Services

Materials management is a core function of supply chain management, involving the planning and execution of supply chains to meet the material requirements of a company or organisation. These requirements include controlling and regulating the flow of material while simultaneously assessing variables like demand, price, availability, quality, and delivery schedules.Material managers determine the amount of material required and held in stock, plan for the replenishment of these stocks, create inventory levels for each type of item(raw material, work in progress or finished goods), and communicate information and requirements to procurement operations and the extended supply chain.Materials management also involves assessing material quality to make sure it meets customer demands in line with a production schedule and at the lowest cost. Material management systems embrace all of the activities related to materials and are a basic business function that adds value to a finished product. It can also include the procurement of machinery and other equipment needed for production processes as well as spare parts. Typical roles in Materials Management include inventory analysts, inventory control managers, materials managers, material planners, and expediters as well as hybrid roles like buyer/planners.Regardless of role, the main objective of Materials Management is assuring a supply of material with optimised inventory levels and minimum deviation between planned and actual results.