Supply Chain Management opportunity in Northern Michigan
Preston Feather Building Centers is a leading source in the Northwest Michigan market for building materials. We seek an experienced supply chain professional for a new position dedicated to further improving performance of our entire supply network. The Company is a value-added distributor and retailer of specialty building materials. The business is 107 years old, family owned, with a strong culture of teamwork and continuous improvement. Over 80% of its sales from its 4 store locations are to professional building contractors. Based in a waterfront and resort property market, the company specializes in custom and semi-custom residential projects requiring premium products, tailored builder services and flexible delivery capability. Over 50% of sales represents specialty (special order) products.

Preston Feather’s construction materials supply chain today consists of a varied network of product manufacturers, distributors, engineered component manufactures, buying co-operatives, installers and more. Additional suppliers provide materials, equipment, supplies and services for our facilities, operations and staff.

The purchasing process is mostly centralized for stock products. Purchasing for non-stock or specialty products is mostly decentralized, with sales staff sourcing and placing purchase orders directly. Purchasing leadership today is split between commodity and non-commodity product lines for core building materials. Special order window, door and cabinetry product suppliers are managed by category sales leaders.
The construction industry has lagged other sectors in deployment of Lean/Six Sigma practices. Customers are smaller businesses with diverse practices. Manufactures and distributors have been struggling to recover from pandemic factors (labor shortages, fractured supply chains and logistics networks, volatile commodity prices and demand spikes). Build cycles are extended 50% from pre-pandemic levels while demand remains strong.

While we have certain strengths in our procurement processes, we realize there is a strategic opportunity now to do 2 things:

• Work pro-actively with our suppliers to reduce our biggest pain points in meeting our expectations (and our customer’s expectations) for quality, schedules, communication, fill rates and transaction processing.
• Evaluate our entire supply chain performance and develop a vision to help us achieve our business strategy of smoother, faster build cycles with fewer surprises and more value for our customers. Design and implement changes to our supply chain processes, measurement systems and vendor management practices to set Preston Feather apart from its peers in the industry.

To do this, Preston Feather seeks an experienced individual to help assess our processes and lead continuous improvement efforts related to our purchasing activities and all elements of our supply chain network. Scope of responsibilities will include leadership and oversight of key supply chain components, including (but not limited to):

• Total supply chain from manufacturer (and its suppliers) to our customer’s construction job site.
• Vendor performance management (metrics, communication and process improvement)
• Vendor sourcing and purchasing practices
• Stocking strategies to achieve service level and return on asset goals
• PF staff skills, capacity and schedules
• Inventory accuracy & controls
• Facility design, storage and handling practices
• Fleet and equipment capacity planning and equipment specifications

Our vision is Preston Feather becomes an innovative industry leader with building materials suppliers, improving our consistency meeting customer expectations while reducing demands on labor, facility, fleet and inventory (cash) resources. We anticipate annual measurable benefits providing a high return on investment for this position.

Desired Skills and experience:

• Culture fit with our team members and company values
• Leadership, people and team management skills
• Manufacturing or distribution experience required. Construction industry experience desirable but not necessary.
• Knows how to build effective supply chain processes and the team to execute them.
• Project management skills
• LEAN/Continuous Improvement skills
• Data/infotech savvy
• Business and cost management skills
• Relevant training, education and certification in supply chain management concepts (Association for Supply Chain Management or similar curriculum)

Supply chain characteristics

• Business-to-business (B2B) supply chains
• Commodity and non-commodity products
• Value-added specialty distribution of stock and special-order products

Reporting relationship and department resources

• Leadership level position
• Reports directly to President / owner
• Full time purchasing staff of 3 people (2 managers/buyers and 1 assistant buyer)

Compensation and full benefits

• Competitive, based on experience and skills.
• Relocation assistance potentially available for the right candidate.

We'd love the opportunity to tell you more of our story. If you're interested in a rewarding career with a great team in beautiful Northern Michigan, please check out our current positions on our website.
If you have any questions, or would like to hear more about the position, please reach out!

Job Type: Full-time

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