Balaji Manoharan
Supply Chain Manager
Ajax,ON
Summary
Results-driven Supply Chain Strategy Manager with 15+ years of global experience in automotive and medical industries. Expertise in developing and executing customer-centric supply chain strategies aligned with organizational goals, driving procurement initiatives, managing global vendor relationships, leading cost-reduction and value engineering initiatives, mitigating risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance while delivering reliable, high-quality supply solutions.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
4
4
Languages
Work History
Supply Chain Manager
FLEXTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES
Toronto, Ontario
01.2013 - Current
- Supply Chain Manager (2020-Current)
- Led regular negotiations (Semi-Annual / Annual Reprice) with customers to ensure competitive pricing, manage account-specific pricing, and maintain control over customer-controlled pricing terms. Executed customer contractual terms related to excess inventory and obsolescence.
- Developed and executed a comprehensive supply chain strategy aligned with organizational objectives, ensuring customer satisfaction while maximizing asset velocity and inventory turnover. Managed risk exposure for both the company and the customer, optimizing the overall supply chain performance.
- Led the implementation of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) programs, working closely with suppliers and customers to improve inventory management and reduce stock-outs, ultimately enhancing supply chain efficiency.
- Collaborated with the Global Commodity Management team to drive strategic procurement initiatives that supported cost-reduction goals for both internal stakeholders and customers. Successfully project-managed these initiatives, coordinating with internal teams and maintaining strong communication with external partners.
- Aggregated data from materials management, global commodity management, and Business Unit supply chain activities to generate consolidated sourcing documents. These documents facilitated strategic sourcing decisions that maximized supply flexibility and aligned with cost and performance objectives.
- Engage and develop a strong network with decision makers/key influencers with customer community and partner community.
- Elevated account management by predicting potential competitive threats and outlining proactive solutions
- Supported the introduction of new programs for customers, collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop price projections and ensure competitive pricing. Engaged with Product Costing teams during the quotation process to ensure alignment with supply chain strategies and material profitability.
- Provided supply chain guidance during New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts, collaborating with procurement teams to ensure smooth integration of customer-specific requirements into the supply chain.
- Ensured adherence to the highest ethical standards in all aspects of supply chain management, aligning operations with company corporate policies and legal regulations.
- Drive weekly meeting with customer engineer to drive and prioritize alternate qualification to avoid shortage and supply risk.
- Increase cost savings to customer through supplier negotiation and alternate qualification.
- Work closely with customer to implement COI and NCNR program.
- Drive meeting with supplier and site to implement programs to optimize inventory turnover while mitigating inventory exposure & reducing risk for both Flex and our customer.
- Addressed problems with accounting, billing, and service delivery to maintain and enhance client satisfaction.
- Advance Sourcing: (2013-2019)
- Work with design engineers to gather technical, quality, regulatory and testing requirements and create sourcing strategy for Automotive & Medical design projects.
- Identify suppliers for components, manage quotation and complete supplier sourcing.
- Perform value engineering and value analysis for cost reduction and to assure supply chain continuity.
- Experience in Tear down analysis, sleep apnea in Singapore.
- Comprehensive experience in automotive qualification AEC grade, PPAP, TS16949 & medical FDA requirements.
- Drive cost review with customers to discuss on the target vs actual cost, impact on total due to changes in the BOM, review key cost drivers and to set action based on customer expectations.
- Developing risk assessment by identifying points of risk based on special requirements of the projects and create risk mitigation strategy.
- DATA & ANALYTICS
- Overseeing supply chain operations effectiveness for Automotive & Medical segment by constant roll-up of information on business performance to upper management.
Buyer
HCL TECHNOLOGIES LTD
12.2010 - 01.2013
- Creating different types of purchase orders based on planning requirements for commodity types like optics, PCB, cables, electronics components, software, and Machining Parts & equipment's.
- PR to PO, OOR, MRB Validation and communication.
- Involved in strategic sourcing and driving deflation.
- Work with suppliers to get prices on parts and services supplied to site by sending RFQ's and RFP's.
- Responsible for Sourcing new vendors, negotiation, and procurement activities.
- Liaising with supplier and client to resolve product, price, shipment, delivery payment, receipts, related issues.
Desktop Support Engineer
CARE IT SOLUTION (CLIENT - STANDARD CHARTERED BANK)
01.2010 - 08.2010
- Ensuring proper Installing, configuring, and troubleshooting of various banking application /software's through RADIA.
- Moving clients/servers to proper OU in AD and WSUS
Education
Master of Technology - Microelectronics
BITS Pilani
Rajasthan, India07-2021
B.E - Electronics and Communications Engineering
Anna University
Chennai, Tamilnadu, India06-2009
Skills
EMS, Contract Manufacturing
Strategy Sourcing, Product development
Customer-Aligned Supply Chain Strategy Deployment
Asset Velocity & Inventory Exposure Optimization
Excess & Obsolescence (E&O) Contract Execution
Customer Pricing Strategy & Re-Price Negotiations
Materials Cost Optimization & Profitability Enhancement
VAVE Analysis, Alternate scouting
Category 1, 2 & 3; FFF replacement
New Product Introduction (NPI) Supply Chain Support
Quotation Materials Strategy & Priced BOM Alignment
AEC, PPAP, TS16949
Medical ISO 13485; Class I, II & III product portfolios
Accomplishments
- One Titanium award for cost reduction opportunity during allocation state.
- Two Platinum award for cost reduction achievement.
- Four Team award for EE forum, Mechanical forum & select tool support.
- Received Best Performance award for AMJ'12 quarter. (HCL)
Timeline
Supply Chain Manager
FLEXTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES
01.2013 - Current
Buyer
HCL TECHNOLOGIES LTD
12.2010 - 01.2013
Desktop Support Engineer
CARE IT SOLUTION (CLIENT - STANDARD CHARTERED BANK)
01.2010 - 08.2010
B.E - Electronics and Communications Engineering
Anna University
Master of Technology - Microelectronics
BITS Pilani