Manager, Stores

Imagine working at the forefront of innovation in fluid-flow technology, with over 1,400 colleagues across the globe, and contributing to a legacy of excellence that spans eight manufacturing facilities on four continents. Armstrong Fluid Technology is more than just a leader in our industry; we are a community of the brightest and most creative minds, driven by a shared mission to engineer the future and safeguard our planet.

As part of our team, you'll be immersed in an environment that fosters growth, creativity, and collaboration. Here, you'll have the opportunity to push boundaries, tackle exciting challenges, and develop cutting-edge solutions that promote energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Every day offers the chance to make a meaningful contribution to a more sustainable future, driving innovations that help lower global carbon footprints. Together, we’re creating a legacy that goes beyond business—one that’s changing the world for the better.

The Manager, Stores is accountable for the safe custody, accurate recording and timely supply of all materials in the factory: raw materials, components, packing materials, consumables, spares, tools and, where applicable, finished goods. The role ensures that production never waits for a material that should have been available, that system stock always matches physical stock, and that inventory is stored, handled and issued safely, in the right sequence and in compliance with statutory and audit requirements

Key Accountabilities

Receiving and Inbound Control

• Receive materials against valid PO, invoice and delivery challan; verify quantity, specification, batch/lot, expiry and condition of goods.
• Coordinate with Quality for incoming inspection and ensure materials are segregated (accepted, on hold, rejected) until cleared.
• Post GRNs in the ERP promptly and accurately.
• Raise shortage, excess, damage and wrong-supply reports and coordinate with Purchase and suppliers for resolution or return.
• Schedule vehicle unloading and manage dock/gate flow to avoid detention and congestion.

 

 Storage, Location Control and Material Preservation

• Define and maintain storage layout, bin and rack locations, and a location-wise record of every item.
• Apply FIFO/FEFO strictly and ensure batch, lot and expiry traceability.
• Protect materials from damage, contamination, moisture, rust, pest and pilferage; arrange special storage for hazardous, high-value, temperature-sensitive and fragile items.
• Ensure clear labelling, identification tags, colour coding and status marking.
• Optimise space utilisation through layout improvement, racking and vertical storage.

 

Issue and Supply to Production

• Issue materials against approved requisitions, work orders or BOM-based pick lists in the right quantity, at the right time and to the right location.
• Support line-side replenishment systems (kanban, two-bin, milk-run) to reduce production waiting time.
• Ensure every issue, return and transfer is booked in the ERP on the same day.
• Control issue of consumables, tools and spares through authorised indents and consumption tracking.
• Handle returns of unused, excess or rejected material with proper documentation.

 

Inventory Accuracy and Control

• Maintain min, max, reorder and safety stock levels in coordination with Planning.
• Run daily/weekly cycle counts (A-class items most frequently) and the annual physical verification; investigate every variance and correct root causes.
• Reconcile stores records with ERP and Finance records at month end.
• Maintain accurate stock status for unrestricted, quality inspection, blocked and consignment stock.
• Prevent unauthorised movement of stock through gate pass and access controls.

Replenishment and Shortage Management

• Review stock against reorder levels daily and raise purchase requisitions on time.
• Share a daily/weekly critical shortage list with Planning, Purchase and Production.
• Work with Planning and Purchase to track in-transit materials and expedite urgent requirements.
• Provide early warning of potential line stoppages and maintain a record of shortage incidents with root causes.

Slow-Moving, Obsolete and Scrap Management

• Prepare monthly ageing and non-moving stock reports and review with Planning, Purchase and Finance.
• Drive actions for slow-moving and obsolete items: reuse, substitution, return to vendor, rework or disposal.
• Segregate, store and account for scrap and surplus; support scrap sales with proper weighment, documentation and approvals.
• Support write-off proposals with complete documentation and approvals.

Dispatch, Outbound and Documentation (where applicable)

• Plan picking, packing, labelling and loading of finished goods against dispatch schedules.
• Prepare dispatch documents: delivery challan, invoice copy, packing list, e-way bill, gate pass and lorry receipt, with the billing/logistics team.
• Ensure right product, right quantity, right packing and right documentation on every dispatch.
• Coordinate with Logistics for vehicle placement, loading supervision and proof of delivery.
• Manage returns and customer rejections: receipt, inspection coordination and credit documentation.

Safety, Housekeeping and Compliance

• Enforce safe stacking, load limits, fire safety, emergency access and safe handling of hazardous material.
• Ensure material handling equipment (forklifts, pallet trucks, cranes, stackers) is maintained, inspected and operated only by authorised, trained personnel.
• Implement 5S and visual management across all stores.
• Comply with statutory and regulatory requirements (factory rules, hazardous storage rules, GST documentation, environmental and fire norms).
• Investigate incidents and near misses and close corrective actions.

Systems, Data Integrity and Reporting

• Ensure timely and accurate ERP transactions: GRN, issue, transfer, return, scrap, stock adjustment.
• Maintain accurate material master data in coordination with Planning and IT (description, UoM, storage location, batch management).
• Deploy and improve barcode, RFID, WMS and other digital tools for traceability and accuracy.
• Publish daily, weekly and monthly MIS: stock status, GRN pending, shortages, ageing, accuracy, issue turnaround and safety.

 

Audit Readiness, Cost Control and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain audit-ready records for internal, statutory, customer and certification audits (ISO, IATF, GMP, etc.); close audit observations on time.
• Control stores operating cost (manpower, equipment, packaging, handling losses, pilferage and shrinkage).
• Reduce handling damage, search time, double handling and material losses through Kaizen and lean tools.
• Standardise SOPs, work instructions and checklists for all stores activities.

People Leadership and Team Development

• Plan manpower and shifts to match inbound, issue and dispatch peaks.
• Set clear goals, review performance and coach store staff and supervisors.
• Train team members on ERP, material handling, safety, FIFO/FEFO and documentation discipline.
• Build backup and succession cover for critical roles; maintain discipline, engagement and ethical conduct.

KPIs by KRA

• The Stores and Warehouse function will be evaluated across 11 Key Result Areas (KRAs), with KPIs and indicative targets calibrated to the industry, plant maturity, and existing performance baseline.
• Receiving and Inbound Control will focus on completing Goods Receipt Note (GRN) postings within 24 hours, unloading vehicles within 2–3 hours, maintaining receiving accuracy of at least 99%,
• Reducing vehicle detention costs to zero or by 20% year-on-year, and reporting all material discrepancies to the Purchase team within 24 hours.

Storage, Location Control and Material Preservation

• Focus on maintaining at least 99% location accuracy, ensuring 100% FIFO/FEFO compliance, limiting expiry, damage, and deterioration losses to less than 0.2% of inventory value, maintaining space utilisation between 75% and 85%, and ensuring 100% proper labelling and material identification.
• Issue and Supply to Production will aim to fulfil material requisitions within 30–60 minutes, maintain issue accuracy of at least 99.5%, achieve zero production line stoppages due to delays in material issuance, ensure at least 99% of material issues and returns are posted in the ERP system on the same day, and maintain line-side stock adherence of at least 95%.

Inventory Accuracy and Control

• Focus on achieving overall inventory record accuracy of at least 98% and 99.5% for A-class items, completing 100% of planned cycle counts, keeping physical inventory variance below 0.1% of inventory value
• Closing discrepancies within three working days, and maintaining zero unauthorised stock movements. Replenishment and Shortage Management will require at least 98% of reorder alerts to be acted upon within one day, zero stock-out incidents for A-class items against active demand, daily shortage reporting to all relevant stakeholders, and safety stock compliance of at least 95%.

Slow-Moving, Obsolete and Scrap Management 

• Aim to limit slow-moving and obsolete inventory to less than 2%–3% of total inventory, issue monthly ageing reports by the fifth of each month, achieve at least 90% of planned slow-moving and obsolete (SLOB) stock disposal, ensure 100% reconciliation of scrap generated, recorded, and sold, and maintain complete approvals and documentation for all write-offs.
• Dispatch, Outbound and Documentation, wherever applicable, will focus on achieving dispatch accuracy of at least 99.5%, on-time dispatch performance of at least 98%, 100% accuracy in invoices, e-way bills, and delivery challans, transit damage claims below 0.5% of dispatches, and processing customer returns within three to five working days.

 

Safety, Housekeeping and Compliance

Will aim for zero lost-time incidents and statutory violations, 100% closure of reported near-miss corrective actions within 15 days, a minimum 5S audit score of 90%, 100% compliance with material-handling equipment fitness requirements and operator training, and completion of all planned safety training.

Systems, Data Integrity and Reporting

Focus on achieving at least 98% timely ERP transaction posting, eliminating pending GRNs and unbilled receipts aged beyond seven days, maintaining master data accuracy of at least 98%, ensuring 100% on-time submission of daily, weekly, and monthly MIS reports, and achieving digital transaction adoption of 80% or above, subject to the approved project plan.

Audit Readiness, Cost Control and Continuous Improvement 

Require zero major audit observations, closure of minor observations within 30 days, maintenance of stores operating costs within 2% of budget, control of shrinkage and pilferage to zero or below 0.05% of inventory value, completion of at least four measurable improvement projects annually, and 100% timely review and updating of SOPs.

People Leadership and Team Development

Focus on completing 100% of performance reviews on time, providing at least 20 training hours per team member annually, ensuring trained backups for at least 80% of critical roles, maintaining regretted attrition below 10%, and keeping absenteeism below 3% while ensuring zero major disciplinary cases.

What We’re Looking For

 Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, diploma in Materials Management or Logistics is an added advantage.
• Experience: 10 to 14 years in stores, warehousing or materials management in a manufacturing set-up, with at least 3 to 5 years leading a stores team, Hands-on experience with ERP-based inventory transactions (SAP MM/WM, Oracle or similar), Exposure to audit-driven environments (ISO, IATF, GMP, FDA or customer audits) preferred.
• Certifications (preferred): Certification in Warehouse and Inventory Management (for example CPIM or equivalent), Lean/5S/Kaizen training, and industrial safety certification.

 

Skills and Competencies

Technical skills

• Inventory control: ABC/XYZ analysis, min/max, reorder point, cycle counting, stock reconciliation
• Warehouse operations: FIFO/FEFO, layout and slotting, material handling equipment
• ERP proficiency and barcode/RFID/WMS usage
• Documentation and statutory knowledge: GRN, delivery challan, GST invoicing, e-way bill, gate pass
• Hazardous material storage and industrial safety standards
• 5S, lean, Kaizen and root cause analysis (5 Why, fishbone)
• Excel and MIS reporting

Behavioural competencies

• Integrity and strong control mindset
• Attention to detail and documentation discipline
• Ownership, accountability and urgency in supporting production
• Cross-functional coordination and communication
• Team leadership, coaching and discipline
• Problem solving under pressure

Why Armstrong Fluid Technology?

By joining us, you’ll become part of a global community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of fluid-flow technology while upholding Armstrong's commitment to sustainability. You’ll have endless opportunities to learn, grow, and make a significant impact on the world. Together, we'll build tomorrow’s solutions today.