CHAPTER-II

MATERIALS MANAGEMENT-A CONCEPTUAL AND

FUNCTIONAL FRAMEWORK
2.L INTRODUCTION
2.2. FIVE M'S
2.3. DEFINITIONS AND MEANING OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
2.4. OBJECTIVES OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
2.5. SCOPE AND FUNCTONS OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
2.6. INTERGATED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
2.6.1. Introduction
2.6.2. Need for Integrated Concept
2.6.3. Advantages of Integrated Materials Management
2.7.RELATIVE STATUS OF THE MATERIALS MANAGERS AND
ORGANISATION OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
2.8.DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF PURCHASING AND MATERIALS
MANAGER
2.9. INTERDEPARTMENTAL RELATIONSHIP
2.10. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERLAJLS
2.10.1. Need for Classification and Identification of Materials
2.10.2: Classification of Materials -General Classification
2.10.3. Classification According to Condition of Materials
2.10.4 Importance of Materials Planning
2.10.4.1 Definition of Materials Planning
2.10.4.2 Flowchart for Materials Planning
2.11. INVENTORY CONTROL AND STORE KEEPING
2.11.1 Introduction to Inventory Control
2.11.2. Importance and Scope of Inventory Control

2.11.3. Objectives of Store Keeping

2.11.4. Functions of Storekeeper
2.11.5. Features of Successful Store Keeping
2.11.6. Relationship of Store Department with Other Departments
2.12. PURCHASEING OF MATERIALS
2.12.1. Introduction

CHAPTER-II

P/^T; I

MATERIALS MANAGEMENT -A CONCEPTUAL AND

FUNCTIONAL FRAMEWORK
2.L INTRODUCTION
Materials management is a total concept involving an organizational structure
unifying into a single responsibility, the systematic flow and control of material
from identification of the need through customer delivery.

^ . / . -O l\QC\

The definition of materials management given above has been accepted by the
International Federation of Purchasing and Materials Management.
Included within this concept are the material functions of planning, scheduling,
buying, storing, moving and distributing.

These are logically represented by

disciplines of production and inventory control, purchasing and physical

distribution.

Kuvempu University Library

Jnana Sahvaaii, Shankarcahatta
The objective of materials management is to contribute to increased

profitability by coordinated achievement of least materials cost. This is done

through optimizing capital investment, capacity and personnel, consistent with the
appropriate customer service level. Another definition adopted by the National
Association of Purchasing Management (USA) reads as follows.
Materials management is an organizational concept in which a single
manager has authority and responsibility for all activities, principally concerned
with the flow of materials into an organization. (Purchasing, production, planning
and scheduling, incoming traffic, inventory control, receiving and stores normally
are included).
In the annals of Material Management, very richly it has been described as
Last Goldmine.

The success of an organization actually rests in the way it

manages the inputs. The substantial amount of project cost and time can be
managed only by adopting the sound principles of Material Management. Over
the years, industry and business have seen innovators, some conceived radically
61

new ideas in the manufacturing technology, in finance and marketing while others
concentrated on the use of human resources in the industrial environment. Material
Management is one of the recent additions to the glossary of Management and its
objective is to contain materials costs on all fronts and to optimize the overall end
results.
In this chapter researcher attempts to present a conceptual and functional
framework of material management.
2.2. FIVE M'S
Historically the five M's of an industrial organization viz., Men, Machines,
Money, Materials, and Methods have shifted their positions from time to time in
their relative importance. In the early days, the focus was men as they were the
main source of productive power. In the course of time, the emphasis shifted
towards machines, which became the main source of industrial power. As years
went by, the methods of production became more complex and in order to manage
the complicated manufacturing system, efficient management became necessary.
Naturally, the attention was shifted to scientific management. The oil crisis of the
1970's changed the priorities of industrialists all over the world. The
unprecedented hike in the oil prices and consequent heavy budged allocations on
oil made the captains of industrial establishments take note of one of the Ms, viz.,
money. Materials as an input in production systems started receiving attention of
the industrialists from 1900 onwards. Earlier to this, materials were taken for
granted as they presented no major problem with regard to either supply or cost.
Since the beginning of 20* century, materials have been occupying a place of the
importance among the M's and this will continue to be so in the years to come.
Such being the importance of materials, it is desirable, for an industrial
establishment to have a centralized authority vested with the responsibility of
planning, procuring, preserving, handling, usage and other related aspects. Such a
62

centralized authority wherein, all related activities of materials are combined is

called integrated materials management or simply the materials management.
Bailey and Farmer define materials management as the management of the flow of
materials into an organization to the point, where, those materials are converted
into the firm's end products.
2.3. DEFINITIONS AND MEANING OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
Materials management has been defined in several ways. Some of the
important definitions are as follows:
(i) Materials Managements is the "management of the flow of materials into an
organization to the point, where, those materials are converted into the firm's end
product(s)."

(Bailey andFarmer) ..

(ii) Materials management is the "process by which an organization is supplies

with goods and services that it needs when the material is either consumed or
incorporated into some product. The executives, who engage in materials
management, are concerned with three basic activities viz., buying, storage of
materials and movement".

(Ammer)

(iii) Materials management is "a confederacy of traditional materials activities

bound by a common idea-the idea of an integrated management approach to
planning, acquisition, conversion, fiow and distribution of production materials
fi"om the raw materials stage to the finished product stage."

(Lee andDobler )

(iv) Materials management is "the grouping of management functions related to

the complete cycle of materials flow, from the purchase and internal control of
production materials to the planning and control of work-in- process to the
warehousing, shipping and distribution of finished product. It differs from
materials control in that the latter term, traditionally is limited to the internal

63

control of production on materials". (American production and inventory control

society)
The key word in this definition are, Materials flow-in order for raw materials to
be converted into a finished product ,materials must flow through a production or
manufacturing process.
(v) Materials management is "the function responsible for the coordination of
planning, sourcing, purchasing, moving, storing, preserving and controlling
materials in an optimum manner so as to provide a pre-determined service to the
customer at minimum cost."

(P. GopalaKrishnan and MSundaresan)

(vi) Materials management is "an organizational concept in which a single

manager has authority and responsibility for all activities, principally concerned
with the flow of materials into an organization. It includes purchasing, production
planning and scheduling, incoming traffic, inventory control, receiving and
stores".
(vii)

(National Association ofPurchasingManagement, USA)

Materials management is "a total concept involving an organizational

structure unifying into a single responsibility, the systematic flow and control of
materials from identification of the need through delivery to customers".
Included within this concept are materials functions of planning, scheduling,
purchasing, storing, moving and distributing. These are logically represented by
the disciplines of production and inventory control, purchasing and physical
distribution.
The objectives of materials management is to contribute to increased profitability
by coordinated achievement of least materials cost. This is done through
optimizing capital investment, capacity and personal, consistent with appropriate

64

customer service level". (International Federation of Purchasing and Materials

Management)
From the above definitions it is clear that, Materials Management deals with
planning, executing and controlling the flow of material in relation to changes in
variables like demand, price, availability, quality, delivery, schedules etc.
Materials Management encompasses all activities concerned with the materials
except those directly cormected with designing and manufacturing the product.
Materials Management is a basic function of the business that adds value directly
to the product itself Materials Management is the process of management which
coordinates, supervises and executes the task associated with flow materials to,
through and out of an organization. Materials Management consists of planning,
directing, coordinating and controlling those activities which are concerned with
materials and inventory requirements from the point of their inception to their
introduction into the manufacturing process. Thus, it begins with the determination
of quality and quantity of materials and with the issue of materials to production to
meet customer's demand as per schedule and at the lowest cost
2.4. OBJECTIVES OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
There are at least nine objectives of materials management, each in some way
or the other contributes to the achievement of some overall company objectives. If
the contribution is direct, the objective may be called 'primary'. If the contribution
is indirect (materials department assisting some other department), the objectives
may be called 'secondary'. Primary or secondary, the main focus of materials
management is to procure right materials in the right quality, of right quantity, at
the right time, bought from the right source and at right prices.
Primary Objectives: There are at least nine primary objectives of Materials
Management. Economic procurement, proper store keeping, a physical upkeep,
timely distribution, store accounting, continuity of supply, consistency of quality,
65

low payroll cost, favorable relations with suppliers, development of personnel and
good records.
Low Prices: Obtaining the least possible for purchased materials is the most
obvious purchasing objective and certainly one of the most important. If the
purchasing department reduces the prices of the items it buys, operating costs are
reduced and profits are enhanced. This objective is important for all purchases of
materials and services, including transportation.
High inventory turnover: When inventories are low in relation to sales, less
capital is tied up in inventories. This in turn, increases the efficiency with which,
the company's capital is utilized so that, return on investments is higher. Also,
storage and carrying costs of inventories are lower when the turnover is high.
Low cost acquisition and possession: If materials are handled and stored
efficiently, their real cost is lower. Acquisition and possession costs are low, when
the receiving and stores departments operate efficiently. They are also reduced
when shipments are received in relatively large quantities (thereby, reducing the
unit cost of handling), but they are increased if the average inventories are boosted
with the large shipments.
Continuity of supply: When there are disruptions in continuity of supply, excess
costs are inevitable. Production costs go up; excess expediting and transportation
cost are likely, and so on. Continuity of supply is particularly important for highly
automated processes, where, costs are rigid and must be incurred even when
production stops because of in availability of material.
Consistency of quality: As pointed out earlier, quality of the end product depends
on materials that go into it. When materials purchased are homogeneous and in a
primitive stage (e.g., sand and gravel), quality is rarely a problem for purchasing
66

personnel. When a variety of items of different qualities are needed and meeting
rigid specifications becomes a challenge to suppliers (e.g., components of
satellite), quality may become the single most important materials management
objectives.
Low payroll costs: The objective of low payroll costs is common to every
organization. The lower the payroll, higher the profits-all other factors being equal
because, no department can do its job without a payroll, the objective of low
payroll must be viewed in its proper perspective. It pays to spend $1.00 on
additional payroll if earnings can thereby be boosted to $1.01 through achieving
other objectives.
Favorable supplier relations: Maintaining cordial relations with suppliers benefits
the buying company in more than one way. In the first place, a company with
good reputation in supplier relations is more likely to attract customers than the
one with a bad name. Secondly, the product development and research efforts to
suppliers are passed on to the company provided the latter maintains good
relations with the former. Thirdly, the materials manager is often faced with the
problem of last minute cancellation of existing commitments because of a sudden
shift in the demand for materials. Co-operative supplies can do much to help the
manager solve such problems.
Development of personnel: 'If you want to plan for a year, plant com. If you
want to plan for 30 years, plant a tree. But, if you want to plan for 100 years, plant
men'. So goes a Chinese proverb. Every head of the department in the
organization should understand this saying and take personal interest in
developing the personnel working under him. Each department head should spot
the potential leaders among the men and women employed in his department and
encourage them to develop into fiiture executives, and the company's fiiture
profits will depend on the talents of its managers.
67

Good records; Good records are considered a primary objective of materials

management, particularly in the procurement phase of the materials management.
Buyers spend company money and can be subjected to tremendous temptation.
Although, perhaps 99% of all buyers are above corruption, the opportunity does
exist. Good records, along with well-planned administrative controls and periodic
audits can discourage corruption. They also partly remove the onus of suspicion
from a completely honest individual, working at a job that is popularly associated
with graft and corruptions.
Secondary Objectives
Secondary objectives of materials management are not limited in number or
in scope as primary objectives. Since, they represent the materials management's,
contribution to the achievement of primary objectives of some other departments;
they can vary widely from industry to industry. There are literally hundreds of
possible secondary objectives in materials management. More, among them are
reciprocity, new materials and products, economic make-or-buy decisions,
promotion of standardization, product improvement, good inter-departmental
relations, accurate economic forecasts and alertness to possible acquisitions.
Locating new source of supply, vendor development, variety reduction,
standardization to quality control, value analysis, and value analysis for the
development of human skills.
Reciprocal relations: When a company deliberately buys as much as possible
from its own customers, it is said to practice reciprocity. In consumer goods
industries, reciprocity is not a problem as the sales are spread among many users.
In producer goods industries, however, reciprocity is a fact of business life. A
company, that is a customer, inevitably wants to become a supplier. The
purchasing manager must impress upon the marketing manager and everybody

68

else that, the reciprocal relationship with the customer is in the best interest of the
company.
New Materials and products: Engineering and manufacturing managers are
always interested in new products and materials that will help them more
efficiently and thereby achieve one of their primary objectives. The purchasing
department can help because it deals regularly with the suppliers responsible for
the new developments.
Economic make-or-buy: Make-or-buy decisions are generally made by
committees consisting of departmental heads. The purchasing manager should spot
the need for a make-or-buy decision and refer it to the committee for action.
Standardization: The fewer the items that need be controlled, the simpler and
more efficient does the materials management processes become. Thus, it is to the
interest of the materials personnel to promote standardization and simplification of
specifications. The engineering groups are primarily responsible for the standards
of specifications, but materials management personnel can make a substantial
contribution. They can review stock, to weed out non-standard items, they can
promote the incorporation of the standard components into product designs to
reduce cost, and they can promote standardization with suppliers.
Product improvement; This is the most important primary objective of
engineering department but the purchasing department can assist the engineering
department. Their economic knowledge can supplement the technical skills of the
engineers on programmes to boost profits through product change. The
engineering of any product is basically a comprise between

design and economic

objectives. Purchasing personnel can help engineers achieve their design

objectives more economically by suggesting materials or components that will do
a better or equivalent job at lower cost.
69

Inter-departmental harmony: Materials management department deals with

almost all departments in the company. It can greatly contribute to the success of
every other department and at the same time, the success of materials management
department depends on co-operation from the personnel of the other departments.
Most materials managers are aware of the need for good inter-departmental
relations. To prevent disputes, they are careful to defme departmental
responsibilities clearly and also try to familiarize others with materials directives,
policies and organization.
Forecasts: In order to manage materials better, some conception of the future
outlook for prices, costs and general business activity is necessary. In large
companies, professional economists make forecasts that are used for both sales
and purchase planning. Purchasing managers translate these general forecasts into
specific forecasts for purchased materials. They may also provide the economists
with data for forecasts because, more than any other group in the company, they
are intimately familiar with the market and general business conditions through
their daily contacts with suppliers.
In the smaller company that, cannot afford a staff of professionals, the
materials manager can double as a company economist. In such a case, good
forecasts become a primary, not a secondary objective of materials management.
Acquisitions; Business acquisitions and mergers are common. Acquisition is
taken as one of the ways of business expansion. It is no easy job to identify a
possible candidate for acquisition and then to make the necessary overtures for
eventual merger. A purchasing manager can play useful role in take-over bids
because of his wide contacts with the executives of other companies.

70

2.5. SCOPE AND FUNCTONS OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT

While the field of materials management covers all aspects of material costs,
supply and utilization, opinion is divided as to what functions should be included
under the unified working of materials manager.
In the opinion of experts on materials management, the following eleven functions
may come under the headship of materials manager.
1. Materials planning and sourcing.
2. Purchasing
3. Stores keeping
4. Inventory plarming
5. Receiving, warehousing and transportation
6. Value analysis and pre-desigri value analysis
7. Standardization and variety reduction
8. Production planning and production control
9. Vendor development
10. Material handling
11. Disposal of scrap and surplus
The production plarming and production control has been included under
the materials management because for manufacturing a huge quantity of
finished product (big industry), a large number of components are purchased
from sub-contracting for end-use or for final assemblies. Sub-contracting and
vendor development is best known by materials manager.
The materials manager should not be burdened with value analysis,
codification of stores, material handlings, etc. Many experts believe that these
should be separate staff functions. However, these functions caimot be, by
their very nature, independent of materials manager.

71

The function of disposal of obsolete items, scrap and surplus is best done by
materials manager who is familiar with market trends of all materials.
Some of the important functions of material management are briefly^
discussed below:
Material Planning: Involves setting up of consumption standards for working out
the requirements of a given production programme. Deciding whether to make or
buy considering the financial aspects, manufacturing capacity, availability and
dependability of outside sources, laying down procurement standards and
specifications valve analysis, standardization etc.
Scheduling; Detailing the receipt of items to meet the procurement lead time
availability or scarcity of materials, economic lot sizes, etc., this involves follow
up of actual deliveries against the schedules and taking special action for
expediting in case of any other short fall.
Inventory Control: To ensure that stock-outs don't occur for want of materials
and able to minimize the inventory holding. Selective control or ABC analysis,
analysis of lead times, rejection rates consumption rates, costs and other relevant
factors to determine safety minimum and maximum levels re-order level etc.,
maintenance of central stock records to ensure better control.
Purchasing and Sub-Contracting; Locating and development of sources of
supply, market research for purchasing negotiating prices, calling for tenders,
selection of suppliers, issue of purchase orders, vendor rating, preparations of
material budgets etc.
Warehousing and Material Budgeting; Involves receiving of materials moving
them to stores after inspection return of rejected materials of any proper and
adequate storage facilities to ensure minimum retrading, provision of suitable
material handling equipment like cranes, hoists, forklifts, conveyor systems, etc.,
72

suitable warehousing arrangement to eliminate fire hazard, loss due to pilferage

and determination in storage.
Salvage and Disposal of Scrap and Surpluses: Investigating into cases of
surpluses and obsolescence and to find out alternative uses or otherwise disposal
and also to minimize recurrence of the same, aggregation if different types of
swarf and scrap so that maximum prices could be obtained while disposing off.
Stores Management: Involves stores layout, improvement of storage system,
stores control of terms of receipt and issues of materials, maintenance or stores
records and stores accounting.
A.K.ChitaIe and R.C.Gupta have brought out all the functions of materials
management under four broad activities. The following table gives the broad four
activities of material management and brief description of all those activities.

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TABLE 2.1.
A BRIEF OUTLINE OF ACTIVIITES OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
Activity
(1) Inventory control

Description
Planning and maintaining levels of raw
materials, tools, general supplies, etc.
Keeping a watch on in-process and finished
goods inventory.
inventory

control

Applying selective
methods

calculating

economic order quantities and economic

manufacture quantities, doing simulation to
work out when to order and how much to
order.

Doing

material

requirement

planning in case of dependent demand

inventory.
Developing
(2) Purchasing

vendors

for

supply

of

components, sub-assembly and also for

other items such as supplies, assisting
design department in standardization, value
analysis, advising and disposal of surplus
and scrap.

Procurement of materials at

right time in right quantities from right

source, right quality, etc.
(3)Storekeeping

Receiving, storing and issuing as well as

material handling in stores.
Receiving

(4) Traffic or carrying and forwarding

inbound

incoming
logistics

materials
and

carrying

called
for

outbound logistics.

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2.6. INTERGATED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

2.6.1. Introduction
Materials

management

serves various

functionsmaterials

planning,

purchasing, receiving, stores, material handling, inventory control, scrap and

surplus disposal, etc. These functions in isolation yield optimal results, e.g.
purchasing will be interested in availing quantity discounts and buy maximum
material on one batch. On the other hand, stores will be interested in keeping
stocks to the minimum. Objectives of materials management are in conflict and
one single top manager should be permitted to take decisions in consultation with
CEO.

The three vital functions of materials management, namely materials

planning and control, purchasing and stores and inventory control should be
handled by managers reporting to the vice-president of materials. However, it
should be noted that even in the USA, only 60 per cent industries follow integrated
materials management.
According to Peter Drucker, the management guru, a good organization chart
is vital for the success of any organization. If the organization chart is not
properly designed, then, even with good personnel, it becomes difficult to achieve
the objectives. Accompanying diagram in Fig. 2.1 is the organization chart with
materials manager occupying a position of vice-president, then both managers of
purchasing and storage report to vice-president of materials. The VP material is
responsible for planning and execution of various objectives of the materials
management.

75

VP
Marketin

VP
Production

VP
material

Manager
Traffic

Manager
Purchasin

Buyer

Chaser

VP
finance

Receipt

VPD&D
D&D

Manager
stores and
preservation

Supervisor

0.A

Incoming

VP
HRM

Manager
Inventory
control and
accounting

Manager
disposal

Record
Overseer

Supervisor

VP
finance

Dispatch

Issue
record

Analyst

Accoun
tant

Maitenance
Supdtdisposal
auction

Crew

Crew

Crew

FIGUTR 2.1 Organization chart for integrated materials management

2.6.2. Need for Integrated Concept

Having recognized the importance of the materials management function, let
us now see why an integrated approach is necessary. Various functions served by
materials management include the materials planning, purchasing, receiving,
stores, inventory control, scrap and surplus disposal. If some of these functions
are separately handled, there is a chance of a conflict of interests. Purchasing
department, if allowed to operate independently, may take decisions which result
in sub-optimization.

For example, under a separate set-up, the purchase

76

department may treat discount as a very important factor and buy large quantities
to avail of the discount without taking into account its impact on the warehousing
and carrying costs. In other words, we need to achieve optimum results for the
organization as a whole. An expansion, for example, will require planning for the
increased requirements, developing new sources, revision in inventory levels,
apart from the increased load in receipt of material, inspection and storing.
In an integrated set-up, the materials manager who is responsible for all such
inter-related functions, is in a position to exercise control and coordinate with an
overview that ensures proper balance of the conflicting objectives of the individual
functions. Integration also helps in the rapid transfer of data through effective and
informal communication channels. This is crucial as the materials management
function usually involves handling a vast amount of data. Therefore, integrating
the various functions ensures that message channels are shortened and the various
functions identify themselves to a common materials management department,
which, in turn, results in greater coordination and better control.
2.6.3. Advantages of Integrated Materials Management
Organizations, which have gone in a big way for the integrated materials
management, usually enjoy many advantages.

While in the past in many

organizations inventory control, purchase, stores and movement were grouped into
two or three departments, it is now being realized all over the world that a
combined set-up is the best from the coordination point of view, efficient working
and cost reduction.

The modem nomenclature for this set-up is 'Integrated

Materials Department' and the various advantages of such a unified setup are
given below. These advantages, according to the authors, help in achieving the
objectives of materials management by the company in a better way. These are
also listed by Gopalakrishnan and N.K. Nair.

77

1. Better

accountability:

Through

centralization

of

authority

and

responsibility for all aspects of materials function, a clear-cut accountability is

established. Various user departments can direct their problems with regard to
materials to one central point so that action can be taken immediately. This
helps in evaluating the performance of materials management in an objective
manner.
2. Better coordination: When a central materials manager is responsible for
all functions, the departments under the materials manager create an identity,
which is common.

This results in better support and cooperation in the

accomplishment of the materials function. The user departments also find that
they have to approach one department for discussing and solving then:
materials problems. This creates an atmosphere of trust and generally betters
relations between the user departments and the materials management
department.
3. Better performance: As all the interrelated functions are integrated
organizationally, greater speed and accuracy results in communication. Need
for materials are promptly brought to notice by materials planning. Purchase
department is fed with stock levels and order status by stores or by inventory
control departments. All this calls for judicious decisions leading to lower
costs, better inventory turnover, reduced stock-outs, reduced lead time and a
general reduction in paper work.
4. Adaptability to EDP: The centralization of the materials function has
made it possible to design data processing systems. All information with
regard to material function is centralized under the integrated materials
management fiinction. This has facilitated the collection, collation and
analysis of data, leading to better decisions. Advanced and efficient electronic
data processing systems can be economically introduced under an integrated
set-up.

78

5. Procurement at the right time: The principal objective of materials

management is to obtain raw materials, tools, general supplies, etc, at the right
time. This involves recoupment on time by inventory control, processing the
purchase order and follow-up by purchase section; sending shortage reports by
inventory control as well as by stores at different stages; clearing the goods
from docks, railways or road transport offices in the case of purchases from
distant sources; checking and taking materials into finished stock by stores, etc.
The combined set-up brings about greater coordination and increased sense of
responsibility with regard to getting materials at the right time. This avoids
passing the buck between purchasing and stores.
N.K. Nair has highlighted further benefits of what he calls combined
purchasing and stores department which is nothing but integrated materials
management.
6. Improved Inventory control: Variations that may occur in delivery time,
its effect on inventory and production, the necessity of adjusting the minimum
and maximum levels on inventory will be better understood by integrated
approach which fosters better understanding between purchase and stores.
7. Increased productivity:

Productivity is the ratio between input and

output. As far as materials management is concerned, it implies reduction of

costs and increase in profit.

Materials management tools such as value

analysis, standardization, simplification, reduction of procurement cost by bulk

order, reduction of investment and carrying cost by

staggered

rate of

delivery, avoiding obsolescence, control over consumption of materials, etc.

enhance productivity. Some factors such as procurement cost and carrying
cost pull in opposite directions and complicate the issues of materials
management. Therefore, the solution, which will curb the conflicting interests,
can be to have a common department head. Integrated approach results in a
better solution.
79

8. Control of price: The price depends upon the quantity. If the decision
regarding the quantity to be bought rests with a separate department, the work
of the purchase officer is handicapped.

In a combined department, the

department head is in a position to negotiate the price on the basis of the

present and future requirements and acceptable delivery. Advantages of price
break can be availed of after proper analysis through price break mathematical
model under the guidance of the department head, materials.
9. Improved Inventory control: One of the main objectives of materials
management is to keep inventory at a low level. This can be achieved by
staggering delivery and control of Safety stock. There should be close coordination between inventory control and purchase. In a combined inventory
control and purchase, the head of the department is in a position to see that
material requisition is raised on time.
10. Dead stock: Dead stock will often come to the notice of a common
department head during his supervision to the stores, and this facilitates quick
disposal action.
11. Effective classification and codification: The classification and
codification work requires through knowledge of the materials and their
application or use. Often this calls for actual examination of the materials in
the stores and consultation of the papers received in the purchase section. For
large industries involving multitudes of items, codification project is very
important and usefiil. Many times the help of an outside consultant is needed
to complete the job.
12. Heavy packages; Handling of receipts, particularly heavy packages, is
simplified when the stores and purchase sections are combined.

When

separate, the stores often gets advice regarding unloading too late which
creates problems, pressure and irritation.

80

13. Assurance of verifying right materials: In the integrated approach the

vice-president materials gets opportunity to see what is being supplied against
his orders and to assure that he receives the right material for the money paid.
14. Better focus on urgent materials: In an integrated set-up, a single
executive is the head of both the stores and purchase. This enables him to
understand the urgency of various purchases. From daily reports, he gets first
hand information regarding materials which have arrived, and therefore he is in
a position to expedite issue of urgent materials.
15^ Quick return of defective: The integrated set-up monitors quicker return
and replacement of rejected materials and takes action accordingly.
16. Better utilization of stores space: Although bulk purchases may be an
advantage for better price, it may create storage difficulties. If Stores and
purchase are separate, such a factor is likely to be overlooked.
17. Reduced paperwork: In a combined set-up, the inventory control will be
adjacent to the purchase section. This enables the purchase section to utilize
the information available on the Inventory for the purchase work. In a separate
set-up, the inventory control goes with the stores. This means dual records and
added cost.
18. Reduced Correspondence: Correspondence between stores, purchase and
inventory control is reduced in the integrated set-up. Reduced paperwork
improves office efficiency.
19. Ease for accounting department." The work of accounts is easier in the
integrated set-up. Otherwise, accounts department has to shuttle between the
stores, purchase and traffic for settling and reconciling issues.
20. Miscellaneous advantages; Under a central materials manager, a team
spirit is inculcated.

This boosts morale and enhances cooperation. The

opportunities for growth and development are better in an integrated set-up.

An individual under such a set-up is not confmed to any one function alone.

81

and he gets, over a period of time, exposed to broader aspects of the materials
function.
2.7. RELATIVE STATUS OF THE MATERIALS MANAGERS AND
ORGANISATION OF MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
In the integrated approach to materials management there is mdependent
materials department. Design, sales, finance and personnel departments, etc. also
work as separate departments and their heads derive authority directly from the
CEO. This position enables the materials manager to formulate policies and
procedures in a manner which will benefit the organization as a whole instead of
any particular department. This results in a proper fixing of the accountability in
materials as well as other departments.
An effective organization is one which achieves its objectives in the most
cost efficient manner. This deceptively simple sounding statement masks what is a
most complex topic. The search for most effective organization has exercised
some of the best brains in the academic world. Government and business and is a
major aspect of work of management consultants.
An organization needs to be developed to meet specific requirements of the
enterprise concerned. Those specific requirements include careful consideration of
objectives strategies, resources, the style of top management, the function
performed within the organization and their inter-relationships with respect to the
achievement of the stated objectives.
The inter-related functions of material management are normally looked
after by individuals. As activities expand, the function of individuals become more
and more specialized, the integrated material management concept requires central
co-ordination of all the mter-related activities. The material management function
ought to be headed by a competent professional who must be a member of top

82

management team as managing materials is a critical function. It has been

recognized that material management is a top management function.
It is emphasized that an organization structure should be developed to meet
the specific needs. By the nature of things, those needs will differ from
organization to organization. Because material management has been successfully
applied in one company does not follow that the same version will be suitable for
another company, nor indeed, the approach would provide suitable in the later
environment. Thus the executive charged with the task of developing an effective
and efficient procurement organization will need to do so in the light of
environment within which that organization is to function and the objectives and
strategies which have been specified for it. This necessitates appreciation of its
proper relationship with other functions in the business and the need to develop
and support staff of necessary caliber to achieve the objectives which have been
set.
2.8 DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF PURCHASING AND MATERIALS
MANAGER
Since purchase department is virtually the custodian of the Firm's money, it
is essential that the department is manned by persons with requisite qualifications
and qualities. Purchase staff, particularly the purchase personnel (e.g. purchase
manager, purchase executives, buyers, etc), must be honest, dependable,
competent, and product specialist. The following qualities must be considered
while recruiting purchase manager/ purchase executive/buyers.
1. Materials specialist: A good buyer must have thorough expertise of the
company's products, components and fiinctional aspects of each component
so that he can be authentic while discussing his requirements with the
suppliers and with users of purchased materials. With new and exotic

83

materials coming on the scene, a materials specialist would be an asset in

the purchase/materials department.
2. Educational background; The person selected should be well qualified.
Engineering degree/diploma is preferable though not necessary.

The

knowledge of commercial and mercantile law is a must.

3. Dependability; The buyers have the responsibility to provide materials of
the right quality, in the right quantity, at the right time and at the right price
so that production activity is smooth and uninterrupted. To ensure this, the
reliability of the persons handling such responsibility is essential. The
other departments should have trust that timely delivery will be ensured.
4. Farsightedness; Purchase function is full of unpredictable situations. The
buyer should have farsightednessto handle various situations in his day-today work. This calls for acumen and alertness.
5. Adaptability; Purchase personnel have to deal with different departments
of the company while discharging their duties. Therefore, they should
adapt themselves to get along with people well to secure their cooperation,
guidance and help. This requires understanding of human psychology.
6. Tact.- Dealing with suppUers both in the private and public sectors requires
tact on the part of the buyers.
7. Honesty and integrity:

Purchase involves money transactions and

suppliers do try to bribe buyers to influence their decisions. Purchase

personnel therefore should be persons of integrity to avoid temptation of
various types.
8. Good communication skills; Purchase persormel need to talk to the
supplier's representatives while negotiating, placing oral orders, doing
follow-up, etc. clearly and convincingly. This will avoid confusion and
chaos.
9. Stickler for details: Purchase transactions involve short and long-term
financial commitments and therefore these transactions must be made after
84

detailed investigations of economic and other data. This necessitates the

buyer to be a stickler for details.
2.9. INTERDEPARTMENTAL RELATIONSfflP
The various sections of the materials department, viz. inventory manager,
purchase, stores and traffic are connected with other departments in one way or the
other. When making new designs, discussions take place between product design
and purchase regarding availability of various materials.
Similarly, when developing sources of supply for components to be subcontracted, consultation between purchasing and design will be necessary. Also,
when selecting suppliers of capital equipment, production and maintenance
department comes into the picture.
The major portion of the purchases in a manufacturing concern is based on
the requisitions raised from the production and maintenance departments. The
materials department has the responsibility to see that sufficient materials are
always available for production and maintenance. In many organizations, the
inspection of incoming materials is done by the quality section (staff of
inspection).
Further, the materials department (stores) is the custodian of tools,
operational supplies, raw materials, finished components, etc. and the production
and maintenance departments are the user departments.
The relationship with sales depends upon the type of the set-up. If the
dispatch section comes under the materials department, contacts with sales will be
greater. The sales can also assist materials department (Purchase) in expediting
supplies from certain suppliers because of its spread-out nature.

85

The extent of contact with accounts includes preparation of budgets,

programming delivery of expensive raw materials and capital equipment in such a
way as to avoid strain on the company's finance, selection of suppliers and price
determination through tender committees, opening of letters of credit, payment of
supplier's bills often involving clarification from purchase or stores, accounting of
petty cash.
It is essential that the various forms used in the materials department
(purchase orders, requisitions, delivery notes and so on) are also sent to the
accounting department so that essential accounting data can be collected without
any difficulty.
The relationship with the personnel department hardly needs a mention.
Everything connected with staff matters such as recruitment, promotion,
disciplinary action, etc. has to be handled through this department.
The efficiency of a company's overall operations depends to a great extent on
the amount of cooperation and understanding among various departments. The
materials department must, therefore, maintain good relations with other
departments. Without their cooperation or without cooperating with them, the
various departments cannot fiinction efficiently. Procedures and policies affecting
other departments should be introduced in consultation with them. Approach to
other departments should be constructive and their suggestions should be given
due consideration. Finally, personnel prejudices, ill-feeling and psychological
aspect of conflict should not be allowed to hamper the working of the
organizations.
As the materials management, with in its ambit, includes materials inventory
control, purchasing, store keeping etc, as the major activities, the researcher feels

86

it necessary to give some more details of these major activities. The discussion is
presented in the following pages.
2.10. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
As the materials management, with in its ambit, materials inventory includes
materials plaiming, inventory control, purchasing, store keeping etc, as the major
activities, the researcher feels it necessary to give some more details of these
major activities. The discussion is presented in the following pages:
2.10.1. Need for Classification and Identification of Materials
Every organization stores a large number of items which are generally kept
in the stores. If proper arrangement is not made for their identification, confusion
is bound to arise in locating them. This confusion will delay the delivery of
materials and consume time and the entire operation of the store room, and
consequently, the shop productivity will be adversely affected. Without proper
identification, it will not be possible for a material controller to place a purchase
requisition to the purchase department with all the accurate details. The materials
manager is also responsible for classifying the materials before they are sent for
inspection, entered into the ledger of the stores and binned. Therefore, a broad
classification of materials according to their nature, use and service becomes a
vital issue.
2.10.2: Classification of Materials -General Classification
The general classification of materials is as under:
1.

Raw materials: Raw materials are purchased from the original producer or

manufacturers and are used directly or subjected to a conversion process in

producing the firm's product.

For example, plastic granules are the raw

materials which are converted into plastic products through conversion

processes such as plastic moulding. The moulded plastic part shall be a raw
material for some assembly along the supply chain.
87

2.

Purchase components: Nowadays, most of the industries purchase

finished components from the vendors and assemble them within their plant to
obtain the finished product. Usually 95 per cent purchased components are
those which do not represent the core competency of the buying firm. But 5
per cent of in-house components which represent the core competency of that
industry go into the final finished product. These 5 per cent are critical high
value parts.
3.

Work-in-progress: This category represents the materials in the semi-

finished state as a result of operation being performed on raw materials

purchased from outside. These constitute a large proportion of inventory
blocked as capital. Lean manufacturing or low inventory manufacturing has
the objective of minimizing the WIP (Work-in-Progress) through speeding up
the operation by using a pull system on the downstream side.
4.

Finished goods: The finally produced goods are termed finished goods.

They are ready for sale and function as a buffer between production and
marketing departments.
5.

Spares; Spares are important inventories and usually represent the standby

for important components of production equipment which convert the raw

material to finished product. Spares are classified into three categories: vital,
essential and desirable.
6.

Consumables; These materials are used in the manufacturing process and

carmot be reused for the same purpose. Coal, mineral oil, lubricants, cotton
waste, paints, oxygen, stationery items like pencil, paper, ink, etc represent
some of the consumable stores.
7.

Machinery and equipment; All the machinery, power and hand-driven

equipment such as presses, lathe machines, typewriters, electric motors and

other machines used in production in other departments is classified as stated
above. A complete record of these machines during their lifetime in terms of
repair, replacement and renewal is usually kept on a history card.
88

8.

Inflammables: Due to their hazardous nature, inflammables are generally

stored as far as possible from the main building, with fire-fighting arrangement
nearby. Materials such as petrol, kerosene, paints and films fall into this
category.
9.

Chemicals: Chemicals should be stored, preserved and issued very

cautiously after a careful scrutiny and proper analysis since their use could put
even life to risk. Items such as carbides acids and nitrous gases belong to this
class.
10. Furniture: Moveable contents of a house like chairs, tables and almirahs
are furniture items. Their maintenance is quite important and a record should
be maintained, since they are loaned at times.
11. Scrap materials: Scrap represents the waste material produced in the
process of production. Scrap is sold to secondary markets so as to fetch some
value out of it.
12. Packaging materials: These include all kinds of wrapping materials such
as paper, sawdust, straw and containers like boxes, drums, bottles as well as
protective coating such as wax, grease, etc.
13. Fuel stock: These are also consumable store items. But there is a slight
difference between the two in terms of their use. A fuel stock is directly used
for production as a fuel for furnace, oven, etc. Sometimes it may be taken as
raw materials. Coal is fuel stock but is also raw material for iron and steel
industry.
14. General stores: In large undertakings a general stores section is separate
from other stores under an independent in-charge to cover a large number of
items not directly linked with production process. However, they are required
for efficient running of the enterprise. For example, soap, brasso, brooms,
stationery, etc. Belong to this class.

89

2.10.3. Classification According to Condition of Materials

Classification according to the condition and usability of
materials is as under:
1. Serviceable, unserviceable and obsolete store: Serviceable stores are
those which go temporarily out of order. After repairing and replacement they
again become functional. Unserviceable stores are those items which have
outlived their life. They are thus fit only for disposal as scrap. Obsolete stores
are those items which are out of date because of the new inventions in design,
use, etc. These also need a quick disposal.
2. Finished and semi-finished stores: Whereas finished stores items are
ready for sale, the semi-finished goods need further processing by production
department before they are ready for sale.
3. Dead stock items: Equipment and machinery which have some definite life
but cannot be written off before the expiry date are classed as dead stock item.
4. Unusable stock: This category of items caimot be used in production unit
because they are defective and damaged beyond use.
2.11. MATERIALS PLANNING
Materials planning is the scientific way of determining the requirements of
raw materials, components, spares and other items that go into meeting the
production needs within economic investment policies. Materials planning is a
sub-set of the overall production planning and control system which has a broad
perspective. Materials budgeting is an estimate of expenses to be incurred in the
procurement of materials and it helps effective execution and control of materials
plans.
2.11.1. Definition of Materials Planning
Materials' planning is the scientific way of determining the requirements of
raw materials, components, spars and other items that go into meeting production
90

needs within the economic investment policies. Thus, by definition, it follows that
the materials planning function is a sub- system in the overall planning activity.
This too, is evidence by fig.2.3. The factors which affect materials planning can be
classified in two categories -macro factors and micro factors.
> Macro factors :
Some of the macro factors which affect materials planning ate price trends,
business cycles, government import policy, credit policy, etc. the recent credit
squeeze followed by the interim reports submitted by the study group to jframe
guidelines for follow -up of bank credit is an excellent case in point. This study
group headed by Mr.P.L. Tandon of the reserve bank of India has already given
guidelines for inventory levels of raw materials, stock in process, finished goods
as well as for receivables and bills purchased and discounted. Industry wise details
are furnished. Which is an extract of the famous tendon committee reports of
1975. No materials planner can afford to ignore these guidelines, as banks extend
credit only as per these guidelines. Such macro- level policy changes are bound to
take place in future as well should be considered while evolving the materials
plan. Macro factors are also known as external factors. Some of the macro factors
are discussed below:I)

National economy: - this is measured by gross domestic production in

which production of all sectors is added up by central statistical
organization. It is one of the indicatory of the health of the economy.

II)
III)

Price trend: - This follows law of demand and supply.

Monetary and fiscal policies of government: - A) credit regulation, B)
guidelines, imported comes under the open general license or a need for
license, thought, with liberalization, this constraint is relaxed to some
extent.

IV)

Business cycles: - These are the of recession or inflation in world

economy.
91

> Micro factors :The materials planner also has to take various factors into account at micro-level.
They include corporate objectives, plant capacity utilization, rejection rates, lead
times, inventory levels, working capital, seasonality, delegation of powers, and
communication system.
2.11.2. Importance of materials planning:Planning and control forms the core managerial function. Hence, materials
planning and budgeting is given a prominent place in the integrated materials
managements set-up. This is so because planning for materials and working out a
realistic not only help motivate people but also serve as a control device. Planning
is done at all levels of the organization. This is illustrated in Fig. 2.2-.

Top management
Middle management /

Planning for nonProgrammed decisions

\
\

planning for programmed

Decisions [routine)

FIGURE2.2: planning and levels of organization.

In the context of materials management, planning has to be done for highly nonprogrammed decisions such as import policy, foreign exchange availability and
credit squeeze. Similarly, planning has also to be done for highly programmed
decisions such as inventory for working capital, out delivery schedules, etc. the
relationship between materials planning and other major function is shown in
Fig.2.3.

92

2
Production programmed

Sales forecast

3
Material Plan

i L

FIGURE2.3: Materials planning process.

2.II.3.FI0W chart for Materials Planning:

Bill of material
Forecasting
techniques

Sales forecast
^'
Explosion chart

'
Weighted
averages
2. Exponential
smoothing
3. Trend analysis
4. Correction

'
1. Product
requirement
2. Product mix
3. Product
structure
1

1.

}r

Requirements of
materials
V

Delivery schedules
for materials

FIGURE 2.4 Flow process of material planning

Materials planning can be used to assess the "firm" s requirements "for different
planning horizons. As the planning horizon exceeds one year, the forecast
becomes less reliable, normally, plaiming is done on a quarterly basis. This is
because the materials planner, at the beginning of every quarter, will find that
some materials are in short supply and some in excess, owing to errors in
forecasting. Thus, operating on a quarterly basis helps to rectify errors. At the
same time, since quarterly period is sufficient long enough in most cases, realistic
ordering can be done with the suppliers, this technique is ideally suited for
engineering industries.
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2.12. INVENTORY CONTROL AND STORE KEEPING

2.12.1 Introduction to Inventory Control:
Inventory management is one of the most important operations
management responsibilities as inventory involves a great deal of capital and
delivery of goods to customers. Inventory management has an impact on all
business functions, particularly operations, marketing, accounting, and finance.
It is perhaps best to begin our discussion with the definition of inventory.
In financial parlance, inventory is defined as the sum of the value of raw materials,
fuels and lubricants, spare parts, maintenance consumables; semi processed
materials and finished goods stock at any given point of time. The operational
definition of inventory would be: the amount of raw materials, fuel and lubricants,
spare parts and semi-processed material to be stocked for the smooth functioning
of the plant. Since these resources are idle when kept in the stores, inventory is
defined as an idle resource of any kind having an economic value. An inventory is
a stock of materials used to facilitate production or to satisfy customer demands.
Inventories typically include raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.
This definition fits nicely when operation is seen as a transformation process. In
Fig 2.5, an operation is shown as a materials-flow process with raw materials
inventories waiting to enter the productive process, work-in-process inventories in
some intermediate stage of transformation, and finished goods inventories already
completely transformed by the production system.

Raw Material
inventory

Productive process
work-in-progress
inventory

Finished goods
inventory

FIGURE 2.5 Material flow process

94

The definition of inventory as a stock of materials is narrower in scope. Some

authors define inventory as an idle resource of any kind that has potential
economic value. This definition allows one to consider equipment or idle workers
as inventory, but we consider all idle resources other than materials as capacity.
From a management and accounting perspective, it is important to distinguish
between inventory and capacity. Capacity provides the potential to produce, while
inventory, as defined here, is the product at some point in the conversion and
distribution process.
Inventory stocks are located at various points in the production process, with
flows connecting one stock point to another. The rate at which a stock can be
replenished is the supply capacity, and the. rate of stock depletion, is. demand.
Inventory acts as a buffer between the different demand and supply rates.
2.12.2. Importance and Scope of Inventory Control
The primary purpose of inventories is to 'uncouple the various phases of
operations'. Raw materials inventory uncouples a manufacturer firom its vendors;
work-in- process inventory uncouples the various stages of manufacturing from
each other; and finished goods inventory uncouples manufacturer from its
customers. Within the overall uncoupling purpose, there are four reasons to carry
inventory:
(i)To protect against uncertainties: In inventory systems, there are
uncertainties in supply, demand, and lead time. Safety stocks are maintained
in inventory to protect against those uncertainties. If customer demands were
know, it would be feasible-although not necessarily economical to produce at
the same rate as consumption. In this case, no finished goods inventory would
be needed; however, every change in demand would be immediately
transmitted to the production system in order to maintain customer service.
Instead of such tight coupling, safety stocks of finished goods are maintained
95

to absorb changes in demand without immediately changing production. In

similar way, safety stock of raw materials are maintained to absorb
uncertainties in delivery by vendors, and safety stocks of in-process
inventories are maintained to allow for poor maintenance, unreliable workers,
or fast schedule changes. These safety stocks, however, can often be reduced
by better coordination of suppliers and customers in the supply chain.
(ii) To allow economic production and purchase: It is often economical to
produce materials in lots. In this case, a lot may be produced over a short
period of time, and then no fiirther production is done until the lot is nearly
depleted. This makes it possible to spread the set-up cost of the production
machines over a large number of items. It also permits the use of the same
productions equipment for different products. A similar situation holds good
for the purchase of raw materials.

Owing to ordering costs, quantity

discounts, and transportation costs, it is sometimes economical to purchase in

large lots, even though part of the lot is then held in inventory for later use.
The inventory resulting from the purchase or production of material in lots is
called cycle inventory, since the lots are produced or purchased on a cyclic
basis. There is a trend underway in industry today, however, to reduce set-up
times and costs drastically by altering the product or process. This will result
in smaller lot sizes and much lower inventories. In some cases, the set-up
time can be reduced so that the economical lot size is one unit.
(iii) To cover anticipated changes in demand or supply: There are certain
situations where changes in demand or supply may be anticipated. One case
is where the price or availability of raw materials is expected to change.
Companies often stockpile steel prior to an expected steel industry strike.
Another source of anticipation is a planned market promotion where a large
amount of finished goods may be stocked prior to a sale. Finally, companies
in seasonal business often anticipate demand in order to smooth employment.

96

For example, a producer of air conditions may select a nearly uniform rate of
production, although a great deal of the product is sold in the summer.
(iv) To provide for transit; Transit inventories consist of materials that are on
their way from one point to another. These inventories are affected by plant
location decisions and by the choice of carrier. Sometimes the inventory in
transit is called pipeline inventory because it is in the "distribution pipeline".
2.12.3. Objectives of Store Keeping:
In an organization, a store is mainly intended to provide staff activity in
the production of goods or services. No industrial unit or public undertaking
of any size can be managed efficiently without it. The basic objective of store
keeping is to provide services to the operating fiinctions in the most
economical manner. Store keeping primarily includes the activates of receipt
of materials, preservation of materials and issue of materials as and when
required by user departments. The objectives of store keeping are as follows.
1. Minimizing cost of production through minimizing cost on materials; The
primary objective of store keeping is to provide services in the most
economical manner so that the production cost can be minimized. The cost of
the material used in the production is the sum of total cost of material plus cost
of procurement plus the cost of carrying it in the store. The store costs include
the cost of preservation, cost of accounting, cost o insurance and cost of store
equipment These costs affect directly or indirectly the total cost of product
which should be immixed The final cost of product is the sum of cost of raw
material plus cost on material plus conversion or processing cost in reduction
shop.
2. Maintaining the value of materials; One of the objectives of store keeping is
in maintain the value of materials in stock at the lowest practical level at all
times in order to economize the working capital and to minimize the cost of
storage. The period of stay of each stock item is kept as short as possible and
97

efforts are made to avoid the inventory from becoming dead because obsolete,
redundant or surplus material is simply money sitting on a rack, requiring more
money to be spent on its custody. Therefore, store keeping must maintain the
value of store items.
3.

Services to user departments: Another objective of store keeping is to

make available efficient services to the organization. These services include

taking care of raw material, work-in-progress, finished goods and scrap
control.
To make available a smooth flow of raw materials, components, tools,
equipment and any other commodities necessary to meet production
requirements.
To provide maintenance materials, spare parts and general store as required.
To receive and feed work in progress (items in the process of manufacture).
To accept and stores are and other discarded material.
To account for all receipts, issues and goods in stock.
4. Estimating coordinates with other departments; Coordinates is the
essence of an effective management. Although the main objective of store
department is to keep the materials in order to remain in touch with the
material inventory control section, it does not mean that all other
departments of the organization are to be ignored. To discharge its
responsibilities adequately and efficiently, the stores department must
actively cooperative with other departments not only to provide service but
to have information and maintain connectively. 'S' that the service is
efficient. Other departments like production department, inspection
department, finance and accounting

departments, like

production

department, inspection department, finance and accounting department,

purchase department and sales department are fully attached with stores
department and stores department cannot function effectively without their
98

cooperation. Thus the store department should try to improve coordination

with all these departments.
5. Advising materials manager: Store keeping is an important part of
materials management. That is why management has to rely heavily on the
store department for formulating its investment policies. Product costs have
50 to 60 per cent contribution due to a major Portion of material costs. The
suggestions given by the storekeeper regarding the purchase, preservation
and consumption of materials may be of great use for the management.
This objective can be achieve only if the store manager is fully conversant
with the store and store items. He can give useful advice to the materials
manager regarding the various stock levels and quality and quantity of
materials to be purchased.
2.12.4. Functions of Storekeeper
The storekeeper occupies an important place in the organization. He is the
person who keeps the stores in order and handles them efficiently. He should have
a sound knowledge of routine activates of tore and experience of rurming a store,
in addition to the technical knowledge required for the job. He is the person who
maintains the stores and keeps a watchful eye on the movement of both men and
materials with a view to keeping the whole organization moving. The following
functions can be included in the scope of his duties.
1. Identification of materials: Identification is the process of systematically
defining and describing all items of stock. It includes preparation of stores code or
vocabulary, adoption of material specifications and introduction of a degree of
standardization. This essentially is the job of design, panning or standards
department, besides the purchasing department.

Thus it is the duty of the

storekeeper to give different codes, symbols or colours to the items in the store so
that difficulty in identifying the different items of material is overtime. Moreover,

99

it will also make the task easier for the person running the affairs of the store in
the absence of the storekeeper.
2. Receipt of materials: Receipt of materials is the primary function of a
storekeeper. Receipt is the process of accepting from all sources materials.
Equipment and spare parts used in the organization, including supplies for
manufacturing or operating processes, plant maintenance, offices, capital
installations and finished products. He must ascertain at the time of receipt of
material that' it is according to the purchase order and inspection note to become
fully conversant with the materials.
3. Storage; This function involves the management of storehouses, namely
faultless working of material handling and storage equipment, and the safe custody
and protection of stock. Storage implies the act of storing the materials the
material items should be kept at proper places so that these can be easily found as
and when required without any delay. The layout of the store should be made in
such a style that there should be "place for everything and everything should be in
its place".
4. Inspection: Inspection means the examination of incoming materials for
quantity and quality. Stores department takes the help of inspection personnel
from quality control department to have the goods inspected. Sometimes even
some stores persormel skilled in inspection do this work. Whatever the system of
inspection may be in force, it is the duty of the storekeeper to see to it that the
inspection is done before the items are accepted into stock.
5. Material verification and stock taldng: It is an important duty of the
storekeeper to take stock of the materials and to conduct stock taking. Stock
taking is the process of physical verification of the quantity and condition of
goods, usually on a periodic basis. Similarly, stock checking is also done on an ad
hoc basis for introducing element of surprise. Use of the computer helps in
continuous information and management. Moreover regular verifications also
ensure availability of materials intact.
100

6. Issue and dispatch: This is the process of receiving demands, selecting the
items required and handling them over to the users. Storekeeper must ensure that
the material requisition note bears the signature of the authorized person. He can
stop the supply of those materials which are in short supply. This fiinction also
includes packaging of the materials and loading them in the transport to the point
of use.
7.

Record keeping and accounting: Keeping the record of incoming and

outgoing materials is one of the important jfunctions of the storekeeper. Stores

accounting is the process of recording stock movement and balances in terms of
financial value. It reduces the store cots. Moreover, material records make the
purchase, inspection and verification easy. Accounting records must categorize
materials in A,B,C. category, VED category etc.
8. Preservation and protection of materials: Storekeeper should ensure that
materials are preserved and stored in such a way that there is minimum loss at the
time of keeping, handling or verifying the materials. Proper protection and
preservation of materials also help in maintaining the value and quality of
materials.
9. Inventory control: Inventory control is the operation of continuously arranging
receipts and issues in such a way that stock balances are adequate to support the
current rate of consumption wit due regard to the economy. It is keeping track of
inventories so that items are available when required. This aim is achieved by
purchasing items at economic price, at a proper time, from a proper source and in
sufficient quantity. In this context, it is the duty of the storekeeper to determine
the proper levels of material and to keep a check over all kinds of wastages of
material.

It is the proper inventory control that ensures protection against

fluctuations in demand and output and better use of men, machines and material.
10. Advice to the purchase officer: The storekeeper should give proper advice to
the purchase officer regarding the purchase of material from time to time. He
should anticipate the quantity of materials to be purchased and at what time it
101

should be purchased so that there is neither over investment in materials nor any
stoppage in production. For this purpose, the storekeeper must know the
minimum, minimum and reorder levels of materials.
2.12.5. Features of Successful Store Keeping
The success of store keeping depends upon how it provides economy of time
employees and expenses. The true yardstick of judging its success is to find how
smoothly the production department runs. A scientific store keeping should have
the following features:
1. Location of Store: A store should be centrally situated to be easily
approachable by other departments. A central location makes the receipt
and issue of material easy and economical. The principle of minimum
movement should be observed while choosing the location of a store. By
limiting the need to move materials, money is saved. This means that
storehouse has to be as near to the user as possible. Locating the store in
the same building would be most advantageous. Accessibility by road, rail
or river transport is another consideration.
2. Layout of the store: A good store keeping gives the layout factor utmost
importance. Store layout means preparing such a structure of store in
which there will be any difficulty in keeping in or taking out the materials
from racks, shelves bins or containers.

Two important factors in

determining the layout are: economy and efficiency. A storehouse should

have optimal size. It should not waste space or be too much congested. The
layout should be made in such a maimer that smooth work flow can be
maintained throughout the storehouse.
3. Computerization of records: Scientific, proper and complete records
increase efficiency and eliminate wastage and misappropriation. If the
records are up-to-date and stored carefully in a database, all disputes with
102

the creditors, debtors and insurance companies arising in the course of

transactions can be settled easily and promptly. Moreover, store records
ensure a strict check and vigilance on the dishonest employees, if any, and
chances of theft of material are reduced.
4. Classification and codification of materials: Material costs affect the
production costs to a great extent. Thus, it becomes necessary to use
classification and codification system in order to exercise a better control
over inventories. Classification is the grouping together of materials of
technical similarity. Ever item grouped under a classification should have a
part or material code number or reference number. A code number is given
in terms of what the material is and not in terms of its function. Both these
systems ensure an effective management of the store department.
5. Preservation of materials: The chief aim of good store keeping is to
protect the stores from all kinds of damage, theft, and pilferage. The quality
and value of materials should not deteriorate for want of proper storage.
Materials require different types of protection according to their nature. It
requires airy, fireproof and well ventilated storerooms.

Because

Preservation measures for materials vary from item to item, a good

understanding of the material chemistry necessary. Personnel working in
store must know the special properties of the materials which are desirable
and should ensure that all measures necessary for their preservation are
taken.
6. Material handling equipment: Material handling is a major activity in the
storehouse, considerable attention needs to be paid to this aspect in order to
ensure that material handling equipment contributes to the efficiency and
economy. Flow of materials in the store should be carefully examined and
planned to reduce the frequency of movement. Carefully selected material
handling equipment such as cranes, fork lift trucks and conveyors etc,
should be made available.
103

7. Physical verification of stock: Continuous verification of materials is a

must for the effective functioning of stores department. Stock verification
helps in verifying the accuracy of stock records exposes the possibility of
fraud, theft or loss and reveals any weaknesses in the system for the
custody and control of stock. Stock verification is a blessing for successful
store keeping. The deficiency revealed by stock taking is a good measure of
the efficiency and effectiveness of store keeping methods, controls and
procedures.
8. Management of stores: Management is the key to effective functioning of
any business activity and store keeping is no exception. There should be
judicious allocation of work and duties of store keeping and these are to be
properly

managed.

Only

proper

management

can

ensure

the

accomplishment of the objective of store keeping.

2.12.6. Relationship of Store Department with Other Departments
Stores department should not only provide services to other departments but
also exchange information from them for efficient service. The relationship of
store with other departments is discussed here:
1. Stores and purchase: Both these departments are parts of the material
management and complement each other. Stores and purchase are the two
wheels of materials management. Apart from routine day-to-day
interaction, the other common areas between them are identification,
standardization, inventory control, value analysis and salvaging operations,
purchase informs store of orders placed and stores, in turn, inform purchase
of receipts, rejections, shortages, breakages, theft and losses. Stores
department should also inform the purchase department regarding changing
production trends, slow and non-moving stock, obsolete or surplus stock
and scraps.

104

2. Stores department and production department: Production department

is the main customer of stores department. Stores should give satisfactory
services to production department in all respects.
The stores department provides materials, tools, and other shop supplies
when asked in required quantities to meet the production programmes. It
advises, anticipating difficulties or failure in supply, and informs about any
substitute or surplus materials available in stock. The production
department sends to the stores relevant information regarding the work-inprogress and finished goods, any excess materials, tools, fixtures and
equipment not currently. Required and notifies as soon as possible any
impending changes in the production schedule
3. Stores and design department: It is most desirable to have close contact
between these two departments, particularly from the point of view of
specifications, standards and obsolescence. Arrangements are made to see
that before any new design, modification or technique is put into
production, due note is taken of new materials needed in design so as to
avoid obsolescence. The design department is consulted when obsolete
items are listed for disposal.
4. Stores

and

inspection

department:

There

should

be

proper

accommodation for inspection personnel in the storehouses and they should

be informed of all receipts. The stores department is responsible for holding
goods received and submitting samples for inspection promptly. The
inspection department in return inspects and delivers tests reports without
delay.
5. Stores and finance department: There is a continuous exchange of
information between these two departments. This information covers
verification of records and physical stock, clearance of inward and outward
invoices revision for prices and control of working capital allocated to the
105

financing of stock. Procedures are laid down to work together effectively

to control the value of inventory and cost of materials the finance
department usually provides regular periodic detailed statement of the cost
of operation of the stores service. This enables timely action to be taken for
cost control.
6. Stores and Sales Department; Especially in a mai'keting organization,
sales are the chief internal customer of the finished goods. The sales
department wants to ensure stocks at all times and this might be a costly
affair in terms of inventory holdings. Close cooperation and an integrated
approach can help in achieving the main objective of the management of
increasing profitability. Any error in the information given by sales to
stores might result in store of excess or shortage of materials.
7. Stores and transport department: The stores department is itself
sometimes responsible for transport but where there is a separate transport
department, it is essential that the two must work together harmoniously.
The stores function reports details of load, pick up locations and discharge
points, makes facilities available for the speedy, safe loading or unloading
of goods and provides a valuable service. The transport department is
responsible for the ready availability of vehicles and for providing
information about the circumstances which delay delivers or collections
such as breakdowns, strikes or adverse weather conditions.
2.13. PURCHASEING OF MATERIALS
2.13.1. Introduction
Purchasing is the vital function of materials management apart from stores
keeping, inventory control, traffic and waste control. After the approval of the
material plan and preparation of the material budget, it is the responsibility of
the purchasing department to follow strictly the scheduled production plan and
procure the material of good quality, in desired quantity and on time.
106

Purchasing is not an end in itself. Material and supplies are purchased or

procured for use in other departments and the purchasing department's role is to
meet their needs. Purchasing is deeply involved in the management of material
flow from the outside sources down to production through the inventory
pipeline. S.N Chari calls purchasing manager external production manager.
Material costs form the major part of the production costs. Therefore,
production costs can be brought down by exercising control over the material
costs which, ultimately, depends upon the purchase of material at a proper price.
Material should be purchased in such a way that there is neither any
overspending it nor any shortage, causing stoppage in production.

Right

quantity and quality purchasing will not only lead to reduction in.the productioncosts but the quality of production will also improve. Thus a purchasing manager
has a pivotal role.
2.13.2. Definition:
Alford and Banks in his book "Production Handbook' describes
purchasing as the 'procurement of material, machines and tools on payment. It
is the act of exchange of goods and services for money. It is procurement of
material at competitive prices. It also includes getting the quality material to
facilitate the standardization and competitive marketability of the product. It is
the process which includes all the frinctions from the time the need for the
material is felt till the receipt and approval of the material so purchased. In a
way, purchasing has become a very important managerial activity and requires a
great deal of policy formulation and planning on the part of managers. Some
other definitions of purchasing are:
"Buying comprises all those activities involved in finding a suitable
source of supply, selecting the desired quantity, quality, grade, style and size

107

and coming to an agreement with reference to the price, delivery date and other
conditions".
-Pyle
"Scientific purchasing is the procurement by purchasing of the proper
material, machinery, equipments and supplies of stores used in the
manufacturing of a product, adopted to marketing in the proper quantity and
quality at the proper time and lowest price consistent with the quality desired"
Dr. Walterz
"Purchasing is the business activity directed to secure the material
suppliers and equipment required in the operations of an organization."
Fine and westing
Thus, purchasing is concerned not only with the procurement of material but
also all the economic issues which affect the cost of production.
2.13.3. Objectives of Purchasing
The objectives of purchasing, according to the classical definition, are to buy
materials and services of the right quality, in the right quantity, at the right price,
from the right source, and at the right time. In general management terms, there
are eight basic objectives of purchasing:

To ensure smooth operations with an uninterrupted flow of materials and

services.

To buy competitively and prudently, this includes two distinct

considerations.

To buy competitively involves keeping abreast of the

forces of supply and demand that regulate prices and availability of

materials. To buy prudently involves a constant search for better
alternatives that give the best mix of rice, quality, and service. A buyer
who pays more for a cheaper material than a competitor is not buying
competitively. A buyer who purchases costly material when a cheaper
material could perform the function equally well is not buying prudently at
108

all. It is the combination of competitive buying and prudent buying that

contributes most to maximizing a company's profits.
To keep inventory investment losses due to deterioration, obsolescence and
theft to a minimum.
To develop reliable alternative sources of supply in consultation with other
departments.
To develop; good vendor and supplier relationships. Good supplier
relationships are invaluable. Under such relationships, the problems that
arise between the buyer and the seller are readily solved. Suppliers also
provide useful information to buyers.
To achieve maximum integration with other departments of the firm. This
needs understanding the requirements of other departments so as to
translate them into materials support actions. The most common areas of
support are in developing effective design and standardization programs,
forecast of future prices and general business conditions, economic makeor-buy decision, and a repository of information and knowledge j&om
suppliers regarding new materials, processes, prices, and materials
availability.
To train and develop highly competent personnel who are motivated to
make the firm as well as their department succeed. Such personnel, in
addition to fiilfilling the responsibilities of the purchasing department, also
serve as a reserve talent from which future executives of the firm can be
selected.
To train and develop highly competent personnel who are motivated to
make the fum as well as their department succeed. Such personnel, in
addition to fulfilling the responsibilities of the purchasing department, also
serve as a reserve talent from which fiiture executives of the firm can be
selected.
109

To develop policies and procedures which permit accomplishment of the

preceding seven objectives at the lowest reasonable operating cost.
These objectives in principle apply to all categories of industrial buying
activities, manufacturing concerns, governmental units, universities,
hospitals, and all other types of activities that do not buy for resale.

2.13.4. Duties and Responsibilities of Purchase Department

Purchase department has to perform several duties and shoulder
responsibilities. They are as follows:
1. Receiving purchase requisitions; Purchase department does not start
any activity of purchase of material on its own. The department in need of a
material usually presents a complete purchase requisition form. Purchase
requisition is a written list of material for recoupment, sent to the purchase
department. It is submitted to the head of purchase department and is
generally prepared in triplicate. In other words, it is a formal request to the
purchase department for the purchase of materials. Purchase department,
after receiving the purchase requisition related to will decide about the
material to be purchased.

It is also the responsibility of the purchase

department to get, information about the required material and its use. The
purchase department should not make alternations the purchase requisition
without consulting the department concerned.
2. Selection of sources of supply:

After receiving the purchase

requisition, it is the day of the purchase department to select the source of

supply. This involves preparing a list of suppliers and then deciding with
whom to do business. In preparing the list, the following steps should be
taken to elicit information:

Past experience with the supplier

Interview with the salesmen

110

Technical and descriptive catalogue

Trade directories and trade journals

Visits to trade fairs

Consulting trade agencies

Open and limited tenders for quotations

Periodical advertisements in the press

If the material is to be purchased from the existing supplier, material

order will be placed according to the previous terms and conditions. But, if the
supplier is new, the order will be placed only after deciding upon the terms and
conditions. It is also the responsibility of the purchase department to invite
quotations from the new suppliers so that these can be compared with the price
lists of the existing suppliers.
3. Placing the order: After selecting the source of supply, the purchase
department prepares the purchase order. The purchase order is, in a way,
an agreement, between the purchaser and the supplier in which the latter is
ordered to supply goods under certain conditions.

Six copies of the

purchase order are prepared. The following details must be included in the
purchase order:
Price and terms of payment
Purchase order number
Quantity of the material to be purchased
Description of the material
Delivery conditions
Special remarks
4. Delivery at right time: It is the duty of the purchase department to
ensure the delivery of the material at the right time. The right time for the
purchase of an item is said to be the point of minimum stock, the pint at
which the material is expected to arrive is the storehouse. The purchase
111

department should take immediate steps to replenish the stock as soon as

the material touches the reorder level.
5. Inspection and passing of bills: It is also the duty of the purchase
department to verify the invoices with quotations inspect the materials
received and ensure that the material is received as per the conditions laid
down in the purchase order. It should also get the bill passed by the
accounts department within a reasonable time. The accounts department
should be instructed to make the payment at the earliest.
6. Preservation of purchase records: Purchase order is a legal document.
Therefore, it is to be preserved by the purchase department. Besides, the list
of sources of supplies, the vendor's record, contract file and record of
printed forms are also to be kept safety by the
7. Good relations: The purchase department has a responsibility to
establish cordial relations with suppliers. If suppliers are good, their
performance in supplying the right quality in right quantity and at the right
time is outstanding. The relation between the buyer and the seller and at the
right time is outstanding. The relations between the buyer and the seller are
seldom spoiled if they maintain business like relations.
8. Moral and ethical standards: The buyer keeps the purse of his
organizations as a custodian. The management expects him to follow an
ethical approach to the problems of purchasing. An official favouring a
supplier, a friend or a relative of the buyer accepting a gift, the buyer
himself accepting money or gift, in exchange of granting favour to a
particular supplier are a few of the unethical practices which one may come
across occasionally. It is the duty of the purchase officer to maintain high
ethical standards.
9. Coordination: Coordination is the essence of good management for an
organization to be successful. All the departments must act as cogs of welloiled machine. And purchase department is no exception to it. It is one of
112

the duties of the purchase departments to maintain coordination with other

departments in order to properly assess the purchasing needs.
10. Purchase budget: Since purchasing activity accounts for substantial
portion of the corporate finance, it assumes a great importance among
various budgets such as sales budget, personnel budget and revenue budget.
The purchase budget indicates the purchases to be made for achieving the
complete budget plan. This represents the requirements of capital
expenditure budget. The purchase budget enables the purchase department
to plan its purchases and place long-term contracts after considering all
relevant factors.
2.13.5. Principles of Purchasing:
As stated earlier, purchasing is one of the most important fiinctions of
materials management. It is impossible to achieve the desired results for
which the business exists without successful purchasing. Purchasing
practices may vary according to the policy of management size and type of
industry. However, there are five well-recognized principles of scientific
purchasing (Fig.2.6) agreed upon unanimously by most authors and
research workers. They are as follows:
1) Right quality
2) Right quantity
3) Right time
4) Right price
5) Right place

113

Right quantity

FIGURE 2.6 Five principles of purchasing

Right Quality:
A very clear specification of quality should be made in the terms of
contract. The acceptable quality level and method of testing should be made
discrete in the contract document. There should not be any compromise on
the quality of the material at the time of purchase because it will reduce the
quality level of the product if it is below the specification. A particular
quality of an item may be right quality for a given purpose but the same
may not b right for another purpose. Quality should be measurable and
understandable as far as possible. The right quality is normally that quality
which is decided keeping in view the buyer's preferences and cost factors.
There is a trend to specify the value which is explained in Fig. 2.7 it should
be verified that the C value of the products should be such that it falls
between 1.50 to 1.70

114

Upper
Process limit

Lower
Process limit

Lower specification
limit

Upper Specification
limit

\
P

L
T

FIGURE 2.7 Process limit and specification limit.

Where
T=ToIerance provide
P=Supplier process capability
Right quantity:
The main objective of the purchase department is to ensure flow of
materials to the production department without any interruption. This is the
most important parameter in buying. The decision of right quantity is related to
the period for which it is to be purchased and also to the minimum total cost
which may prevent shortages. Excess purchases result in overstocking. Capital
is urmecessarily blocked and inventory carrying cost goes high. Concepts such
as economic order quantity, fixed period and fixed quantity system, etc, serve
as broad guidelines. But the buyer has to use his knov^ledge experience and
analytical ability to determine the quantity after considering factors such as
price structure, discounts, availability of the item, favorable reciprocal relations
115

and make or buy decisions. The purchase manager should not follow the
beaten path; he should be creative and his long-term objective should be to
minimize the cost of ultimate product. He has to adopt separate policies and
procedures for capital and consumer items. He should apply appropriate
mathematical models and selective control (ABC, VED, etc) wisely.
Right Time:
Material should be purchased at proper time so that production costs can
be kept under control. For determining the right time, the purchase manager
estimates the lead time information for all components. Lead time is the total
time that elapses between the recognition of the need of an item till the item
arrives and is provided for use. While deciding upon the purchases, the buyer
has to consider emergency situations like strikes, lock outs, etc. Which might
add up to the lead time in exceptional cases. The right time for ordering of
material is termed reorder level of materials, which s decided on the basis of
demand during lead time plus safety stock. The responsibility for purchasing
the material lies with the purchase department. The store department sends the
requisition to the purchase to the purchase department as soon as the material
touches the reorder level. The purchase department takes immediate steps to
replenish the stock in order to procure the material by the time the material
reaches the minimum level.
Right price:
It is very difficult to determine the right price. Right price is that price
which brings the best ultimate value invested in purchasing the materials. It is,
therefore, a combination of varying factors which determine the right price of
an item to be purchased. The quantity, quality, delivery time, demand and
supply curve, competitive trend, business relationship, distance, government
restrictions, after sales services, discount, terms of purchase are the important
116

factors which govern the determination of right price of an item. The question
of rice determination demands not only market knowledge but also a clear
understanding of the pricing process.
Prices are determined by preparing a comparative statement and analysis
of the price lists, catalogues, quotation, tenders, etc, of the various supplies.
The prevailing market prices may also be the basis of price determination.
There may be negotiations between the purchase department and supplies for
the determination of price. The buyer should make use of learning curve effect
to negotiate for a lower price in labour-intensive products.
Right Place:
Right place means that place of supply which is appropriate, keeping in
view the place/location of the store. The selection of right place affects the
transportation and material handling costs. Therefore, the right place will be
that place where these costs are the lowest. If a local supplier agrees to supply
on the same conditions as an outside supplier, he should be given priority.

117

FIGURE 2.8 Purchase Parameters

The purchase parameters can be depicted elaborately with the help of fig. 2.8

118

2.12.6. Centralized and Decentralized Purchasing

Centralize purchasing
When the purchase department is centraUzed it generally means that the
requirements of all the departments of the concern will be procured by this
department. It is considered the best arrangement of purchasing. If the company
has more than one plant, many factors must be considered before deciding the
extent of centralization such as geographical separation of the plant, essential
homogeneity of the products manufactured, whether items are bought in a large
volume, location of the supplier and other issues. The purchasing function is
under a single administrative control when there is a lack of maturity in branch
offices. The vital tasks of stores such as classification and codification are done by
the central office. Certain emergency purchasing can be done by branch stores
under the monitoring of central head office. In some cases all item are divided
broadly into two categories
(a) Vital items which are handled by the central purchasing section, and
(b) Desirable items which are directly handled by the branch/local purchase
section.
Central purchase sections then ascertain the details of the periodical, usual
annual requirement of the concern through the stores department, to be handled by
it during the period in question.
Decentralized purchasing
The manufacturing concern which operates several plants in widely separate
locations and manufactures different products, each with individual material
requirements, need decentralized purchasing.

In it, each plant has its own

purchasing agents who are part of the local plant organization and who serve its
particular needs. The purchasing agents of the respective plants are supervised by
a general purchasing agent who formulates and enforces the general purchasing
policies. He ensures that the mechanics of purchasing are enforced at each plant
119

and there is proper interchange of ideas and information. The purchasing agent has
to discharge certain responsibilities which are as follows:

To maintain the company's standard of quality production by his advice on

material to be specified.

To organize and direct the purchasing department and act as a head of its
personal.

To be responsible for the expenditure of the company's money.

To represent the company in its contracts with other firms.

2.12.7. Organizing For Purchase

The present integrated approach to material opts for purchasing as a second
level function. Figure 2.9 illustrates a typical structure for the overall and internal
organization of a purchasing department in a typical firm

120

PRESIDENT

Executive vice-president

General
manager
finance

Manager
Purchase

Supervisor
buying

Buyer

General .
manager H.R.

General
manager
design and
development

General
manager
manufacturing

General
manager
materials

Manager
stores

Manager
traffic

Manager
inventory

Manager
waste control

Working Files

Records

Supervisor
expediting

Supervisor
office

Expenditures
Order writer

Asst. buyer

FIGURE 2.9 A typical organization cliart of a purchase department.

121

Approach to purchase organization structure

The nature of purchasing activity permits effective use of the functional
concept. Purchasing work is divided into five distinct classifications. Each of
which covers a fairly wide range of activities. In most cases, the classification can
be further divided into more specialized tasks, each of which still involves
working with different problems, different products, and different vendors. This
desirable situation permits the achievement of a high degree of specialization,
without creating motivational problems for most purchasing personnel. At a
practical level, job rotation enables versatility and allows reasonable flexibility in
changing the workforce to meet the operational demands.
The five classification of work found in a purchasing operation are:
1. Administrative: Purchasing administration involves all the tasks associated
with the management process, with emphasis on the development of policies,
procedures, controls, and the mechanics for coordinating purchasing operations
with other departments.
2. Buying: This includes a wide variety of activities such as reviewing
requisitions, analyzing specifications, doing informal value analysis, developing
and locating vendors, interviewing sales people, studying cost and prices, and
negotiating.
3. Expediting: This order follow-up activity involves various types of vendor
liaison work such as reviewing the status of orders, writing letters, telephoning
and e-mailing suppliers and occasionally visiting the supplier's plants.
4. Special staff work: A well-developed purchasing operation has an unending
number of special projects or studies requiring specialized knowledge and
continuous effort. These projects involve formal value analysis, economic and
market studies, special cost studies and special vendor investigations.

122

5. Clerical: Every department must write orders, maintain working files,

catalogue and library materials, records for comutnodities, vendors, prices, and
so on.
Role descriptions
1. Manager of purchasing: The chief purchasing executive assumes various titles
in different companies such as manager of purchasing, director of purchasing, or
occasionally, purchasing agent. In a small department, he oversees major buying
activities as well as the required administrative duties. As the department grows,
more of the manager's time is devoted to administration. With the growth of the
firm, it becomes totally administrative.
2. Buyers: Buyers and their assistants perform the actual buying activity. Each
buyer and each assistant handles a specific group of materials.
For buying purposes, materials can be grouped in two ways (1) Materials
whose purchase requires similar buying skills and technical knowledge can be
grouped together. Or (2) material that are used in the same finished product can
be grouped together. The former practice is the more common. Grouping materials
that have similar buying and technical characteristics permits a buyer to become a
technical specialist.
3. Buying supervisors; The size of the buying staff and the completely of the
purchases handled determine the need for buying supervision. In some
departments eight or ten buyers can report directly to the purchasing manager. In
other cases, each commodity buying group is headed by a senior buyer who
reports to the chief purchasing executive. In this case, buyers are organized into
larger groups on the basis of the characteristics f the commodity.
4. Expediters: The most comimon form of organization for the expediting activity
is shown in Fig.2.9. Formation of a separate expediting department permits a high
degree of specialization. In addition, it facilitates an even distribution for the work
load and efficient utilization of expediting persoimel. Some firms require each
123

buyer to do his or her own expediting. Because of the buyer's status and intimate
knowledge of the order, these firms believe that a buyer can obtain more effective
results from suppliers than someone of lesser status in the organization. Moreover
companies using this approach want the buyer to assume total responsibility for
each of his or her orders. They feel the buyer can do this best by personally
participating in all phases of the purchase. Additionally, if a buyer is responsible
for all phases of an order and for all vendor contacts, it is easier to measure and
control his performance. To achieve the benefits of specialization, they assign
expediting work to a separate expediter. So the buyer can retain full control of his
orders, through each expediter is assigned directly to one buyer. Thus, the
expediter does his work as directed by the buyer and the buyer is held fully
accountable for his orders. In practice, the expediter usually handles all routine
follow-up inquires and calls on the buyer for assistance with the difficult or
delicate expediting problems. This form of organization clearly may also be less
flexible and more costly, especially in small companies.
2.13. TRAFFIC OR CARRYING AND FORWARDING
The function of the traffic is to clear goods coming by rail, sea, air, etc, as
well as to dispatch fmished goods often termed inbouSnd and outbound logistics.
The documents relating to incoming goods are sent to them by the purchase
section or direct by the suppliers. On receipt of the documents, the traffic section
will contact the railway authorities, shipping agents, or airlines office, pay any
charges due and take delivery of the goods. Certain formalities are to be observed
in clearing goods that are imported. Claims for missing or damaged goods are
referred to the insurance company or carriers.

124

REFERENCES
1.

Ammer, D.S. Materials Mnagement, Rev. ed., Homewood, Illinois,

Irwin, 1968.

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