Buyer

Arlon Graphics LLC•San Antonio, TX

About The Position

Arlon Innovations manufactures structural adhesive tapes, flexible insulation laminates and pressure sensitive adhesive tapes optimized for function and form. The company is part of Arlon’s global footprint, recognized as a global leader in graphic films and certified as a Great Place to Work® company. This key role is responsible for planning and procuring outsourced materials and products at Arlon. The Buyer ensures that all outsourced products are purchased at competitive costs and maintained at optimal stock levels to meet current and future demand, supporting sales requirements while minimizing obsolete inventory. The role requires building strong relationships with both internal teams and external suppliers, gaining a deep understanding of their capabilities and future business potential.

Requirements

BA or BS in Materials Management, Procurement, Business Administration, Operations Planning or a related field required.
Three (3) years’ experience in procurement including purchasing, inventory control, contract negotiation, supply management, and supplier relationships.
Knowledge of MRP processes.
Computer proficiency in MRP/MPS systems, Excel, Word, and database applications required.
Valid driver license, auto insurance and travel documents.
Personally guided by, espouses, communicates, and works with, and through, values of integrity, excellence, inspirational, teamwork and accountability (Arlon’s core values). Demonstrates strong commitment to organizational goals and acts in the best interest of the company.

Nice To Haves

Supply Chain Designations, CPM, CSCP or APICS certification
SAP working knowledge.

Responsibilities

Generate, review, analyze and manage system demand plan, demand history and business inputs to develop executable procurement plan in support of sourced products for customer shipments and warehouses.
Mange day-to-day communications related to over-shipments, delivery shortages, changes in quantity, delivery dates, and prices and report such changes to the interested parties in a timely manner as required.
Negotiate vendor PO costs, payment terms, and annual rebates effectively, ensuring all cost data is accurately updated in the SAP system.
Execute purchase requests with domestic and international suppliers by creating purchase orders, expediting deliveries, and verifying all transactions.
Maintains appropriate inventory levels consistent with targeted inventory goals and stocking strategies to meet inventory turn and service goals.
Work directly with suppliers to manage raw material purchasing orders, outside process orders and delivery schedules to maintain optimal inventory levels and safety stock at Arlon.
Provides detailed analysis as needed regarding purchasing requirements, material usage, inventory levels and targets
Analyzing historical data and forecast requirements to better understand and optimize purchasing levels.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending workshops and reviewing professional publications.
Support internal and external customers by interpreting laws, policy, codes, and regulations pertaining to purchasing; answer inquiries both orally and in writing concerning purchasing operations.
Source new products to support new product development and cost reductions.
Lead continuous supplier negotiations for cost reductions, annual rebates and terms that are optimal for Arlon to help drive down cost structures.
Support purchasing of MRO products and other functions as needed.
Monitor supplier performance by ensuring products is delivered on schedule and meet specifications, updating timely the SAP system to reflect on on-time delivery performance, and maintaining comprehensive records of meetings and communications to verify compliance with company requirements.
Manage all supplier interactions, including coordinating meetings, following up on new projects and products, and ensuring timely communication and action.
Provide reporting, KPI updates, and metric data related to supply chain indices as assigned and support overall purchasing team projects to help achieve departmental goals.
Liaison between quality and supplier to get corrective action on any quality or service-related issues.
Monitor raw material index and vendor cost performance, conduct cost benchmarking and annual rebate negotiations, and issue vendor scorecards based on established performance criteria.
Maintain accuracy of stock code information within SAP, including lead-time, pricing, current supplier information, current purchase order data, etc.
Continually searches for strategic process and system improvement for procurement process and vendor/supplier management.
Ensure SAP parameters are maintained by monitoring minimum, maximum, safety stock, and current inventory levels; making recommendations to management for adjustments to levels.
Working knowledge of SAP, to develop into the subject matter export on SAP procurement module
Works with warehousing and logistics to ensure clear communication of inventory spikes and warehouse requirements for stocking.
Works with Product Management to understand forecast changes and new product pipeline.
Ability to interact and work effectively across multiple departments and various management levels.
Communicate with shipping and receiving regarding expected deliveries and volumes in advance of arrival at Arlon to accommodate and prepare for any storage requirements in warehousing.
Contribute to team effort by accomplishing other job-related tasks as needed; enabling other workers to achieve their job objectives.