Material Planning Analyst-2

Career Area:

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Role Definition
Responsible for scheduling, planning, and oversight of material procurement, production, and delivery.

Responsibilities
•    Coordinating flow of materials within the manufacturing facility. Coordinating transfer of materials (premium freight) to and from inventory or warehouse.
•    Developing and executing material planning for a product line. Ensuring that all material requirements for assigned programs are satisfied within the allocated time frame.
•    Scheduling and controlling the release of materials. Monitoring material inventory in the plant, in the warehouse, and by critical suppliers.
•    Building up and following up procurement plan realization to ensure they align with business objectives.
•    Tracking and analyzing supplier performance metrics. Collaborating and negotiating with supplier to deliver materials per requirements.

Skill Descriptors
Products and Services: Knowledge of major products and services and product and service groups; ability to apply knowledge of product and service appropriately to diverse situations.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Obtains information about product and service linkages with other products and services elsewhere in organization.
•    Researches the target market and how the product and services are sold and delivered.
•    Explains current status, delivery alternatives and announced updates to products and services.
•    Summarizes key features of major products or services in own unit.
•    Assesses own unit's product alternatives, costs, and pricing.

Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Identifies and documents specific problems and resolution alternatives.
•    Examines a specific problem and understands the perspective of each involved stakeholder.
•    Develops alternative techniques for assessing accuracy and relevance of information.
•    Helps to analyze risks and benefits of alternative approaches and obtain decision on resolution.
•    Uses fact-finding techniques and diagnostic tools to identify problems.

Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP): Knowledge of the process, issues and considerations for systematically managing distribution of inventory for multiple plants or warehouses; ability to apply related knowledge and experience in real practice.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Works with real-time inventory software, moving supplies to where needed, when needed.
•    Interprets the impact of bottlenecks and delays on operating costs.
•    Follows processes and applies technologies for items and inventory management.
•    Assists in solving issues related to distribution to meet orders or inventory replenishment requirements.
•    Works with basic distribution requirements planning (DRP) processes and operations.

Forecasting: Knowledge of forecasting tools, approaches and practices; ability to determine product demand and estimate production requirements and loads.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Participates in preparation of short-term forecasts for a specific product or site.
•    Gathers and analyzes demand data with specific tools and procedures.
•    Locates useful information and sources of input used in weekly, monthly and quarterly forecasts.
•    Researches seasonal trends for a major product or product line.
•    Explains common types of business conditions and activities that impact demand.

Inventory Management - MFG: Knowledge of processes and methods of inventory management; ability to effectively manage local or distributed inventories of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods.
 Level Extensive Experience: 
•    Ensures that the inventory is at an appropriate level and meets both internal and external requirements.
•    Devises standard inventory management benchmarks to improve the processes.
•    Provides guidance on inventory management for a specific product group or location.
•    Applies systems and processes to identify and coordinate inventory requirements; resolves conflicts.
•    Coordinates daily work of inventory management for different locations within a facility or a supply network.
•    Reviews reports used for inventory management to find out related problems.

Logistics Management: Knowledge of logistics and management; ability to follow proper processes and run operations for effective and efficient movement of materials and finished products.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Assists in the development of process flows to track lead time by activity.
•    Uses tools, with guidance, to forecast delivery times, determine costs and assess performance.
•    Maintains records of all shipments and invoices using an established system.
•    Participates in integrating logistics processes and developing effective networks.
•    Works with logistics in a domestic environment.

Manufacturing Requirements Planning (MRP): Knowledge of the processes, practices and systems used in manufacturing requirements planning (MRP); ability to optimize planning for manufacturing cycles and ensure capacity and materials availability.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Participates in developing materials requirements and costs for custom requests.
•    Uses job schedule, plant and machine schedule and inventory systems to initiate and oversee jobs.
•    Uses available tools to analyze order and develop quotes and realistic delivery dates.
•    Plans and schedules production runs for specific products and assures availability of materials.
•    Follows key criteria to collect information needed to make good production decisions for operation.

Supplier Management - MFG: Knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice.
 Level Working Knowledge: 
•    Follows procedures in carrying out routine supplier management tasks.
•    Uses electronic systems or tools to record/retrieve supplier information and carry out transactions with suppliers.
•    Resolves routine supplier issues; escalates non-routine issues up chain of command.
•    Researches alternative vendors or suppliers; participates in supplier selection.
•    Works with suppliers to ensure that purchases meet delivery date and quality specifications.

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to the job duties for this position and is intended for the purpose of establishing the specific salary grade.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive summary of all responsibilities, duties and effort required of employees assigned to this job.  At the discretion of management, this description may be changed at any time to address the evolving needs of the organization.  It is expressly not intended to be a comprehensive list of “essential job functions” as that term is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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