Director of Operations
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.