The Role of the Purchasing Manager
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INTRODUCTION
Procurement researches sales records and inventory levels of current stock, find foreign and domestic suppliers, and stay current on any changes in either the supply of or demand for needed products and materials.
Production and Manufacturing are closely related but are not one and the same. Manufacturing involves activities from research, design and development, production, logistics, and service provision to end of life management. Production involves the processes of making, shaping, etc., while manufacturing involves the process of getting raw materials to goods and their associated services
Purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents aim to find the best merchandise at the lowest possible purchase cost.
Purchasers and buyers find the best goods or services, choose suppliers, negotiate prices, and grant contracts that ensure that the right amount of the product or service is received when it is needed.
PURCHASING AND MATERIALS ACTIVITIES
The Purchasing Manager plays a pivotal role in procurement, vendor development, and negotiation. The manager plans, organizes, directs, controls, and evaluates the purchasing activities of the company. The manager provides expertise in specifying and procuring new and replacement components, parts and equipment, and reviews technical and quality requirements for the purchase of items, spare parts, and services.
To operate cost-effectively the company requires competitive prices commensurate with the technical and service requirements, and the security required by the business.
The role is to manage and operate this process, in particular developing processes to capture and control expenditure and linking with suppliers, both current and potential, to ensure that best prices and quality is achieved.
The Purchasing Manager develops purchasing policies and procedures and controls the purchasing department budget.
Relationship Management
* Manages day-to-day functioning of purchasing group.
* Reviews purchase orders to ensure adherence to quality and procedures.
* Ensures that re-ordering of stock is carried out on a daily basis as required to maintain adequate stock levels of parts for production.
* Understands assembly process thoroughly to ensure that the material is delivered just in time.
* Participates in the creation of forecasts, and relates those to production programs and stock required for the daily production round.
* Represents purchasing in discussions and strategies aimed at improving overall integration of purchasing, assets, and accounts payable.
* Liaise with Technical department when creating new products or in matters relating to product specification.
* Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials.
* Reviewing the technical specifications for accuracy and completeness.
* Manages the creation and maintenance of Equipment Bill of Materials.
* Overseeing the technical and QA requirements on all items (materials, components, and parts) to ensure that purchased items meet design requirements.
* Managing the shipping, handling and storage requirements on components to ensure high quality items are received and issued to the appropriate departments.
* Standardizing and managing the evaluation of replacement items for obsolete parts and component acceptability.
* Support & Coordinating with the various Departments for Procurement of Common Raw Materials & Packaging Materials.
* Coordinate with various departments for smooth functioning of departmental activity, particularly with Accounting department.
* Rate contracts/tendering /market surveys and data bank of prices for ready reckoning and instant estimations.
* Prepares, monitors and controls department business plans / budgets
Supplier Management and Vendor Sourcing and Analysis
* Undertakes Vendor Analysis & Development of new Vendors.
* Identifies early suppliers for company components, concepts, and production programs.
* Manages vendor documentation program, ensuring that a tracking system is in place and maintained.
* Works closely with potential production suppliers to ensure effective support.
* Searches on a worldwide basis for technology suppliers, technology partners, and future potential suppliers for the company and keeping up with market trends.
* Proactive and acts on initiative to maintain a supplier base and when necessary source alternative suppliers to ensure that the required material products remain in constant stock as required.
* Proactively ensures all suppliers adhere to agreed service levels and to have contingencies plans of supply for all core product ranges.
* Develops and implements appropriate long and short term strategic and tactical initiatives in order to achieve specific buying, sourcing targets.
* Supports the Product Design Group with supplier negotiations, supplier timing plans, and cost forecasts to achieve the most cost effective component delivery.
* Negotiates and executes contracts with the vendors as per requirement of quality, cost and delivery.
* Maintains data of all the prices approved as a record and keeps track of changes in prices frequently and updates.
* Reviews purchase orders to ensure adherence to quality and procedures.
* Oversees the purchase orders to Vendors and order acknowledgements from the Vendors.
* Follows up with Vendor for delivery and to get the material at the right time and required quantity at required locations.
* Follow through on outstanding back orders.
* Maintains effective record keeping on all purchase orders and supplier confirmations.
* Coordinates with accounts for payment of suppliers and resolve issues if any.
* Reviews and processes claims against suppliers.
* When necessary, to develop a sub-contractor base whether local or direct to market level and to set-up on-site, sub-contractor QA and process improvement activity.
Cost Reductions and Efficiency Improvements
* Evaluates cost and quality of goods or services.
* Monitors International Trends in Raw Material for effective negotiations.
* Continuously tries to reduce outgoing funds while not compromising on product quality.
* Obtains best prices for imports from carriers.
* Cost Cutting through negotiation with suppliers (domestic/foreign).
* Negotiation and pricing of current and new products.
* Streamlining production, identifying and eliminating inefficiencies.
* When necessary, Just-In-Time purchases to minimize inventory cost.
* Updating and revising existing purchasing procedures to introduce cost cutting measures.
* Balancing regional and global approaches.
* Accurately monitoring and forecasting stock levels.
* Researching and identifying new products and suppliers.
* Always seeking reliable vendors or suppliers to provide quality goods at reasonable prices.
* Precise monitoring of quantity and timing of deliveries.
* Ensuring relationships with existing suppliers are kept manageable and in the best interests of the business – be this through initiating commercial negotiations, implementing improvement programs and making certain quality, cost and delivery are guaranteed.
* Maximizing the supply chain efficiencies for all accountable suppliers and accounting for the in, and outbound supply chain for the business against agreed service and targets.
* Highlighting purchasing opportunities where identified.
* Managing and developing a solid relationship with suppliers to reduce costs and improve quality including on-time deliveries.
* Plans material as per the requirement of assembly processes to support improvement in the production flow.
* Overseeing continuous improvement initiatives to drive process optimization.
* Developing and managing obsolescence programs, including the strategic direction for components and materials.
Team Relationship
* Provide leadership to the team.
* Supervise and motivate the team.
* Develop and train staff to ensure that they meet required performance standards.
* Support in execution of Service Contracts.
* Liaise with support staff as appropriate.
* Provide guidance to staff in handling employee inquiries and to ensure that matters are resolved.
* Demonstrate credibility to win the confidence and support of the top management, suppliers and partners.
* Interact with suppliers, customers, customers’ agencies (Artwork Houses etc.), and agents, suppliers and prime producers supplying all group companies.
* Provide assistance to all departments as required.
* Deal effectively with executive, technical and operational and sub-contract personnel.
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Source by Joseph Schembri
