MATERIALS & LOGISTICS MANAGER
PRAB, Inc. · Kalamazoo, MI ·
- Category
- Management
- Experience
- 5+ years
The Materials & Logistics Manager is responsible for all material movement into, through, and out of the production facility. This includes oversight of purchasing agents, buyers, vendor relations, receiving, inventory management, internal material handling, and shipping for both manufactured jobs and service parts. This leadership role merges formerly separate functions into a single high-performing team, aligning material flow with production demand. Reporting to the Plant Manager, this position requires proactive change leadership and cross-functional collaboration to drive efficiency, scalability, and operational excellence..
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or related discipline
- 10+ years of manufacturing experience, preferably in an OEM environment
- 5+ years of supervisory or departmental management experience
- Proficiency with ERP systems (Infor Visual preferred), Microsoft Excel, and ZOHO CRM/service tools
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and BOMs
- Proven success managing cross-functional teams and driving organizational change
- Strategic thinker with strong execution and influencing skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills across departments and roles
- Highly organized, proactive, and capable of managing multiple high-priority functions concurrently
Responsibilities:
- Promote excellence across all logistics, inventory, and shipping operations
- Lead and develop a combined team of office and shop floor employees (20+ total staff)
- Oversee purchasing, inventory control, material handling, receiving, and outbound shipping
- Champion change management as this newly created role merges legacy departments
- Build alignment and collaboration with production, engineering, and service departments
- Establish inventory control measures to improve accuracy and reduce waste
- Maintain quality standards in the receiving process and ensure timely issue resolution
- Ensure efficient material movement between work cells to avoid production delays
- Manage the planning and execution of equipment and parts shipments ($5M/month)
- Cultivate and evaluate vendor relationships to support cost, quality, and delivery goals
- Use Infor Visual and Excel to manage data accuracy, job flow, and reporting
- Drive continuous improvement using data, KPIs, and root cause analysis
- Ensure compliance with internal standards and external shipping regulations