Manitowoc Tool and Machining, GV Machine, and Mid Valley Industries are three sibling precision contract machining companies operating under shared ownership and management in the Manitowoc, WI area. This role supports purchasing operations across all three facilities. Our planners own casting procurement for their individual customer orders, which means this role is not a transactional buying position. The Purchasing Manager is a vendor strategist, program manager, and financial control point — setting the framework within which planners operate, managing spend categories outside the planning team, and ensuring every purchase dollar across all three companies is properly controlled, reviewed, and recovered.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Vendor and Supplier Management
- Maintain and enforce the approved vendor list across all three facilities; qualify new suppliers and manage formal disqualification processes.
- Negotiate pricing agreements, volume discounts, and blanket contracts for castings, raw materials, and services.
- Conduct periodic supplier performance reviews covering on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness.
- Serve as the primary escalation contact when planners encounter supplier issues, pricing disputes, or delivery failures.
Purchase Order Review and Approval
- Review and approve purchase orders above established dollar thresholds before issuance.
- Audit planner-issued POs for compliance with approved vendor requirements, correct terms and conditions, and applicable customer flow-down clauses (AS9100, customer-specific requirements).
- Ensure PO documentation is complete, accurate, and retained per quality system requirements.
- Identify and correct PO errors before they become invoicing or receiving disputes.
Price Break and Volume Analysis
- Regularly analyze purchasing volume across planners and all three facilities to identify consolidation and price-break opportunities.
- Model buy quantity scenarios against price breaks to determine optimal order quantities balancing cost, lead time, and carrying cost.
- Work with planning leadership to coordinate timing of orders where volume leverage is available.
- Report findings and achieved savings to leadership on a regular cadence.
Invoice Review and Approval
- Review supplier invoices against issued POs and receiving records before payment approval; resolve discrepancies with vendors and accounting.
- Identify and dispute overbillings, duplicate charges, and invoices referencing unauthorized orders.
- Maintain a clean purchase-to-pay process in coordination with accounting.
Surcharge Management
- Monitor material and energy surcharges applied by suppliers — steel, alloy, fuel, and others as applicable.
- Validate that surcharges invoiced match contractual or market-indexed rates; dispute incorrect charges.
- Track surcharge trends and communicate cost exposure to operations and estimating so pricing to customers stays accurate.
- Negotiate surcharge caps or fixed-rate arrangements where supplier relationships allow.
Non-Casting and Indirect Procurement
- Own purchasing for MRO, subcontract machining and services, capital equipment quotes, and facility supplies across all three plants.
- Source and manage packaging materials — boxes, dunnage, blocking, and protective materials — benchmarking suppliers regularly to ensure best pricing and availability.
- Coordinating with department leads on lead times, specifications, and budget requirements for non-production spend.
Scrap and Recycling Program
- Manage the chip and scrap metal recycling program across all three facilities — vendor selection and contract, scheduling of pickups, and material segregation standards on the floor.
- Track scrap revenue by material type (cast iron, steel, aluminum, etc.) and report results to leadership.
- Coordinate with operations to ensure chip hoppers are maintained and handled safely per established procedures.
- Benchmark scrap pricing periodically against market rates and renegotiating contracts as warranted.
Reporting and Cost Visibility
- Consolidate purchasing spend data from MIE Trak across all buyers and all three companies to provide leadership with a complete picture of material costs, supplier concentration, and savings opportunities.
- Prepare regular purchasing reports covering spend by category, supplier, cost center, and facility.
- Support annual budgeting with historical spend data and forward-looking cost projections.
Qualifications
- 3+ years of purchasing, procurement, or supply chain experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience supporting purchasing across multiple facilities or business units.
- Experience in a job shop or contract machining environment.
- Familiarity with AS9100 or similar quality management systems and supplier flow-down requirements.
- Experience managing a scrap or recycling program in a metal-cutting environment.
- APICS CSCP, ISM CPSM, or equivalent certification.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Education:
- High school or equivalent (Preferred)
Experience:
- quality: 3 years (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
