Material Planner
About the role
At Sigma Engineered Solutions “your success is our mission.” The Material Planner is responsible for ensuring the availability of raw materials, components, and purchased parts needed to support production schedules and customer delivery requirements. This role analyzes demand, inventory levels, capacity constraints, and supplier performance to develop and maintain effective material plans, working closely with Production, Procurement, Customer Service, Warehouse, Engineering, and Suppliers to balance inventory investment, optimize material flow, and prevent supply disruptions within a fast-paced metal stamping manufacturing environment.
Responsibilities
- Demand and Material Planning
- Analyze customer demand, forecasts, and production schedules (internal and external) to determine material requirements.
- Develop and maintain material planning parameters within the ERP system.
- Generate and manage material requirements plans (MRP).
- Monitor demand fluctuations and adjust material plans accordingly.
- Ensure adequate material availability to support production and customer delivery commitments.
- Identify potential material shortages and develop mitigation plans.
- Inventory Management
- Monitor inventory levels and ensure materials are available while minimizing excess inventory.
- Analyze inventory performance, turns, and usage trends.
- Identify and address excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
- Support inventory reduction initiatives without impacting customer service levels.
- Review safety stock levels and recommend adjustments based on business conditions.
- Assist with physical inventory counts and inventory accuracy initiatives.
- Production Planning Support
- Collaborate with Production Planning to align material availability with manufacturing schedules.
- Support schedule changes, customer demand fluctuations, and production priorities.
- Communicate material constraints that may impact production or customer deliveries.
- Assist in balancing inventory investment with operational requirements.
- Supplier and Procurement Coordination
- Work closely with Procurement to ensure timely ordering of materials.
- Monitor supplier delivery performance and identify supply risks.
- Expedite critical materials as required to support production schedules.
- Communicate forecast and demand changes to suppliers.
- Participate in supplier performance improvement activities.
- Data Analysis and Reporting
- Analyze material usage, consumption trends, and inventory data.
- Develop reports and dashboards to support operational decision-making.
- Monitor key supply chain metrics, including inventory turns, Days Of Supply, supplier performance, inventory & consumption accuracy, forecast accuracy, and material shortages.
- Prepare recommendations to improve planning effectiveness and operational performance.
- Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve planning processes and material flow.
- Support lean manufacturing and inventory optimization initiatives.
- Participate in cross-functional improvement projects.
- Recommend enhancements to ERP planning parameters and processes.
- Assist in developing best practices for materials management and planning.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Customer Service regarding customer demand changes.
- Work with Engineering on new product launches and material requirements.
- Collaborate with Production and Quality to resolve material-related issues.
- Support Finance with inventory reporting and forecasting activities.
- Participate in Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes as needed.
- Risk Management
- Identify potential supply chain disruptions and material constraints.
- Develop contingency plans to minimize business impact.
- Monitor customer demand and supplier capacity for emerging risks.
- Support business continuity planning related to material availability.
- Other Duties
- Follow safe work practices and keep the work area clean and organized.
- Perform related duties as assigned.
- Follow documented policies and procedures as designated by the company’s Employee Handbook and Local Work Rules.
- Adhere to the proper Code of Conduct while on company property.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, or a related field preferred; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 3–5 years of experience in materials planning, production planning, inventory management, logistics, or supply chain operations.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- Knowledge of MRP and inventory planning concepts.
- Understanding of manufacturing processes and production scheduling.
- Strong organizational and time management abilities.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Experience with ERP systems such as JDE, SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Plex, E2, or similar systems.
Preferred Requirements
- Experience in metal stamping, industrial manufacturing, automotive, or engineered products.
- Experience in materials management at the production site level.
- Experience using ERP/MRP systems strongly preferred.
Additional Information
At Sigma Engineered Solutions our vision is to be the global partner of choice by exceeding customer expectations. Our team members are essential to our customers’ success, and we look for these qualities when adding members to our team: Exemplary honesty and integrity; Customer Focused; Strive for continuous improvement in all they do; Are courageous and trustworthy; Are committed to teamwork; Are socially and environmentally responsible; Act proactively in the best interest of all stakeholders.
We are hard at work to make sure our people are taken care of and our benefits meet their needs. What does this look like? Competitive pay; Health coverage; Paid time off allowances; Employee Assistance Program.