Vaishnavi Swaminathan
6 Rue Saint-Eusèbe Lyon
Summary
Experienced Supply Chain Specialist with over 5 years of expertise in managing complex global supply chains. Background in engineering, demand planning, forecasting, inventory management, material planning, production planning, and logistics. Focused on optimizing processes to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency. Proven leader skilled in guiding cross-functional teams and fostering strong relationships with suppliers and stakeholders. Proficient in ERP systems and analytical skills to make data-driven decisions. Currently pursuing an MSc in Supply Chain and Purchasing Management at Emlyon Business School in France, demonstrating commitment to ongoing professional development in an evolving business environment.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Logistics Planning Analyst
Caterpillar Inc.
12.2022 - 06.2024
- Oversaw strategic supplier relationships for the Product Support & Logistics Division, managing an annual expenditure of approximately $35 million
- Cultivated cross-functional collaboration among Operations, Global Purchasing, Engineering, Warehouse, and Transportation teams to ensure seamless supply of components from suppliers to dealers
- Implemented robust inventory management practices, addressing shortages and surplus exceptions, following up with suppliers on shipping dates, ensuring on-hand accuracy, and monitoring delivery performance
- Strategically balanced production and parts requirements, optimizing inventory levels, lot sizing/minimum order quantities (MOQ), lead times, packaging, and transportation costs
- Supported various product groups to ensure parts availability for New Product Introduction (NPI) and Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) projects
- Actively participated in enterprise control tower meetings focused on severely constrained suppliers, obtaining prioritized shipping dates to fulfill urgent dealer orders
- Proactively addressed quality and supplier performance issues by conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions to enhance supplier shipping
- Successfully reduced overdue shipments value of severely constrained supplier from $8 million to $1.5 million
- Enhanced shipping performance score of constrained supplier from 8% to 67.7%
- Managed supplier schedules and implemented Engineering Changes (EC) to improve product manufacturing efficiency and parts quality
- Drove key metrics for supplier shipping performance, monitoring shipping performance of major suppliers monthly
- Implemented Root Cause Corrective Actions (RCCA) to resolve issues, resulting in an increase in average supplier shipping performance score from 54% to 82%
- Coordinated with purchasing department and inventory optimization team to analyze inventory pricing, identify vendors, negotiate contracts, execute last-time buys, and define sourcing strategies in response to identified supplier capacity or capability gaps
Material Planner
Meritor Inc. (a subsidiary of Cummins, Inc.)
05.2022 - 11.2022
- Managed diverse portfolio of approximately 80 overseas vendors, coordinating supply chain to global plant in Sunshine, Australia, with annual inventory value nearing $27 million
- Planned and organized supply chain for approximately 4,500 components using MRP tool in MFG/PRO ERP system, ensuring all production requirements were consistently met
- Conducted thorough reviews of production shortages, past due orders, and open orders, enforcing supplier adherence to schedules and achieving a 100% on-time delivery rate for all shipments
- Analyzed exception messages reports for time fence conflicts and order selections, effectively adjusting orders to optimize material planning and maintain operational efficiency
- Leveraged CIM upload function in MFG/PRO to streamline upload of material planning parameters and other item-related data, significantly reducing process lead time by 80%
- Regularly assessed safety stock requirements, maintaining accurate planning parameters monthly to ensure precise order generation within system
- Successfully identified and eliminated approximately AUD 45,000 in excess and obsolete inventory during Q2 and Q3, enhancing inventory management and cost efficiency
- Assisted in generating monthly scrap reports, identifying and scrapping components valued at approximately AUD 18,000 in Q4, thus optimizing asset utilization
- Collaborated closely with suppliers and logistics partners to manage premium freight charges, identifying root causes to control freight expenditures and minimizing need for premium air shipments
- Reviewed and supported approval process for Engineering Change Notifications/Requests (ECR) within system, ensuring alignment with operational objectives
- Contributed to new program launches, including ramp-up, phase-in, and phase-out initiatives, as well as cost reduction projects and improvement initiatives, to achieve overarching business goals
- Tracked placed orders to identify and resolve problems impacting on-time delivery.
Supply Chain Analyst
Meritor Inc. (a subsidiary of Cummins, Inc.)
01.2020 - 05.2022
- Coordinated and organized supplies from India to global plants located in EU, NA, SA, and Singapore
- Operating on annual inventory value of ~ $ 270 million spread across 30 suppliers in India
- Assisted in Material and Dispatch planning with Regional Planners & Suppliers to meet the Production Requirements using Oracle ERP system
- Developed an SOP to track VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) which improved the optimal Stock Levels (Min-Max based on transit lead time) at EU & NA plants by 25%
- Ensured 100% on-time delivery and adherence to supplier schedules
- Analyzed MOQ, EOQ, Safety Stock and Stock to Lead Time for all suppliers on monthly basis
- Monitored shipments In Transit, Daily Production Output, Capacity and Raw Material availability for all Suppliers
- Ensured minimal occurrence of premium Air Freight
- Supported New Program launches to ensure smooth SCM including ramp up, phase in and phase out of projects
- Supported Finance & Purchasing teams by providing inputs for verification of outstanding payments, debit/credit notes and Freight Compensation to the Suppliers
- Liaised with Regional Planners and Suppliers to ensure efficient Logistics
- Track ASNs and assist in Container tracking and overall Freight Tracking
- Instrumental in Freight Consolidation for all LCL & FCL shipments for EU & NA regions
- Analyzed Currency fluctuations on Monthly & Quarterly basis to review the impact on Total Spend
- Provided training to new suppliers on VMI, Material & Dispatch Planning and SCM workflow and processes
- Vendor management & resource utilization performed in Oracle R12 ERP system based on inventory data for Bangalore Technical Centre and Mysore Test lab
- Analyzed Supplier quotes for negotiation and released Purchase Orders on time with 30% cost savings
- Supported Finance team for on time payments and conducted supplier performance audit
- Recorded transactions and produced Spend reports for Quality Audits
IMDS Engineer
Rapid Global Business Solutions India Pvt Limited
12.2018 - 12.2019
- Assisted in creation of Material Datasheets using IMDS system, I-point and A2 optimizer for Automotive Components
- Achieved 98% on-time submission of Material Datasheets for more than 30 customers
- Developed SOP to evaluate and analyze Bill of Material of components which helped to increase the process efficiency by 30%
- Improved IMDS standard operating procedure which helped in reduction of overall process lead time by 25%
- Ensured 100% first time through and drove excellence in IMDS with minimal errors
- Managed and trained new joiners and suppliers on IMDS workflow
- Solid understanding of ELV directives, REACH, ROHS, SVHC, Conflict minerals and Prop65 substances
Education
Master of Science - Supply Chain And Purchasing Management
Emlyon Business School
Lyon, France03.2026
Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical Engineering
Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering
Bengaluru, India08.2018
Pre-University Education -
Narayana PU College
Bengaluru, India05.2014
Skills
- Time Management
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
- Production Planning
- Material Planning
- Logistics Management
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Stakeholder relationships
- Salesforce
- Power BI
- MS Office Suite
- ERP systems proficiency (SAP, QAD MFG/PRO, Oracle R12 & IBM Mainframe)
Certification
Inside LVHM - JULY 2024
I gained a solid understanding of the luxury industry and deepened my knowledge of the LVMH group through the following modules:
- LVMH & The Luxury Industry
- Luxury & Sustainability
- Operations & Supply Chain
- Retail & Customer Experience
Accomplishments
- Awarded “WOW” performance certificate for improving the past ship value of a severely constrained supplier from $ 8 million to $ 1.5 million (Caterpillar, Inc.)
- Awarded “Trend Setter” certificate for demonstrating excellent focus and improvements on key metrics, ensured parts availability in service parts network and enhanced customer experience (Caterpillar, Inc.)
- Received a spot reward for execution of Material impact study (Steel). The analysis suggested the net impact on variation of commodity indexes in NA & EU as compared to the commodity movement in India (Meritor, Inc.)
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Hindi
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Tamil
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
French
Beginner (A1)
Volunteer Experience
Teacher at U&I Trust, Bengaluru, India
- Educated under privileged students about the basics of English grammar and conversational speaking
- Planned and executed new topic each week in speaking, reading, writing, and grammar
- Conducted various activities that targeted confidence, perception, vocabulary building, pronunciation practice, and grammar
Hobbies and Interests
- Singing
- Travel
- Trekking
- Running
- Badminton
- Photography
Personal Information
- Date of Birth: 02/04/1997
- Nationality: Indian
Timeline
Senior Logistics Planning Analyst
Caterpillar Inc.
12.2022 - 06.2024
Material Planner
Meritor Inc. (a subsidiary of Cummins, Inc.)
05.2022 - 11.2022
Supply Chain Analyst
Meritor Inc. (a subsidiary of Cummins, Inc.)
01.2020 - 05.2022
IMDS Engineer
Rapid Global Business Solutions India Pvt Limited
12.2018 - 12.2019
Master of Science - Supply Chain And Purchasing Management
Emlyon Business School
Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical Engineering
Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering
Pre-University Education -
Narayana PU College
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