Manufacturing
Employee Perspectives
Global Supply Chain |
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| Manufacturing | |
| Customer Service/Logistics | |
| Procurement | |
Employee Perspectives |
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| Director Supply Chain Methods and Applications | |
| Division Logistics Director - Meals & Enhancers | |
| Beverages Coach, Manufacturing Plant | |
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Director Supply Chain Methods and Applications
There are many reasons why I came to Kraft after graduating from college. Not only did it offer an opportunity to directly apply my degree in Operations Management, but it gave me a chance to be part of a food company -- something that I was very interested in. Also, I wanted to make sure that I would have many challenges and growth opportunities.
After more than 15 years with the company, those things still hold true. The challenges have never stopped coming! It's a great environment, the people are top-notch, and there are many growth and promotional opportunities.
I began my career in one of our plants as a Production Planner, responsible for determining the amount of final product to make. From there, I became an Inventory Planner at one of our warehouses, responsible for importing product from our other plants for distribution. After that, I moved into transportation management where I was responsible for scheduling and outbound shipments. I also spent time as a Warehouse Supervisor, overseeing the loading, receiving, and order fulfillment functions.
Currently, I'm at our headquarters office in Northfield, Illinois responsible for distribution systems project management. We're working on moving all of our warehouses onto a common warehouse system. That means that we interact with so many different areas of the company. Primarily, we spend a lot of time with our Information Systems group helping to translate the needs in the field into workable systems. In many ways, we are the liaison between the people in the warehouse and the Information Systems people.
Many functions are affected by the activities in the warehouses -- Distribution, Logistics, Transportation, Quality Assurance, Sales, and Customer Service. My experiences in the field helped prepare me for my current project. I have a good understanding of the perspectives of the different functions. That's why Kraft likes to move people into different Manufacturing positions during their careers. There's no better way to learn than through experience!
Because our plants are located all across the United States, members of Manufacturing should be prepared to make some moves during their careers. And those of us in headquarters expect to travel a good part of the year, too. But that's part of the fun of being with Kraft -- to help to make it all happen. People are proud to work for Kraft. And it shows.
