What is the role of supply planner?

Any organization that has an inventory of products must plan and account for them. For example, a manufacturing plant isn’t able to make products if it doesn’t have sufficient parts. A store can’t sell merchandise if it doesn’t have supply to meet the demand. It is critical to track and manage what is needed and what is available at all times. This is the responsibility of the Supply Chain Planner.

Similar Job Titles

Some job titles that are similar to the Supply Chain Planner are:

  • Demand Planner
  • Master Planner
  • Material Planner
  • Inventory Planner
  • Logistics Planner

Typical Job Titles in a Planning Team

The Supply Chain Planner position involves a multitude of activities and crosses over other roles that are involved in the total scope of SC planning. As part of supply chain planning, many organizations have a team made up of individuals who work together, each in their specialized targeted area, segmenting the activities involved in not only the planning but also the fulfillment process to meet corporate inventory needs. 

For example, production, logistics, and demand management are integral for the organization’s supply chain operations to be successful. The Supply Chain Planner manages and oversees the activities of these employees because each has a significant role in the total scope of planning, however these employees may or may not be considered “direct reports.” Some of the roles directly connected to planning for supply chain are: 

  • Senior Demand Planner
  • Logistician
  • Supply Manager
  • Production Manager
  • Demand Planning Manager
  • Director of Global Procurement
  • Director of Logistics & Distribution
  • Directory of Supply Management
  • Distribution Manager
  • Global Sourcing Manager
  • Logistics Analyst

Supply Chain Planner Position Overview

A Supply Chain (SC) Planner is responsible for monitoring and managing global inventories and forecasting sales and production levels for materials that are needed. This includes tracking inventory delivery performance and response time, as well as handling capacity planning and other logistics projects. The role of Supply Chain Planner is critically important to the successful operation of an organization by meeting customer demand, increasing efficiency, decreasing waste, and lowering costs. 

The person in this role is the primary point of contact and works closely with factory, production, sales, and logistics colleagues as well as with raw materials suppliers in order to ensure that plans are aligned with demand and supply. 

Responsibilities of the role include resolving inventory in-stock issues such as the depth, timing, and efficient flow of inventory that support financial objectives. Additionally, supply chain planning includes managing the purchasing process, creating/managing inventory budgets, ensuring that inventory levels meet demand, and gathering data to prepare trends and forecasting reports for colleagues, management, and other stakeholders.

Some core responsibilities of a supply chain planner include:

  • Plan both short- and long-term to align supply and demand to support inventory needs
  • Project forward-looking inventory positions and financial implications
  • Facilitate collaboration meetings with stakeholders and vendors to review purchase forecasts, proposed orders, and other operational issues
  • Monitor weekly and monthly production plans, prioritizing work orders
  • Monitor movement of materials through purchasing, storage, production, and retail distribution
  • Set preferred stock levels and prevent excess inventory
  • Review supplies to ensure quality, monitor stock levels and maintain accessibility to information
  • Build relationships with transportation, warehouse supervisors, and co-workers to achieve higher performance
  • Use scheduling software to coordinate deliveries
  • Administer Enterprise Resource Planning data for manufacturing
  • Develop and monitor internal and external key performance indicators including forecast accuracy and vendor scorecard metrics
  • Make recommendations on flow considerations
  • Design and create new tools to help improve the planning functions of supply chain
  • Prepare detailed reports relating to MRP, back orders, and schedules
  • Engage in continuous improvement as it relates to processes and material availability
  • Manage relationships with key suppliers to maintain quality of goods, timely delivery, and compliance to terms of contracts

Required Education

A Bachelor’s Degree is required for a Supply Chain Planner position. Some of the most common majors for the role are:

How can I be a good supply planner?

To succeed in the role of a Supply Planner, an individual needs to have experience in supply chain management, possess strong analytical skills and a think outside the box approach. They must be diligent in their mathematical and analytical skills, yet firm and authoritative when negotiating prices with vendors.

What does supply planning include?

Supply planning is the entire planning process which includes distribution, manufacturing, and procurement operations according to demand forecasts, considering capacity constraints and material availability.

What is the difference between a supply planner and a demand planner?

Demand planning mainly concerns predicting consumer demand to manage supply chain operations. Meanwhile, supply planning primarily involves managing inventory to meet the projected demand.

What are the roles of supply manager?

What does a supply manager do? Supply chain managers keep track of logistics and update the company's inventory. They analyze operational performance and resolve issues. They also collaborate with vendors and suppliers to ensure all operations (e.g. shipping, delivery) meet quality and safety standards.