Benjamin Vanderheyden Email & Phone Number

New Haven, MI, US

Clinton Township, Michigan, US

• Strategize and manage all buying operations for OEM trim while serving as the Lead Trim Buyer, maintaining a strong focus on balancing quality with cost efficiency and adhering to established standards.
• Identify and present opportunities to reduce costs and/or improve quality by liaising with cross-functional teams to develop business case proposals and perform value engineering (VE) and value analysis (VA).
• Navigate complex challenges, obstacles, and issues with an innovative and solution-focused mindset.
• Defined and implemented new processes, procedures, and best practices and optimized existing processes.
• Recruit, interview, train, and manage junior team members with a focus on driving quality.
• Handle budget management responsibilities, ensuring a focus on optimal resource allocation.

Clinton Township, Michigan, US

• Spearheaded the planning, development, and implementation of a new stocking program.
• Leveraged data to guide decision-making and strategic planning, including producing finished goods forecasts and analyzing sales forecasts to optimize inventory levels and minimize waste.
• Managed the development of process documentation, including leveraging expertise to influence process creation.
• Surpassed expectations consistently, including achieving record-breaking production numbers month over month (MoM).
• Drove continuous improvement by identifying process inefficiencies and implementing streamlined solutions, successfully reducing line downtime and improving operational efficiency.
• Facilitated the seamless delivery of impactful projects by collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Nanterre, Île-de-France, FR

• Responsible for managing 390+ automobile parts and 30 vendors for inventory product that includes fasteners, brackets, headrests, and wire harnesses.
• Collaborate with Purchasing to mitigate stockouts by maintaining SAP parameters/reducing inventory, articulating supply chain issues, and pinpointing inefficient replenishing practices.
• Oversee proper adherence to company quality assurance and safety standards by supporting Plant Supplier Quality sorts, site inspections, third-party evaluations, and facility/administrative audits.
• Support the launch of WS Stellantis program by following up on China deliveries and preventing Misdeliveries per Million (MPM) to ensure customers satisfaction with goods quantity and timing.
• Evaluate vendors and suppliers to maintain tight cost controls and maximize operational efficiency.

Rochester Hills, Michigan, US

• Analyzed purchase demand and create supply plans to support production demand to ensure a consistently maintained inventory, which resulted in a 5% increase in cost effectiveness.
• Directed the end-to-end planning and procurement process from leading purchase order placement to overseeing the receipt of materials to ensure consistent practices through all project stages.
• Developed purchasing cycle strategies with regular and outsourced vendors in an ad hoc environment.
• Conducted value analysis by understanding product components/associated costs and finding component improvements by reducing its cost and increasing the value of its functions.
• Maintained stock levels in-person and via digital monitoring systems; Supervised risk management procedures while leveraging Total Quality Methods (TQM) to detect and reduce errors.
• Sourced and managed external vendor relationships to negotiate rates, achieved on-time delivery of materials, and problem-solved invoice discrepancies, returns, short shipments, and outstanding purchase orders.

Detroit, MI, US

• Redesigned the company’s sourcing strategy to improve the overall quality of purchased chemicals while keeping costs within 15% of the original budget, which resulted in a higher brand value.
• Sourced and approved new raw material vendors and carriers; Coordinated orders from vendors to end users to ensure customer satisfaction and fulfillment of vendor contracts.
• Managed relationships with third-party providers to isolate and minimize procurement and supply chain mistakes to double the quality and expedite procedures for chemical products.
• Spearheaded initiatives to reduce freight costs using various modes such as Less than Truckload (LTL) and Full Truckload (FTL); Considered shipment sizes, budget, product fragility, and delivery timeline.
• Implemented a foundational Buy vs. Use Strategy and leveraged Chemical Tanker knowledge to train corporate sales on oil and gas products and best practices to make informed buying decisions.
• Established quality control processes, sourcing/inventory plans, logistics structures, risk management procedures, and feedback loops with a focus on leveraging KPIs for lean organizational improvement.

Detroit, MI, US

• Leveraged high volumes of data to make informed purchasing decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Consolidated purchasing into a centralized hub to lower inventory and increase cycle turns; Analyzed Excel data and utilizing VLOOKUP and analyzed root causes of processing issues to perfect order fulfillment.
• Monitored market trends to forecast and pre-order materials at a competitive price; Demonstrated efficient budget allocations by utilizing linked, multi-layered inventory reports (for 10k+ units).

Wayne, MI, US

• Saved the company 10% to improve net profits/the bottom line by negotiating lower rates with major chemical distributors and consolidating shipments to leverage cheaper landed costs of goods.
• Led a team of 4 to complete inventory counts with a focus on creating SOPs to lower on-hand inventory and improve cycle turns, ultimately speeding up the company-wide sales pace and decreasing expenses.
• Spearheaded the corporate Make vs. Buy Strategy using production data and forecasts to compare the cost advantages of producing in-house versus purchasing from an external supplier.

Bingham Farms, Michigan, US

• Strategically created the warehouse’s inventory system; Managed 2 warehouse associates and provided training on the WMS technology, SKU zones, safety standards, records, and automated/manual processes to drive overall.
• Leveraged ECCN codes/international shipping expertise to supply HVAC parts to the overseas oil company.