David Steinmetz

Reported to CFO, recruited to drive operations improvement in this $1.6B beverage business with European sourcing of all US product. Led a team of 7 direct and 50 indirect reports responsible for forecasting, inventory planning, production scheduling, purchasing, warehousing, transportation, fleet management, sustainability, event logistics and quality functions. Managed $128M expenses, $290M COGS and $175M inventory.

• Reorganized operations team and established strategic initiatives to clarify responsibilities and sharpen focus on goals.
• Dramatically improved crucial relationships with Austrian headquarters to build trust and teamwork.  Partnered with Austrian logistics team to negotiate $8M annual rate reduction on ocean freight to US.
• Led a direct delivery project which saved $800K annually by shipping inbound ocean containers to highest volume distributors and avoiding throughput expenses at distribution centers.  Developed a web portal, in conjunction with IT, to receive product in SAP at distributors and maintain lot tracking capability for FDA compliance.
• Reduced inventory $18M and reached 100% stock availability by improving S&OP, forecasting and production scheduling processes, established KPI’s and upgrading talent.
• Directed 7 corporate DC’s with food grade certifications, transportation and customs through 3PL’s.
• Managed product quality issues using SAP lot tracking and led a special “cool chain” project to control temperature extremes which caused product degradation. 
• Initiated a corporate sustainability program to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address concerns from customers and community.  The program resulted in an evaluation of the company car fleet, and a switch to higher MPG vehicles, which reduced emissions and saved $250K annually in fuel costs.

Reported to CEO; recruited to address lost sales resulting from supply issues at $200M cosmetic & beauty industry retailer with 60 retail locations.

• Developed a strategic "road map" with detailed recommendations to address deficiencies in processes, systems, KPI's, roles, systems and organization for all SC functions which delivered: 1) Increased "In-Stock" performance at 60 retail locations from 84% to 99%, 2) Increased retail sales from $21M to $24M (15%) and 3) Improved supplier delivery performance.
• Managed purchasing team which sourced 2100 SKU's from 100 branded and private-label suppliers.  Increased delivery performance from 75% to 94% and reduced costs by $500K through supplier management, RFQ's and neogtiations.
• Transformed the warehouse operation to improve productivity, raise on-time shipping performance from 90% to 99%, eliminate $80K theft losses and cut logistics costs by $250K annually. Upgraded the team, redesigned the warehouse layout, installed SAP Warehouse Management and RF capability, implemented cycle counting and negotiated better freight rates.

Led Global Supply Chain organization with separate teams for each of 3 business units in $700M food ingredients manufacturer with 10 plant sites in Europe, Asia and Americas.  FDA regulated environment.

• Designed and led a global S&OP process which improved forecast accuracy 10% and reduced inventory $14M (11%).Initiated sourcing from Chinese suppliers to resolve long-term supply shortage.
• Led capital project for SAP APO forecasting and scheduling software to replace manual processes.
• Negotiated lower freight rates and completed 2004 with actual freight costs at $1.1M (9%) below budget.
• Managed supply chain teams in Denmark, Holland and US; implemented common processes and KPI’s.

  Recruited to address severe customer supply and cost issues in $930M bath & kitchen business.

• Implemented S&OP to achieve 99% fill rates with Home Depot and Lowe’s; cut backorders $8M.
• Replaced 3 old warehouses with new 900,000 sq. ft. DC and reduced shipping errors 40% using Six Sigma.
• Led SAP forecasting and production planning project to replace manual planning on 10,000 SKU’s.
• Consolidated and upgraded supply chain organization including hiring of 2 new directors.
• Managed $120M distribution cost, led network optimization project to determine best DC locations.

Recruited to improve global supply chain processes, systems and organization in $870M shaving products business; directed 110 colleagues and managed customer supply from plants in China, Germany, Venezuela and US.

• Implemented Global Sales & Operations Planning process to manage new product launches for Slim Twin, Silk Effects and XtremeIII. Achieved 99% on-time delivery for Wal*Mart and K-mart.
• Led an MRPII Class ”A” Certification project, resulting in savings of $9M.
• Installed Manugistics forecasting and inventory planning software in Asia and Americas.
• Managed global sourcing team with $120M procurement spend and achieved $3M savings through improved supplier negotiations on corrugated, blister cards, resins and colorants.

Promoted through series of increasingly responsible engineering, purchasing, distribution, and supply chain positions:

• Supply Chain Manager
• Distribution Manager
• Rail Fleet Manager
• Senior Buyer
• Process Engineer