Charles Gelfand

Biography

  CHARLES GELFAND is a Purchasing and Materials professional with over twenty years experience in a manufacturing environment.   His skill set is both diverse and cross-functional, covering the purchasing, materials and logistics functions of multiple manufacturing sites both domestically and internationally. He has expertise in both domestic and global sourcing, in negotiating prices and terms and conditions and in contracting.He has implemented a system to measure both quality and delivery and used this tool to manage the supply base. And He is proficient in managing inventories to reduce costs and meet both internal and external customers’ needs. He has been involved, hands on, in new product launches, in transferred programs, in plant openings and in plant rationalizations and moves. He has led and served on cross-corporate teams designed to take advantage of multi-plant leverage and still allow point of purchase control. He helped design a ‘quick quote" model which greatly increased response time to customers. I mentored a minority firm to help increase diversity. I have implemented both new and replacement MRP systems and have a strong understanding of BOM structures. He can read blue prints and have worked with engineering on material selection and supplier process understanding. And I am experienced in Quality, Program Management and Continuous Improvement activities. The commodities He has managed cover a vast range. Steel, stampings, chemicals, fasteners, outside processes such as chrome plating and painting, plastic resins, castings, foam laminated vinyl and cloths, leather, machined parts, injection molded parts and paints are all included, as are fixtures, molds, capital equipment, MRO and office equipment and supplies. And He makes it a point to understand not only the processes by which these things are made but their cost drivers as well so He is on firm ground in negotiating lowest total costs. He is committed, ethical and flexible and I thrive on high activity. 

Research Interest

 Purchasing, process improvement, manufacturing, automotive.