General Overview
Material controllers facilitate the movement of materials from one department of a business to another. Different businesses require different services form their material controller and responsibilities can vary greatly. Material controllers may be responsible for updating records regarding movement of material, liaising with sellers, performing safety checks – even ensuring that all operations adhere to company and legal guidelines for material use and safety.
A material controller’s role is heavily interwoven with other parts of a business’ operation. In order to perform their role to a high standard, material controllers must coordinate effectively with all areas of a business. As a result of this, material controllers often form strong working relationships with staff across a variety of departments, making frequent contributions to their projects and assisting their needs.
In this blog from BMR Solutions, we discuss the role of Material Controller – making reference to key responsibilities, necessary skills, salary and required experience. To see more of our job spotlight series, take a look at our blog. Articles include –
Responsibilities
Material Controllers have a number of responsibilities. These include:
- Processing orders for shipping and providing documentation that adheres to relevant legislation and carrier requirements.
- Ensuring that customers receive customers receive orders in a timely manner.
- Ensuring that orders are full and accurate.
- Dealing with stock discrepancies or quality issues should they arise.
- Managing the inward and outward flow of inventory.
Skills
As previously noted, the nature of a material controller’s role can vary greatly from one business to a next. To allow for effective execution of the roll, Material Controllers require a wide range of skills. These include:
Computer Skills
Material Controllers regularly use computers or technological devices to update material inventories, fill out stock orders and monitor stock levels in addition to many other tasks. For this reason, it is vital that a material controller has strong computer skills as to ensure that all computer tasks are completed in a timely and accurate fashion.
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Material controllers are required to work alongside many other departments within a business. Consequently, it is important that the occupant of this role is confident working alongside others and is able to communicate clearly and effectively. Forming strong, productive working relationships is essential to performing this role to a high standard, so strong interpersonal communication skills are essential.
Attention to Detail
When it comes to monitoring inventory, failing to notice small changes can cause substantial problems. Material controllers will often deal with large amounts of that can be susceptible to regular changes. In this context, failure to pay attention to detail can result in both internal issues and issues regarding customer experience
Health and Safety Awareness in Warehouse Environment
When working in a warehouse environment, there are a variety of threats to worker health and safety. Luckily, the practices of manufacturing industries are highly regulated by government legislation. As a result, it is essential that a material controller is well versed in the rules and regulations that apply to their working environment. This ensures both the safety of staff and the lab-abiding status of an employer business.
Organisational Skills
In any role where large amounts of stock or data is handled, organisational skills are key. It is vital that a material controller is able to effectively organise stock as well as coordinate packaging and dispatching to meet order deadlines. Organisation is a desirable still for almost any job – but it’s even more important for a material controller!
An Understanding of Manufacturing Principles
Within the manufacturing system line, material controllers play a vital role. Consequently, a understand of the core manufacturing principles is essential. When coordinating with other manufacturing professionals, being able to effectively use manufacturing terminology and demonstrate understanding of wider manufacturing ideas is advantageous to a material controller.
Fork Lift Licence
Many experts argue that there is a shortage of practically skilled workers within the modern workforce. A forklift licence is a desirable asset for many manufacturing roles. Workers who have received legislation approved training are ideal candidates for businesses that deal with material goods. Depending on the demands of the particular business, some employers may wish their material controller to possess a fork lift license.
Salary
According to Reed, the average salary for a Material Controller £30,600 per year. It is however likely that salaries and incentives will vary from one business to the next. Unlike many other engineering and logistics roles, the overall range in UK salaries is fairly small. This is something to bear in mind if you would be hoping to observe notable wage increases over time.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Similarly to salary, the requirements for a material controller role will vary from one business to the next. Some businesses may require degree level education within a specific area, others will require larger amounts of experience – and some a combination of the two. It is largely certain that a business will require all prospective employees to have obtained health and safety training.
Find Your Next Production Material Controller Role with BMR Solutions
If you’re on the lookout for your next material controller role, the team of industry experts at BMR Solutions are on hand to advise you. We are recruitment specialists working in the South West, helping talented candidates find the right role for them. With a host of valuable connections and local links, our clients receive access to all of the best opportunities for their desired role.
To speak to a member of our team about how we can help you with your next career move, contact us today. If you’d prefer not to call, submit your CV online and our team of recruiters will get to work finding opportunities for you. In addition, you can also sign up for job alerts, so you never miss out on great opportunities
