Material Requirements Planning and Logistics Manager (Port Elizabeth) at Aspen Pharma Group

Overview:

• The Materials Requirements Planning and Logistics Manager will oversee the planning, procurement, shipping, control, and inbound logistics of materials and products according to company needs and customer requirements.
• Schedules and forecasts the right volumes of materials, goods and products inbound to the business from its supply chain companies.
• To ensure that strategic material planning processes are in place to enable operational and production continuity. Takes a co-ordinating lead, working closely with internal and external parties to ensure supply of materials is in place to satisfy production requirements.
• Able to deliver efficient, effective and flexible solutions to meet production requirements.
• Responsible for ensuring the right products are delivered to the right location on time and in full, to the quality required and in the most cost-effective way.
• Monitors and oversees the transportation of goods from the supplier to Aspen Factories and or our Contract manufacturers.

Responsibilities:

Logistics Management:

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for freight transportation and logistics services to meet the organization's requirements.
• Stay updated with industry trends, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies in freight and logistics to drive innovation and efficiency.
• Lead the logistics strategy and operations across Sea/Air Freight, Transportation Inbound and Reverse Logistics.
• Manage 3PL provider and corresponding supply chain logistics to ensure seamless end-to-end supply chain integration.
• Create and implement best practice logistics principles, policies and processes across the organisation to improve operational and financial performance.
• Deliver solutions to logistics problems while maintaining high levels of quality and service within budgetary requirements.
• Monitor quality, quantity, delivery times, and transport costs.
• Negotiate rates and contracts with transportation and logistics providers.
• Recommend optimal transport modes, routes or frequency. Select carriers/suppliers and monitor service against performance criteria. Ensure carrier compliance with company policies or procedures for product transit or delivery.
• Resolve problems concerning transportation, logistics systems. Review impact of logistics changes, such as routing, shipping modes, product volumes or carriers and report results to others

Material Requirements Planning:

• Lead and manage the planning and ordering of time-critical materials to support manufacturing and support functions within the organization, while minimizing freight costs and maintaining optimal inventory levels (avoid both shortages and overages).
• Act as escalation point for all material requirements and or shortages.
• Identify and communicate potential supply risks and collaborate with Production, Procurement and Supply Planning teams to investigate and resolve issues.
• Enforce the use of MRP and maintenance of MRP master data parameters to ensure accurate demand signals (i.e. lead times, MOQ’s, lot sizing, safety stock); identify and resolve system and/or BOM inaccuracies to preserve data integrity.
• Lead daily, weekly and monthly material planning meetings to ensure supply continuity.
• Report on KPIs (inventory management, production interruptions, expediting material, manage freight costs through planning etc.) and enforce best practices.
• Foster and develop a strong team of material planner/buyers through training and coaching. Tasks include proactively using available planning resources, communicating job expectations, providing performance feedback and managing the team in line with Aspen policies and values.
• Collaborate with service providers, suppliers and departments across all Aspen SA Operations from logistics, sourcing, engineering, manufacturing, service, and supply planning to support ongoing operational and long-term objectives.
• Identify and lead process improvement initiatives related to execution and planned growth, including but not limited to procedural updates and communication pathways, improved hand-offs from Sourcing to material planning and from material planning to internal customers, inventory optimization scenarios, analytics and deliverables on KPI’s, and employee training programs.
• Work with suppliers, sourcing team and warehousing to establish delivery quantities and frequency for On-Time deliveries ensuring effective inventory management and service to all stakeholders in achieving company objectives on product supply.
• Collaborate with procurement, engineering, production and warehousing to coordinate changes in line with inventory management, order timing for part revisions and new product launches, targeting minimal obsolescence.
• Participate in and champion MRP development /implementation activities, including specification writing, development, testing, and training.
• Custodian to all activities related to inventory management and inventory policy across Aspen SA Operations

Requirements:

Formal qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Supply Chain Management, Engineering or a similar field

Overall experience

• 5 - 10 years’ relevant experience in a supply chain or planning or procurement role
• 3 – 5 Proven People and Process Management Experience

Work-specific skills & exposure

• Knowledge of Pharmaceutical, Food and or FMCG manufacturing processes and operations environment
• Experienced in leading and developing teams.
• Material Requirements Planning
• Logistics Management

Skills and attributes

• Customer Awareness
• Meeting Deadlines
• Making Decisions
• Planning and Organising
• Interrogating Information
• Offering Insights