Material Planner

Position Summary

The Material Planner is responsible for planning, scheduling, and monitoring the flow of materials from suppliers to support production requirements while maintaining optimal inventory levels. This position works closely with suppliers, purchasing, production planning, logistics, quality, and customer service to ensure on-time material availability and uninterrupted production.

Experience in the automotive industry is required, and knowledge of Plex ERP is highly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze customer demand, production schedules, and inventory levels to generate supplier releases.
• Create and maintain supplier schedules and forecasts within Plex ERP.
• Monitor supplier delivery performance and ensure materials arrive according to production requirements.
• Expedite critical materials and proactively resolve shortages that could impact production.
• Maintain accurate planning parameters, lead times, minimum order quantities (MOQ), safety stock, and supplier information.
• Review daily material shortages and communicate recovery plans with suppliers.
• Coordinate engineering changes, new program launches, and end-of-life material planning.
• Collaborate with Purchasing, Production, Logistics, Shipping, Receiving, and Quality to resolve supply chain issues.
• Monitor supplier capacity and identify potential risks affecting production.
• Support inventory reduction initiatives while maintaining production continuity.
• Ensure compliance with supplier delivery requirements and automotive standards.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to improve scheduling efficiency and supplier performance.
• Generate and analyze reports related to supplier performance, inventory, and material availability.
• Maintain accurate records of supplier communications and recovery actions.

Minimum Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in Material Planning, Supplier Scheduling, Production Control, or Supply Chain within the automotive industry.
• Knowledge of Just-in-Time (JIT), Lean Manufacturing, and automotive supply chain processes.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and data analysis.
• Experience working with MRP systems and supplier scheduling.
• Understanding of customer releases (DELFOR/DELJIT), EDI transactions, and automotive scheduling processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• APICS/ASCM certification is a plus.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Plex ERPishighly preferred.
• Knowledge of IATF 16949 requirements.
• Experience with Toyota Production System (TPS) or Lean Manufacturing.
• Familiarity with supplier performance metrics (OTD, Premium Freight, Inventory Turns, etc.).
• Ability to manage multiple suppliers and prioritize critical material shortages.
• Experience supporting launch activities and engineering changes.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.

Key Performance Indicators

• Supplier On-Time Delivery (OTD)
• Material Availability
• Premium Freight Reduction
• Inventory Accuracy
• Supplier Schedule Accuracy
• Production Downtime Due to Material Shortages
• Inventory Turns