Location:Wingfield, South Australia
Employment:Full Time
Reports To:Operations Manager / Managing Director

Role Purpose

The Stores & Inventory Manager is responsible for taking full ownership of Combo Industries' stores, inventory and material preparation systems.

The role exists to ensure that theright parts are available, in the right quantity, in the right location, at the right timeso production can operate efficiently without unnecessary delays.

This is a hands-on leadership and continuous-improvement role. The successful candidate will be expected not simply to operate the existing store, but to continually improve how materials are received, stored, replenished, picked and delivered to production.

A major focus of the position will be ensuring upcoming production jobs are fully picked and ready before they enter the workshop.

Key Responsibilities

Take ownership of the day-to-day operation and presentation of the stores area.

Establish clear storage locations and maintain a highly organised store.

Maintain accurate inventory records and stock locations.

Ensure incoming goods are received, checked, recorded and stored correctly.

Manage stock transfers, returns, damaged goods and discrepancies.

Maintain appropriate security and control over company inventory.

Ensure stores areas remain clean, organised and professional at all times.

Conduct regular cycle counts and coordinate stocktakes.

Investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies.

Production Job Picking

Review upcoming production requirements and prepare materials before jobs commence.

Interpret Bills of Materials (BOMs), drawings and production documentation.

Pick, consolidate and clearly identify parts for individual jobs.

Work towards having complete job kits prepared ahead of the production schedule.

Identify missing, incorrect or unavailable materials early enough for corrective action.

Communicate material shortages to Procurement, Engineering and Production.

Maintain designated job staging areas, trolleys or pallets for upcoming builds.

Prevent incomplete jobs from being released to production without transparent escalation.

Inventory & Reordering Systems

Work with our Procurement team to develop and maintain effective stock replenishment systems.

Establish minimum/maximum stock levels for regularly used components.

Implement reorder points and appropriate stockholding quantities.

Identify fast-moving, critical and long-lead-time components.

Reduce unnecessary emergency purchasing and material shortages.

Review stock usage and adjust inventory levels based on production requirements.

Work closely with Procurement to improve purchasing and material availability.

Identify obsolete, slow-moving or excess stock.

Interpret engineering BOMs and understand how they relate to physical production requirements.

Identify BOM errors,



omissions and inconsistencies.

Provide feedback to Engineering and Procurement where improvements are required.

Assist in developing standard parts lists for recurring products.

Help improve the connection between Engineering, Procurement, Stores and Production.

Ensure BOM changes are reflected in job kits and inventory requirements.

Champion 5S principles throughout the stores area.

Develop visual management systems including:

- clearly identified stock locations
- labelled shelving
- job staging areas
- quarantine areas
- visual stock controls

Regularly review stores processes and eliminate unnecessary handling, searching and movement.

Assist in developing standard operating procedures for key stores activities.

Participate in continuous-improvement activities across the business.

Promote a culture where problems are identified and permanently corrected rather than repeatedly worked around.

Production Support

Maintain close communication with Production regarding upcoming requirements.

Understand the production schedule and prioritise job picking accordingly.

Ensure production teams can quickly obtain commonly used consumables and components.

Respond quickly to genuine shortages while identifying the root cause of the problem.

Support the objective of having materials completely prepared before production begins.

Leadership & Accountability

Take personal ownership of the performance of the stores function.

Establish standards and maintain them consistently.

Train and develop other employees working within Stores.

Allocate and prioritise stores activities where additional staff are involved.

Promote accountability, accuracy and attention to detail.

Lead by example in housekeeping, organisation and process discipline.

Safety

Maintain safe storage and handling practices.

Ensure racking, materials and equipment are used appropriately.

Maintain clear walkways and work areas.

Ensure hazardous or controlled materials are stored appropriately.

Follow all WHS procedures and report hazards or incidents promptly.

Operate forklifts and material-handling equipment safely where required.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance in the role will be measured against outcomes including:

Production Readiness

Percentage of jobs completely picked before scheduled production start.

Number of production delays caused by missing materials.

Number of jobs staged ahead of the production schedule.

Inventory accuracy.

Frequency of stock-outs.





Emergency purchases caused by inventory shortages.

Cycle count accuracy.

Value of obsolete or unidentified stock.

BOM Accuracy

BOM discrepancies identified before production.

Reduction in repeated BOM and picking errors.

Accuracy of stock locations.

Job-picking accuracy.

Stores housekeeping standards.

Improvements implemented to stores and material-flow systems.

Reduction in unnecessary movement, searching and handling.

Development and maintenance of documented procedures.

What Success Looks Like

A successful Stores & Inventory Manager will create a stores function where:

Every component has a defined location.

Stock quantities can be trusted.

Critical components are automatically replenished before they run out.

Upcoming jobs are picked and staged before they reach production.

Missing materials are discovered days or weeks before they can stop a build.

BOM problems are identified and fed back into Engineering.

Workshop employees are not wasting time searching for parts.

Stores remain clean, organised and visually controlled.

Problems trigger system improvements rather than becoming accepted as normal.

Skills & Experience

Previous experience in stores, warehousing, inventory control or materials management.

Experience within manufacturing, engineering, automotive, fabrication or a similar production environment.

Strong understanding of inventory-control principles.

Ability to read and interpret Bills of Materials.

High level of organisation and attention to detail.

Experience using ERP, MRP or inventory-management systems.

Ability to prioritise work based on production requirements.

Strong problem-solving ability.

Demonstrated willingness to take ownership of an area and improve it.

Highly Regarded

Experience with 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System or similar continuous-improvement methodologies.

Experience implementing Kanban, two-bin, minimum/maximum or other replenishment systems.

Experience with engineering drawings and technical components.

Experience creating standard operating procedures.

Previous supervisory or team leadership experience.

Manufacturing production-planning experience.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who:

Takes pride in running an exceptionally organised store.

Likes structure, systems and order.

Notices when things are out of place and fixes them.

Does not accept recurring shortages as normal.

Enjoys developing better ways of doing things.

Is practical and comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.

Communicates clearly with Engineering, Procurement and workshop employees.

Takes ownership and follows problems through to resolution.

Understands that Stores is a critical part of production, not simply somewhere parts are kept.

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📌 Stores & Inventory Manager (Port Adelaide)
🏢 Combo Industries
📍 Port Adelaide