The latest interview features April Edgar, a Supply Chain Team Leader who is based in our US office in California. At Ellison we distribute products all over the world, the Supply Chain team ensure our products are distributed efficiently and they also manage stock through their life cycle. This interview gives an insight into what April’s role entails and her daily work life.
When did you join the Ellison team?
I joined the Ellison Team in March of 2005. It has been a wonderful journey these last 14 years and I have learned so much!
You’ve worked at Ellison for a long time, how has your role developed over that time?
I started in Customer Service and have had the opportunity to grow through many departments such as Sales, Marketing, and Supply Chain.
What is your current role and what does it entail?
I am the Supply Chain Team Lead. My main focus is to manage stock, however I also work with our sales department to support customer needs and support the rest of the supply chain team with anything they need to support day to day operations.
What are the highlights of your role?
The best part of my role is that I get to work with people in all three of our offices globally and support many departments. Even though I spend a lot of time with spreadsheets, my job directly impacts the success of the business so it is the relationships with my co-workers and our customers that drive me.
What would be your top tips for managing stock availability?
Understand your customers and business processes. The math can only take you so far but buying patterns and business decisions have a large impact on inventory movement and understanding that will give you much more accurate insight to how to manage your stock.
Which stage would you say is the most important in the product life cycle and why?
From a supply chain perspective I would say that active stage after a product has been launched. Having too much or too little supply of current product impacts sales and can negatively effect a products future life cycle and doesn’t allow the product to run its natural course.
If you could spend one day working in another part of the business, which department would you choose and why?
I miss working with our customers and would love to go back to Sales for a day. We have amazing, creative and talented customers who I’d love to catch up with.
