Assistant Manager - material Planning - PPC

Caterpillar Signs; Gandhinagar; On-site; INR 1,400,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Caterpillar Signs in Gandhinagar seeks an Assistant Manager – Material Planning to manage end-to-end material planning for key business accounts. You will ensure timely availability of raw materials, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and support uninterrupted production while controlling costs.

The role requires 5–8 years in materials planning, strong MRP and ERP experience, and expertise in optimizing inventory, forecasting, and S&OP participation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in engineering, supply chain, or related field.
• MBA/PGDM in Operations or Supply Chain preferred.
• Experience in material planning across manufacturing sectors.

Responsibilities

• Own material planning for assigned strategic customer accounts.
• Develop material requirement plans from forecasts, orders, and schedules.
• Ensure timely procurement and availability of production inputs.
• Coordinate with Sales, Production, Procurement and Warehouse.
• Monitor inventory levels and optimize stock to minimize shortages.
• Drive inventory optimization and report KPIs.
• Support S&OP meetings and demand planning.
• Continuously improve planning processes through data analysis.

Skills

MRP knowledge

ERP systems

Advanced Excel

Forecasting

Analytical abilities

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field

MBA/PGDM in Operations or Supply Chain is preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for a proactive and analytical Assistant Manager Material Planning to manage end-to-end material planning for key business accounts. The role is responsible for ensuring timely availability of raw materials, optimizing inventory levels, coordinating with cross-functional teams, and supporting uninterrupted production while maintaining cost efficiency.

Designation: Asst Manager- Material PlanningLocation – Gandhinagar

Key Responsibilities

• Own material planning for assigned strategic customer accounts.
• Develop material requirement plans based on customer forecasts, sales orders, and production schedules.
• Ensure timely procurement and availability of raw materials, textiles, printing media, hardware, inks, packaging materials, and other production inputs.
• Coordinate closely with Sales, Production Planning, Procurement, Warehouse, and Operations teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Monitor inventory levels and maintain optimum stock to minimize shortages and excess inventory.
• Analyze demand trends and recommend stocking strategies for fast-moving and critical materials.
• Track supplier lead times and proactively mitigate supply risks.
• Identify material shortages and develop contingency plans to avoid production delays.
• Review material consumption, inventory ageing, and slow/non-moving inventory.
• Drive inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining desired service levels.
• Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly planning reports and KPIs.
• Participate in S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) meetings and support demand planning activities.
• Continuously improve planning processes through data analysis and system enhancements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Material availability for production (%)
• Production line stoppages due to material shortages
• Inventory accuracy
• Inventory turnover
• Inventory carrying cost
• Forecast accuracy
• OTIF (On-Time In-Full) support
• Supplier lead-time adherence
• Inventory ageing and obsolete stock reduction

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field.
• MBA/PGDM in Operations or Supply Chain is preferred.

Experience

• 5–8 years of experience in Material Planning, Production Planning, Supply Chain, or Inventory Management.
• Experience in manufacturing industries such as signage, textiles, printing, packaging, or related sectors will be preferred.
• Experience handling large customer accounts and high-SKU environments is an advantage.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of Material Requirement Planning (MRP).
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or equivalent).
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, dashboards, formulas).
• Strong analytical and forecasting abilities.
• Understanding of inventory management techniques and production planning.

Competencies

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong planning and organizational abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Data-driven decision-making.
• High attention to detail.
• Strong ownership and accountability.
• Cross-functional collaboration.

Preferred Industry Experience

• Signage Manufacturing
• Textile Manufacturing
• Digital Printing
• Large Format Printing
• Packaging
• Custom Manufacturing