- Demand Sensing, Forecasting and Inventory Optimisation
- Own the monthly S&OP cycle for Thin Wheels and Construction Products: consolidate bottom-up demand
signals from the Customer Service team, regional sales inputs, and channel-partner forecasts into a single
consensus demand plan.
- Institutionalise statistical forecasting (moving-average, exponential smoothing, or ML-based models) layered
with commercial judgment to improve forecast accuracy (target: MAPE < 15% for A-class SKUs).
- Review macro pending lists and acute customer escalations; execute strategic operational interventions
when standard tracking processes stall.
- Formulate ABC/XYZ-based material allocation rules to ensure constant stock availability for top-tier items
based on historical commercial demand patterns.
- Track order ageing and clear slow-moving/non-moving inventory to preserve warehouse capacity and control
working capital; target inventory days improvement year-on-year.
- Establish safety-stock norms considering demand variability, supplier lead-time variability, and service-level
targets (target fill rate > 95% for A-class items).
- Material Requirements Planning and Production Supply Coordination
- Coordinate MRP outputs, evaluating raw-material stock positions and open supplier orders to guarantee
absolute component availability before production runs begin.
- Monitor critical raw-material pipelines—aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, phenolic resins, fibre-glass mesh,
bonding agents—and maintain buffer-stock strategies for import-dependent and single-source materials.
- Track incoming international cargo documentation and collaborate with the imports desk to streamline customs clearances (DGFT, BIS compliance) for immediate factory delivery.
- Provide visibility over material arrival dates to production schedulers; buffer timelines to absorb global transport disruptions (shipping delays, port congestion, container shortages) and prevent production-line idle time.
- Partner with Production Planning and Control to synchronise production schedules with material availability, minimising changeovers and maximising asset utilisation.
- Supply Chain Orchestration and Logistics
- Coordinate outbound distribution channels, matching available finished-goods inventory against pending
customer orders to execute billing, invoicing, and carrier dispatches.
- Manage third-party logistics providers (3PLs): negotiate contracts, track SLAs (on-time delivery, damage
rate, transit time), and resolve shipping delays.
- Orchestrate cross-border export dispatches and multi-plant container consolidation, synchronising separate
product streams arriving at central ports to match client shipping instructions.
- Optimise freight-cost-per-tonne through mode-mix decisions (road vs. rail vs. coastal), route optimisation,
and load consolidation.
- Ensure compliance with GST, E-way bill, customs documentation, and hazardous-goods transport
regulations applicable to abrasive products.
4
. Cross-Functional Integration and Stakeholder Management
- Maintain an active information loop with the Commercial team to absorb market intelligence, new-product
launch plans, and order priorities.
- Connect with Operations (not a direct report) to reorient floor mindsets from localised manufacturing
efficiency metrics toward total customer-centric material-readiness timelines; influence without authority.
- Partner with Purchase and Finance to align material-buying schedules with consumption needs, monitor
inventory holding costs, and ensure cash-flow discipline.
- Act as the single point of orchestration across Customer Service, PPC, Purchase, Imports, Exports, and
Logistics—resolving conflicts, setting priorities, and ensuring end-to-end fulfilment coherence.
- Represent the supply chain function in monthly business reviews, providing data-driven dashboards on
OTIF, inventory health, cost-per-unit-shipped, and service-level performance.
- Digital Transformation and Data-Driven Decision Making
- Lead ground-level deployment of advanced planning software (APS / IBP tools) and digital dashboards to
enhance real-time visibility over raw materials, WIP, and finished goods.
- Drive the operational transition toward automated procure-to-pay workflows, e-invoicing, and digital freight
management to achieve real-time tracking of all inbound materials.
- Champion the adoption of control-tower concepts: a unified view combining demand signals, inventory
positions, production status, and logistics tracking into a single decision-support interface.
- Leverage analytics and BI tools (Power BI, SAP Analytics, or equivalent) to generate actionable insights on
demand patterns, supplier performance, and cost trends.
- Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies (IoT for warehouse management, AI/ML for demand sensing, RPA
for routine transactional tasks) with measurable ROI expectations.
- Supply Chain Risk Management and Resilience
- Develop contingency distribution routes and backup carrier protocols to maintain delivery continuity during
unexpected transport network disruptions.
- Build a supplier risk register covering single-source dependencies, geopolitical exposure (especially for
imported raw materials from China, Europe), currency volatility, and lead-time reliability.
- Implement systematic data-driven reviews of slow-moving and non-moving inventory to mitigate the risk of
obsolete material accumulation.
- Scenario-plan for tariff changes, BIS/regulatory shifts, and commodity price fluctuations; maintain a living
risk-mitigation playbook.
- Ensure business continuity plans cover warehouse disruptions, IT system outages, and logistics partner
failures.
- Workforce Governance, Safety and TEC Culture
- Cultivate a safety culture across all warehouse environments, logistics operations, and site hubs in strict
alignment with Saint-Gobain EHS values.
- Foster Trust, Empowerment, and Collaboration (TEC) culture within and across reporting teams: encourage
open feedback, delegate decision rights with clear boundaries, and break down inter-team silos.
- Build team capability through structured development plans, cross-functional rotations, and skill-building in
digital tools and analytical thinking.
- Conduct regular skip-level interactions and team retrospectives to surface bottlenecks, celebrate wins, and sustain engagement across the ~50-person indirect team.
- Continuous Improvement and Cost Leadership
- Drive Lean / Six Sigma improvement initiatives across the supply chain: reduce waste, shorten cycle times,
and eliminate non-value-adding steps.
- Benchmark supply chain costs (logistics cost as % of revenue, inventory carrying cost, procurement savings)
against industry peers and Saint-Gobain global best practices.
- Identify and execute cost-out projects targeting freight optimisation, packaging standardisation, vendor
consolidation, and demand-supply balancing.
- Contribute to the annual operating plan (AOP) process with supply chain cost assumptions, capacity plans,
and capital requirements.