Buyer

TRITON METAL PRODUCTS INC.•Hamilton, IN

4h•Onsite

About The Position

The Buyer is responsible for sourcing and purchasing commodity raw materials, hardware, outside processing, and factory supplies that keep production running safely, on time, and at the best total value. This position protects company margin by balancing cost, quality, delivery, inventory accuracy, and supplier performance while partnering closely with Production, Quality, Accounting, Customer Service, and Operations. Success in this role means that production has the right material, hardware, services, and supplies when needed, without avoidable line stoppages or premium freight. Purchase decisions should improve gross margin through strong pricing, disciplined order quantities, supplier negotiations, and reduced waste or obsolescence. Inventory records, receiving documentation, certifications, SDS records, and purchasing files must stay accurate, current, and audit-ready. Supplier performance is actively measured and improved, reducing late deliveries, nonconforming material, and expedite activity. Risks tied to market movement, lead time, outside processing capacity, or shortages are identified early and escalated before they affect customers or profitability.

Requirements

3+ years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain management experience in a manufacturing environment required
Experience working in an ERP/MRP system required
Working knowledge of supplier quote comparison, purchase orders, blanket orders, lead times, inventory control, and supplier performance management required.
Strong Excel, follow-up discipline, written communication, and analytical problem-solving skills required.

Nice To Haves

5+ years strongly preferred for candidates expected to independently manage direct and indirect spend categories.
Experience buying one or more of the following is strongly preferred: metal commodities, hardware/fasteners, outside processing, MRO items, or factory consumables.
Experience with MIE Trak or a comparable manufacturing system preferred.
Ability to read and interpret bills of material, basic drawings/specifications, certifications, and purchasing requirements preferred.

Responsibilities

Run raw material and hardware requirements in the ERP/MRP system and validate demand against inventory, job needs, forecast, usage history, and quoted price breaks.
Analyze requirements versus on-hand inventory and determine purchase quantities that support schedule adherence while minimizing excess, obsolescence, and cost.
Generate RFQs, compare supplier quotes, negotiate pricing and lead times, and issue purchase orders for commodity material and hardware.
Set up and manage blanket orders or longer-term buy agreements when they improve cost, availability, or administrative efficiency.
Use sound buy-quantity logic, including purchase-to-job decisions and strategic quantity decisions when justified by usage and pricing.
Purchase outside processing services such as plating, coating, heat treat, machining, or other subcontracted operations required to support customer and production requirements.
Coordinate lead times, certifications, routing expectations, and turnaround commitments with outside processors.
Monitor outside processing performance and escalate risk early when delivery, capacity, or quality threatens schedule or margin.
Manage purchasing of factory supplies, consumables, and MRO-type items required to support daily operations.
Run PO requests, review needs, issue POs, and support recurring consumable replenishment processes for the shop.
Control supply spend with practical standardization, reorder discipline, and supplier consolidation where appropriate.
Support receiving by matching delivery documentation to requirements, ensuring certifications are scanned and attached, and maintaining traceability to the purchase order receiver.
Generate receiving tags for material and ensure appropriate tagging and documentation flow to Accounting.
Support accurate raw material and hardware inventories through disciplined purchasing records, receiver accuracy, and inventory audit support.
Participate in supplier performance reviews and quarterly vendor evaluations based on quality, delivery, responsiveness, and commercial performance.
Monitor market fluctuations, lead-time changes, and supply risk for relevant commodities and purchased services.
Communicate meaningful cost or supply changes to management and partner functions early enough to support pricing, scheduling, or sourcing decisions.
Maintain purchasing files, RFQ records, vendor correspondence, and monthly credit card purchase documentation.
Obtain and maintain Safety Data Sheets for purchased chemical products when required and keep SDS files current.
Participate in safety, department huddles, and continuous improvement efforts; support other purchasing and plant priorities as assigned.