Buyer/Planner

Summary

This position is located in our Allentown, PA facility.

Buyer/Planner is responsible for planning and purchasing material requirements.

Planning how specific jobs are processed through the manufacturing/distribution facilities from order receipt to field delivery consistent with the company’s overall production control strategy, policies and procedures. This includes of being the primary point of contact with our internal customers, scheduling and production, selection facilities to supply materials, tracking job specific purchased items, coordinating the flow of information to all stakeholders and seeing that appropriate shipping instructions are communicated.

Buyer/Planner must be hands on – get the job done people who thrive in a fast paced, quick turnaround mixed mode manufacturing and distribution environment. Our jobs often involve utilizing multiple facilities and/or direct shipments from vendors at global scale. As short lead times are common, the ability to multitask while maintaining a detailed level of understanding is critical.

Responsibilities

• Job Ownership, manage jobs from start to shipping complete.
• Primary communications link between production and project managers.
• Consistently seek to identify areas for improvement on the GEMBA boards and in overall project execution.
• Schedule assigned projects through design and manufacturing.
• Maintain POS schedule up to date, so that status of each project is available for all.
• Coordinates production, engineering, project managers and/or other departments to ensure product specifications and quality goals are met.
• Manage the flow of documentation between project managers, design and production ensuring latest revisions are in place.
• Work with project managers to get their release for production following customer approval.
• Assist in production planning and adjust as necessary to meet field start dates.
• Effectively manage and prioritize multiple assignments in order to meet deadlines/targets.
• Ability to identify and effectively resolve problems.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Work effectively in a deadline driven environment.
• Establish specifications in terms of optimal quantity to purchase, quality required and the cost impact on budget.
• Select suppliers according to the type of product, quality provided by the supplier and the possibility of partnership.
• Manage the purchasing cycle, including generating requisitions, PO creation, PO follow-up, goods reception and assist with final payment if required.
• Monitor supplier performance with a system that monitors, measures and provides feedback on supplier performance.
• Purchase products competitively.
• Keep inventory investment to a minimum.

Qualifications

• 5 years’ experience in procurement and / or production planning.
• Material Requirements Planning knowledgeable.
• Familiar with manufacturing process technologies similar to HMT’s
• Experience in “made to order” manufacturing environments.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings and general knowledge of metal mechanic processes.
• Good computer skills / experience with Windows and Excel
• Must have good written and verbal communication skills
• APICS CPIM certification preferred.
• College undergraduate degree in business, engineering or supply chain strongly preferred.
• Exposure to Lean implementation and Lean environments strongly preferred.

Physical Demands

• Must be able to move about the shipping yard, shop floor and warehouse for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to occasionally work in uncontrolled climate conditions.
• Must be able to occasionally lift up to 40 pounds unassisted.