits, represent GSC/production planning.
Process Improvement
- Identify, support, or implement process design/modifications identified as a result of audits, Lean, Six-Sigma, or other initiatives.
- Actively participate in the implementation of any project.
- Improve planning effectiveness via development and/or enhancement of planning models, processes, and tools. Share best practices with the planning community.
Continuity
Organize own work processes to be in line with corporate tools and other planners, have backup instructions always updated.
Qualifications
Candidate Profile
- Master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Supply Chain Management degree is preferred.
- Five plus years’ experience in planning, forecasting, supply chain, manufacturing, and/or business.
- Good command of SAP and advanced planning software, preferably OMP.
- Experience with Power BI tools and data modeling.
- Knowledge and experience in S&OP or IBP business processes.
- APICS, CPIM, or CSCP preferred.
Competencies
- Excellent analytical skills including large data, good judgment, capable of managing complexity and ambiguity.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English language.
- Strong self- and cross-cultural awareness and adaptability fostering positive relationships and cross-functional collaboration.
- Strong flexibility and adaptability, seamlessly adjusting to changing priorities and environmental conditions while maintaining a sense of urgency to deliver results effectively.
- Ownership, maturity, and cross-functional awareness, understanding of impacts of their actions on other departments.
- Good stakeholders’ management, capable of influencing without authority.
- Result-focused and works accurately. Resilient in fast-paced and under pressure.
- Bias for action, initiative-taker.
- Well organized and structured. Excellent follow-through and documentation skills.
- Independent thinker who can think creatively.
- Adhere to health, safety, and environmental policies and procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of self and others.
Interested?
Qualified candidates should apply through our website.