Description
Oversee purchasing, pricing, inventory, warehousing, and distribution of parts for service and retail customers. Streamline procedures to improve accuracy, fill rate, safety, and cost control. Coordinate vendor relations and reverse logistics, forecast demand, and lead parts staff to ensure timely availability of parts.
- • Select delivery routes and schedules for parts to maximize efficiency and cost.
- • Map parts flow, bin locations, and counter processes to guide team discussions and improvements.
- • Negotiate pricing, terms, rebates, and freight with OEMs, distributors, and carriers.
- • Meet with suppliers to review fill rates, backorders, lead times, and forecast changes.
- • Document parts department workflows, cycle counts, roles, and DMS/ERP system flows.
- • Develop and use supplier scorecards and criteria to evaluate and select parts vendors.
- • Design and implement binning, slotting, and warehouse layout strategies for parts storage.
- • Collaborate with service advisors and technicians to forecast demand and set stocking levels.
- • Define KPIs such as fill rate, turns, GMROI, obsolescence, and inventory accuracy.
- • Analyze inventory to increase turns, reduce dead stock and shrink, and meet service levels.
- • Track supplier performance on pricing, quality, order accuracy, and on-time delivery.
- • Coordinate part supersessions, recalls, and new model introductions to ensure smooth transitions.
- • Establish procedures for coordination with service, sales, warranty, accounting, and logistics.
- • Align parts sourcing, stocking, and delivery strategies with sales goals and market conditions.
- • Assess environmental impacts of parts packaging and disposal; promote remanufactured options.
- • Implement parts handling and storage practices that meet environmental policies and standards.
- • Oversee returns, cores, and warranty part reverse logistics to secure timely credits and compliance.
- • Select and administer DMS/ERP, e-catalogs, barcoding/RFID, and scanning tools for tracking and reporting.
- • Implement reusable totes and recycle packing materials to reduce waste and costs.
- • Review carriers and 3PLs for environmental and safety compliance where applicable.
- • Source eco-friendly packaging and shop supplies when feasible.
- • Update parts practices to comply with hazardous material, battery, tire, and e-waste regulations.
- • Determine staffing levels, schedules, and equipment needs (forklifts, shelving, PPE) for parts operations.
- • Direct purchasing, MRP, inventory control, receiving, shipping, and counter sales activities.
- • Standardize and improve processes for put-away, picking, kitting, and delivery to reduce cycle times.
- • Monitor supplier adherence to quality specs, packaging standards, and delivery windows.
- • Track forecasts, seasonal trends, and OEM purchase objectives to anticipate demand changes.
- • Identify and onboard new vendors, remanufacturers, or alternate sources for hard-to-find parts.
- • Audit vendor facilities or processes when necessary to validate capability and quality.
- • Lead cycle counts and annual physical inventory; reconcile discrepancies and adjust processes.
- • Forecast part costs, update price matrices, and manage gross margins.
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Supply Chain & Transportation
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
