1. Job Purpose
The Materials Planner is responsible for planning, coordinating, and monitoring the availability of raw materials, packaging materials, ingredients, and other production supplies required for KAARO FOODS' manufacturing operations. The role ensures that materials are available in the right quantities and at the right time to support uninterrupted production, minimize waste, control inventory costs, and meet customer demand.
2. Key Duties and Responsibilities
Materials Requirements Planning: Develop materials plans based on production schedules, sales forecasts, inventory levels, and manufacturing requirements.
Demand Forecasting: Collaborate with production, procurement, warehouse, and sales teams to forecast material requirements and anticipate changes in demand.
Inventory Management: Monitor stock levels of raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, and production consumables to prevent stockouts and excess inventory.
Production Coordination: Work closely with the production team to ensure materials are available according to daily, weekly, and monthly production plans.
Procurement Planning: Prepare and communicate purchase requisitions and replenishment schedules to the procurement team based on approved materials requirements.
Supplier Coordination: Liaise with procurement personnel and suppliers to monitor delivery schedules, resolve supply delays, and maintain a consistent flow of materials.
Stock Monitoring: Review inventory reports, consumption records, and stock movements to identify discrepancies and recommend corrective action.
Expiry and Shelf-Life Management: Monitor the expiry dates and shelf life of ingredients and other perishable materials, ensuring appropriate stock rotation using FIFO or FEFO principles.
Quality Assurance Coordination: Work with the Quality Assurance team to ensure that incoming materials meet approved quality, food safety, and specification requirements before use in production.
Cost Control: Identify opportunities to reduce material wastage, minimize emergency purchases, optimize stockholding levels, and improve inventory turnover.
Production Variance Analysis: Compare planned material consumption with actual usage, investigate variances, and recommend improvements.
Reporting and Documentation: Prepare regular reports on material availability, stock levels, projected shortages, purchase requirements, and inventory performance.
Systems and Records Management: Maintain accurate materials planning records using inventory management systems, ERP software, and Microsoft Excel.
Compliance: Ensure materials planning activities comply with company policies, food safety standards, quality requirements, and established inventory control procedures.