Billy Kato Email & Phone Number

Vancouver, BC, CA

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver, Canada Area

• Responsible for the strategic and daily execution of supply chain core functions including material forecasting, production planning, inventory management, supplier relationships, and fulfillment activities across 4.
• Led 5 direct supply chain team reports through fact-driven feedback and coaching to meet daily operational tasks and key project objectives.
• Consistently maintained a 96% OTD (on-time delivery) metric while operating in a JIT (just in time) centred environment with a focus on maximizing inventory turnover through the planning of critical raw material supply.
• Achieved a 15% adjusted YoY (year over year) reduction on shipping expenditures for two consecutive years through improved supply planning and negotiating shipping agreements and rate structures.
• Implemented KPI metrics, built custom dashboards, created alerts and established various processes in NetSuite to streamline efficiency, promote accountability, and record data for analytical assessment.
• Worked with cross-functional teams to deliver on the execution of new product initiatives and the launch of a new sub-brand by establishing and building new processes to support the integration of a new Asia contract.

Vancouver, Canada Area

• Oversaw all inbound/outbound shipping of materials and orders within the organization, including 3 contract manufacturers and the main warehouse, with support from the direct report.
• Streamlined various processes in the logistics department to improve accuracy and efficiency while shipping internationally to over 15 different countries.
• Developed and maintained strong working relationships with key suppliers to ensure high priority access to key material flow and deliverables.
• Drove cost reductions on the main product line through the sourcing of lower-cost alternative materials and negotiation with contract manufacturers.
• Forecasted and created replenishment programs of all materials for Cooledge products.

Vancouver, Canada Area

• Developed and led the newly created Direct Import (Private Label) program from end to end. Sourced and procured over 200 SKUs across 3 major item categories to market. Exceeding net profit targets by 45% in the first 6.
• Conducted numerous on-site factory and trade show business trips to create new relationships, solidify existing relationships, identify new opportunities, negotiate contract terms, and qualify factories.
• Identified opportunities within the current assortment of products and introduced substitute and complementary products yielding a gross margin average of 70%, an improvement over the gross margin average of 25% on all.

Vancouver, Canada Area

• Managed the logistics and inventory planning of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Tough Mudder merchandise with over 600 plus individual SKUs on the WMS totaling a retail value over $800,000
• Worked closely with procurement team to identify and classify vendors, conduct sales analysis, plan and forecast the purchasing needs of both stores and stands to achieve organizational goals
• Coordinated day-to-day warehouse operations and improvements to streamline processes while leading anywhere from 2-10 part-time staff in the distribution, storing, and receiving of merchandise
• Reduced obsolete and outdated inventory through the use of data analytics on the Yahoo Analytics platform and OrderMotion E-commerce software by 10%

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

Supply Chain Management Professional, Scmp, Logistics, Materials, And Supply Chain Management

Bachelor Of Commerce (B.Com.), Operations And Logistics