What are the responsibilities and job description for the Demand Planner position at Wanzl North America?
Position Overview
The Demand Planner serves as a critical member of the Integrated Solutions Business Team, supporting the development, execution, and optimization of the overall supply chain. This role drives the logistics planning cycle, ensuring product availability across all WNA markets (U.S., Canada, and Mexico).
The Demand Planner partners with Sales, Finance, Purchasing, and Logistics to maintain accurate forecasting, inventory visibility, and on time product delivery. This position also plays a central role in developing early warning tools, exception reporting, root cause analysis, and mitigation planning to proactively address supply risks.
Company And Opportunity Overview
Wanzl North America’s (WNA) vision is to be a leading entrepreneurial player in terms of market share, agility, and game-changing solutions. WNA is a solution provider, creating value along the supply chain of our customers, from warehouse to customer delivery.
WNA includes the Technibilt and Cari-All brands, and is headquartered in Denver, North Carolina. With nearly 500 employees and 175 MUSD of sales, WNA focuses on the retail and distribution market segments with marquee customers such as Walmart, Amazon, and the majority of large grocers and retailers.
In addition to being the largest manufacturer of shopping carts in North America, WNA has three (3) additional main product segments as well as a Service business, providing turnkey solutions for customer guidance Access Systems, Shelving & Fixtures, as well as Material Handling products. Additionally, WNA is active in building a “digital” business line with products for shopping cart containment, smart exit gate technology, and solutions for autonomous and/or semi-autonomous retail stores.
WNA is part of the Wanzl group, headquartered in Germany, and has 12 plants in 8 countries, providing comprehensive, solutions-driven service and expert knowledge of local markets for customers across the globe through their 360° service.
Duties And Responsibilities
Demand & Supply Planning
The Demand Planner serves as a critical member of the Integrated Solutions Business Team, supporting the development, execution, and optimization of the overall supply chain. This role drives the logistics planning cycle, ensuring product availability across all WNA markets (U.S., Canada, and Mexico).
The Demand Planner partners with Sales, Finance, Purchasing, and Logistics to maintain accurate forecasting, inventory visibility, and on time product delivery. This position also plays a central role in developing early warning tools, exception reporting, root cause analysis, and mitigation planning to proactively address supply risks.
Company And Opportunity Overview
Wanzl North America’s (WNA) vision is to be a leading entrepreneurial player in terms of market share, agility, and game-changing solutions. WNA is a solution provider, creating value along the supply chain of our customers, from warehouse to customer delivery.
WNA includes the Technibilt and Cari-All brands, and is headquartered in Denver, North Carolina. With nearly 500 employees and 175 MUSD of sales, WNA focuses on the retail and distribution market segments with marquee customers such as Walmart, Amazon, and the majority of large grocers and retailers.
In addition to being the largest manufacturer of shopping carts in North America, WNA has three (3) additional main product segments as well as a Service business, providing turnkey solutions for customer guidance Access Systems, Shelving & Fixtures, as well as Material Handling products. Additionally, WNA is active in building a “digital” business line with products for shopping cart containment, smart exit gate technology, and solutions for autonomous and/or semi-autonomous retail stores.
WNA is part of the Wanzl group, headquartered in Germany, and has 12 plants in 8 countries, providing comprehensive, solutions-driven service and expert knowledge of local markets for customers across the globe through their 360° service.
Duties And Responsibilities
Demand & Supply Planning
- Lead the end-to-end demand and supply forecasting process with Sales and the Business Team to achieve inventory, WOS, and in-stock targets.
- Build short- and long-term demand forecasts by product category and align them with company financial targets.
- Analyze inventory, sales trends, historic performance, and WOS levels to support precise forecasting and inventory decisions.
- Provide Return to Forecast (RTF) availability confirmations, in transit visibility and work toward improving Forecast accuracy.
- Manage inventory WOS levels, supplier shipments, and product availability to ensure consistent fulfillment to North American customers.
- Monitor and report on potential supply disruptions, developing alternatives to mitigate risk and improve performance.
- Support new product introductions (NPI) through ramp up planning, lifecycle management, and resource allocation based on PLC needs.
- Respond to internal and external inquiries regarding product availability, order status, and shipment timelines.
- Upload and maintain Planned Independent Requirements (PIRs) in SAP S4/Hana for both new and existing products.
- Partner with Purchasing to confirm correct PO generation and supplier order placement.
- Communicate directly with suppliers and overseas production plants regarding production schedules and supply needs.
- Prepare materials and coordinate weekly SCM meetings as required.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure clear reporting of forecasts, risks, and business impacts.
- Generate regular reports highlighting critical supply and demand issues.
- Conduct exception reporting, post-mortem analysis, and develop mitigation action plans.
- Provide reliable data to support decision making across Sales, Finance, Purchasing, and Business Teams.
- Deliver presentations and communicate insights clearly to cross functional stakeholders.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 2–5 years of experience in Demand Planning, Inventory Allocation, or Order Processing.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (PivotTables, Macros, Index/Match), Outlook, and Office Suite.
- Experience with SAP S4/Hana required.
- Knowledge of INCOTERMS and commercial sales terms.
- Ability to read and interpret shipping and order documentation.
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and present recommendations effectively.
- Ability to travel internationally; valid passport required.
- Multilingual capability in Mandarin, Vietnamese, or Spanish is a plus.
- Comfortable working within a multicultural, global business environment.