Materials Planner and Buyer

About the Role

Lead, coordinate, and manage the negotiation (price, discounts, safety stocking, lead time, delivery, etc.) and purchasing/procurement of raw materials in conjunction with Production Planning & Scheduling. Coordinate with accounting for accurate billing and vendor payments. Standardize processes, strengthen internal controls, and leverage ERP/office systems to improve response time, data integrity, cost, and customer experience across the Plastikos family of companies.

Responsibilities

• Raw Material Procurement
  • Sourcing & Purchasing: Identify, vet, and select suppliers to procure raw materials required.
  • Negotiation & Contracting: Negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, lead-time, and delivery schedules with suppliers and distributors to secure cost-effective deals.
  • Supplier Management: Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships, assessing performance, and resolving issues with quality or delivery.
  • Inventory Control: Use MRP/ERP systems to track inventory levels and forecast needs to prevent shortages or overstocking. Establish cycle count process and frequency with warehouse manager.
  • Collaboration: Work closely with customer service, production, and logistics to ensure purchases align with production schedules.
  • Market Analysis: Monitor industry trends and commodity prices to identify risks and savings.
• Quoting & Pricing Maintenance
  • Prepare and update molded product piece-price quotes for existing products (e.g., raw material price increases, cavitation changes, labor or overhead rate increases) per established guidelines; route approvals to Customer Service Manager/GM/Manufacturing Manager/Finance as required.
  • Calculate price changes as directed. Route to Sales Manager and Customer Service Manager for approval and management sign off. Coordinate with customer service for customer acknowledgement and revised purchase order. Track and maintain price increase log or attainment vs goal.
• Customer Service & Order Entry
  • Coordinate with Production Planning & Scheduling and Manufacturing for raw material purchases & corresponding deliveries; communicate raw material delivery schedules, expedite requests, and shipping details.
  • Maintain accurate customer master data (addresses, contacts, ship/bill-to) in ERP.
• Invoicing & Billing Coordination (with accounting)
  • Provide complete, accurate billing packages and order documentation to accounting; validate pricing/terms and resolve discrepancies prior to invoicing.
  • Monitor disputed invoices, credits, and returns with customers; escalate complex issues to Customer Service Manager & Accounting Manager as needed.
• Continuous Improvement & Cross-Functional Support
  • Actively participate in Continuous Improvement efforts across people, process, organization, and technology to elevate Material Planning & Buying efficiency, quality, and consistency.
  • Partner with Accounting, Supply Chain/Materials, Program Management, and Quality to improve handoffs and corresponding customer service and support.

Key Performance Indicators

• Material shortages – number of shortages causing reschedule or line down: 0 for critical materials
• Min/max compliance % of critical items within min/max target: ≥ 95%
• Days below minimum stock – total days item was below min level: 0 for critical resin
• BOM/material usage accuracy - % of critical part BOMS with acceptable actual vs expected usage variance: ≥ 95%
• Negotiated savings on raw material spend based on annual target: 2-5%

Requirements

• Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred; 4–6+ years in customer service/purchasing or equivalent experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication and relationship skills; customer-service mindset; ability to manage priorities and deadlines.
• Working knowledge of purchasing practices and vendor negotiations; understanding of shipping/logistics basics.
• Proficiency with ERP (strong IQMS experience preferred) and Microsoft Office (Excel lookups/pivots; Outlook; Word); experience with CRM a plus.
• High attention to detail and discretion with confidential information; solid judgment and problem-solving skills.
• Continuous-improvement mindset; ability to document standard work and train others.

Work Environment

Professional office setting with periodic presence in manufacturing areas; climate-controlled production areas may include ISO 7 (Class 10,000) and/or ISO 8 (Class 100,000) cleanroom environments (training required). ISO-controlled processes.

Noise level is usually moderate; may work near moving mechanical parts, fumes, or certain chemicals.

Physical Requirements

• Primarily office-based with frequent computer/phone work; prolonged periods sitting/standing; frequent hand/wrist use.
• Ability to greet visitors and traverse the facility; occasionally lift up to 20 pounds; ability to wear required PPE and enter cleanroom areas as needed.

About Plastikos, Inc.

Every day at Plastikos, Micro Mold, and Plastikos Medical, our Team works to improve the quality of people’s lives worldwide. We seek to “Make the Impossible” to make life better. Plastikos Medical’s & Plastikos’ expertise in advanced medical injection molding produces innovative medical devices that enhance the quality of millions of lives worldwide. Plastikos also excels in custom, scientific injection molding in support of the advanced electronic devices that make today’s modern world function better, faster, and safer. And Micro Mold designs & builds the high-precision, custom molds that serve as the rock-solid foundation for the production of those life-changing and life-enhancing devices.

Our commitment to diversity and equal opportunity is ingrained in everything we do. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives enriches our workplace and drives innovation.

Core Values: Customer Service, Teamwork, Professionalism, Respect, Continuous Improvement

Mission Statement: Plastikos, Micro Mold, and Plastikos Medical strive to be one of the world’s leading providers of tooling and plastic products to our customers. Our goal is to be the #1 tooling & plastics processor that requires outstanding customer service, technical abilities, quality, delivery, efficiency, and cleanliness. We seek to Make the Impossible.

To be #1, we need to be the supplier of choice, the employer of choice, and the customer of choice. “Together, We Make the Impossible… to Make Life Better!”