Description / Synopsis:

Join a well-established and growing Chemical & Hygiene Systems Manufacturing company on the East Rand as an Inventory, Demand & Supply Planning Controller.

This key supply chain role is responsible for optimising inventory across raw materials, semi-finished and finished goods by driving demand forecasting, inventory planning, production support, and performance reporting. Working closely with Sales, Production, Procurement, Warehousing, and Finance, you will ensure the right stock is available at the right time while minimising stock shortages, excess inventory, obsolete stock, and working capital. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills with experience in demand planning, inventory optimisation, sales trend analysis, and reporting within a manufacturing environment.

Minimum Requirements:

• Diploma or Degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field.

• 3–5 years' experience in inventory, demand, materials, or production planning within a manufacturing environment.

• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and experience with ERP/MRP or inventory management systems.

• Proven experience managing multiple SKUs, raw materials, finished goods, and inventory across multiple warehouses.

• Strong analytical, forecasting, and reporting skills.

• APICS CPIM/CSCP certification, as well as experience with Power BI, SQL, or Advanced Excel, will be advantageous.

• Experience within FMCG, chemical, detergent, industrial chemical, or similar manufacturing environments will be advantageous.

Key Responsibilities:

• Forecasting and Demand Planning

  • Analyse historical sales by SKU, product category, customer, region, and warehouse.

  • Prepare weekly and monthly demand forecasts for finished goods.

  • Work with the sales team to include customer trends, promotions, seasonal demand, new products, discontinued products, and expected large orders.

  • Compare actual sales against forecast and report forecast accuracy.

  • Identify demand changes early and communicate risks to Procurement, Production, Warehousing, and Management.

• Raw Material Planning

  • Calculate raw material requirements using sales forecasts, production plans, bills of materials, supplier lead times, minimum order quantities, and current stock on hand.

  • Prepare purchasing recommendations for raw materials to support production without overstocking.

  • Monitor critical raw materials and highlight possible shortages before they affect production.

  • Work closely with Procurement to align purchase orders with forecasted demand and production requirements.

  • Review raw material stock levels, usage trends, and ageing reports.

• Semi-Finished Product Planning

  • Plan semi-finished product quantities required for the packing area.

  • Ensure that semi-finished stock is produced in the correct quantities and at the correct time to avoid delays in packing.

  • Monitor semi-finished stock levels, ageing, usage, and production priorities.

  • Identify excess semi-finished stock and recommend corrective action.

• Finished Goods and Warehouse Stock Planning

  • Set minimum, maximum, reorder, and safety stock levels for finished goods per SKU and per warehouse.

  • Recommend how much stock should be held in each warehouse based on regional sales, delivery lead times, stock movement, and service-level requirements.

  • Review stock transfers between warehouses to reduce shortages in one location and excess stock in another.

  • Monitor finished goods stock availability and highlight risks to customer deliveries.

  • Support warehouse teams with stock accuracy, cycle counting, and stock reconciliation.

  • Plan finished product availability for confirmed and expected customer orders, ensuring stock is allocated and prioritised according to sales demand, delivery schedules, and customer requirements.

  • Provide planning and stock availability support to the Warehouse Manager and Logistics Manager to assist with warehouse replenishment, dispatch planning, route planning, delivery priorities, and stock movement between branches.

• Slow-Moving, Dead Stock and Obsolete Stock Reporting

  • Prepare monthly slow-moving, dead stock, excess stock, and obsolete stock reports.

  • Classify inventory according to movement, for example fast-moving, medium-moving, slow-moving, non-moving, and dead stock.

  • Identify stock that has not moved within agreed periods, such as 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or longer.

  • Recommend actions such as sales promotions, stock transfers, production reduction, write-downs, disposal, repacking, reformulation, or discontinuation.

  • Work with Sales and Management to reduce dead stock and prevent the same issue from recurring.

• Reporting and Data Analysis

  • Prepare weekly and monthly inventory reports for management.

  • Analyse stock on hand, stock cover, days of inventory, stock value, stock ageing, forecast accuracy, and service levels.

  • Create dashboards or reports showing raw materials, semi-finished goods, finished goods, slow movers, dead stock, and warehouse stock levels.

  • Support management with data-driven decisions on purchasing, production, stockholding, and warehouse replenishment.

  • Maintain accurate product master data, including SKU information, lead times, pack sizes, units of measure, and bill of material links.

Soft Skills / Additional Info

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent numerical ability and attention to detail.

• Experience working with large SKU portfolios and complex inventory data.

• Sound knowledge of inventory control, demand forecasting, production planning, and warehouse replenishment.

• Strong reporting and data analysis skills with the ability to present insights clearly.

• Proficient in planning inventory to minimise stock-outs, excess stock, and obsolete inventory.

• Ability to work cross-functionally with Sales, Procurement, Production, Warehousing, and Finance.

• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

• Results-driven with a continuous improvement mindset.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.