Materials Planner & Buyer

Plastikos, Inc.; Erie (Erie County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Plastikos, Inc. in Erie, PA is seeking an experienced Purchasing/Procurement professional to lead raw material sourcing, pricing strategy, and supplier selection.

You will coordinate with Production Planning, Scheduling, and Finance to align purchases with demand and budget. The role focuses on strengthening internal controls, optimizing ERP processes, and improving response times and data accuracy across the Plastikos family of companies.

Qualifications

• 4–6+ years in customer service/purchasing or equivalent in manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Source and procure raw materials and coordinate with planning.

Skills

Procurement

Negotiation

ERP systems

Vendor management

Customer service

Education

Associate or Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

IQMS ERP

Microsoft Office

CRM

Job description

Lead, coordinate, and manage the negotiation (price, discounts, safety stocking, lead time, delivery, etc.), purchasing/procurement of raw materials in conjunction with Production Planning & Scheduling, and coordinate with accounting for accurate billing and vendor payments. Standardize processes, strengthen internal controls, and leverage ERP/office systems to improve response time, data integrity, cost, and customer experience across the Plastikos family of companies.

ESSENTIAL POSITION FUNCTIONS:

The primary or essential functions of the position include the following. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Raw Material Procurement

• Sourcing & Purchasing: Identify, vet and select suppliers to procure raw materials required.
• Negotiation & Contracting: Negotiate pricing, contracts, payment terms, lead-time, and delivery schedules with suppliers and distributors to secure cost-effective deals.
• Supplier Management: Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships, assessing performance, and resolving issues with quality or delivery.
• Inventory Control: Using MRP/ERP systems to track inventory levels and forecast needs to prevent shortages or overstocking
  • Establish cycle count process and frequency with warehouse manager.
• Collaboration: Work closely with customer service, production, and logistics to ensure purchases align with production schedules.
• Market Analysis: Monitor industry trends and commodity prices to identify risks and savings.
• Prepare and update molded product piece-price quotes for existing products (e.g., raw material price increases, cavitation changes, labor or overhead rate increases) per established guidelines; route approvals to Customer Service Manager/GM/Manufacturing Manager/Finance as required.
• Calculate price changes as directed. Route to Sales Manager and Customer Service Manager for approval and management sign off. Coordinate with customer service for customer acknowledgement and revised purchase order. Track and maintain price increase log or attainment vs goal.

Customer Service & Order Entry

• Coordinate with Production Planning & Scheduling and Manufacturing raw material purchases & corresponding deliveries; communicate raw material delivery schedules, expedite requests, and shipping details.
• Maintain accurate customer master data (addresses, contacts, ship/bill-to) in ERP

Invoicing & Billing Coordination (with accounting)

• Provide complete, accurate billing packages and order documentation to accounting; validate pricing/terms and resolve discrepancies prior to invoicing.
• Monitors disputed invoices, credits, and returns with customers; elevate complex issues to Customer Service Manager & Accounting Manager as needed.

Continuous Improvement & Cross-Functional Support

• Actively participate in Continuous Improvement efforts across people, process, organization, and technology to elevate Material Planning & Buying efficiency, quality, and consistency.
• Partner with Accounting, Supply Chain/Materials, Program Management, and Quality to improve handoffs and corresponding customer service and support.
• Material shortages – number of shortages causing reschedule or line down: 0 for critical materials
• Min/max compliance % of critical items within min/max target: > = 95%
• Days below minimum stock – total days item was below min level: 0 for critical resin
• BOM /material usage accuracy – % of critical part BOMS with acceptable actual vs expected usage variance: > = 95%
• Negotiated savings on raw material spend based on annual target 2-5%

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

All employees must exemplify the Company’s core values of excellent customer service (internal and external), teamwork, professionalism, respect, and continuous improvement.

• Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred; 4–6+ years in customer service/purchasing or equivalent experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication and relationship skills; customer-service mindset; ability to manage priorities and deadlines.
• Working knowledge of purchasing practices and vendor negotiations; understanding of shipping/logistics basics.
• Proficiency with ERP (strong IQMS experience preferred) and Microsoft Office (Excel lookups/pivots; Outlook; Word); experience with CRM a plus.
• High attention to detail and discretion with confidential information; solid judgment and problem-solving skills.
• Continuous-improvement mindset; ability to document standard work and train others.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Professional office setting with periodic presence in manufacturing areas; climate-controlled production areas may include ISO 7 (Class 10,000) and/or ISO 8 (Class 100,000) cleanroom environments (training required). ISO-controlled processes.
• Noise level is usually moderate; may work near moving mechanical parts, fumes, or certain chemicals.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Primarily office-based with frequent computer/phone work; prolonged periods sitting/standing; frequent hand/wrist use.
• Ability to greet visitors and traverse the facility; occasionally lift up to 20 pounds; ability to wear required PPE and enter cleanroom areas as needed.