1. ARC Purchasing Management Ltd – Andrew Christophers
35 Albert Road, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 5HS. Tel: 07968 859405
e-mail: andrew_christophers@yahoo.co.uk
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/andrewchristophers
An Interim Procurement Professional and Change Manager, expert in both Direct and Indirect procurement,
the development and execution of procurement strategies, supplier development and supply chain
management, sourcing, contract negotiation, category and materials management.
With over 20 years of Procurement and Supply Chain experience gained in an array of industry sectors
including Construction, White Goods, Commodity Chemicals, FMCG, Pharmaceutical, Primary Materials and
Utilities along with the strong belief that to be effective, procurement cannot be done to an organisation but
must be done with the organisation.
Specialising in bringing strategic procurement and supply chain principles into businesses or areas of a
business where they are underperforming or have not been before and delivering significant measureable
benefits with over £8M in savings delivered to clients in the last 3 years.
People and stakeholder management is a key skill which enables me to gain buy in, bring together disparate
functions, align dysfunctional departments and overcome scepticism.
Career History
Thames Water Utilities Ltd Apr – July 10 Interim Contracts Manager
(UK’s largest Water and Waste Water Services Company - Utilities)
Reporting to the Strategic Waste Manager to cover post of Contracts Manager resulting from incumbent
leaving at short notice and to a back log of incomplete Framework Agreements, Unresolved supplier
disputes, rate reviews and un-assessed Tender submissions.
• Successfully resurrected the stalled tender process for the provision of Cake Bio-solids Haulage
valued at £10M per annum. Led negotiations with potential suppliers securing rate reductions, fixed
pricing, cash flow benefits and cost avoidance equating to £3.5M across the contract term (5 yrs).
• Negotiated resolution to outstanding supplier dispute with regard to tanker corrosion, implemented
auditable process to settle further potential claims obtaining full sign off from Operations,
Procurement and the Supplier.
• Drafted Framework Agreement documentation for the provision of Primary Aggregates, Ready Mixed
Concrete and Recycled Aggregates enabling legal sign off and subsequent issue to suppliers.
• Mentored Waste Management team with regard to negotiation and Supply Relationship
Management strategies.
Tarmac Ltd Sept – Dec 09 Interim Procurement Manager
(Quarrying, Aggregate Processing & Asphalt Production - Primary Materials)
Reporting to the Head of Supply, accountable for pioneering the role of Regional Procurement Manager in
the North of England and Scotland focussed on key (previously un-quantified) maintenance support
categories.
• Developed and executed the procurement strategy for third party maintenance provision (electrical
and mechanical) for 85 business units in Northern England and Scotland, full spend analysis /
system interrogation (SAP) conducted.
• Managed and led stakeholder interaction to secure buy in, negotiated and implemented robust
contracts with incumbent suppliers generating annualised savings of £120K.
William Ransom & Sons PLC Jan – May 09 Interim Procurement Manager
(Contract manufacturer - Pharmaceutical)
Andrew Christophers – Curriculum Vitae
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2. Company in Turnaround - Reporting to the General Manager accountable for the development and execution
of the Procurement Strategy, the management of the multisite warehousing and materials control team (8
reports) and associated interfaces along with the exit of the incumbent procurement manager.
• Full spend category analysis completed and procurement strategy created including cost reduction
targets totalling £600K for presentation to the Board / Bank representatives and subsequent
implementation across various spend categories including Logistics, Packaging (cardboard, labels
and pallets), Chemicals, Glass, Plastics and Contract Sub Assembly.
• Led and developed the materials control and warehouse team enabling better internal
communication and working practices, including the promotion of safety as a key business principle
and the rigorous enforcement of safe working practices including disciplinary proceedings and
subsequent dismissal for unsafe behaviour.
Bison Concrete Products Ltd Mar – Oct 08 Interim Procurement Manager (HOP)
(Pre-cast Concrete Manufacturer and Installer - Construction)
Company in Turnaround - Reporting to the CEO, responsible for the implementation of Strategic
Procurement practices to reduce cost, improve efficiency and generate accountability. Organisation
comprised a head office and four UK manufacturing facilities, had no established procurement function and
an annual spend of £60M.
• Developed and implemented sourcing strategies for a range of Indirect and Direct spend categories
(Aggregates, Cement, Fixings, Steel Wire and Bar, Waste Disposal, Crane / Equipment hire and
Fleet) resulting in annualised benefits in excess of £1.7M with a further £1.5M potential savings
identified for the client to pursue.
• Implemented processes and controls which enabled an audit trail for all purchases, from principle
raw materials to MRO and office consumables where originally there was none. Designed and
implemented KPI’s to track compliance and improvement.
• Rationalised the accounts payable process dramatically, reducing process time and non value added
activity enabling greater visibility for and accountability of cost centre owners.
• Led the development of the MRO stores function enabling the use of a computerised MRP system
and effective data management along with robust goods issue and goods inward processes.
Muller Dairy & Culina Logistics Ltd Apr – Oct 07 Interim Procurement Manager
(Dairy and Chilled Distribution - FMCG)
Reporting to the Supply Chain Director, accountable for key indirect sourcing categories which the business
had originally considered too specialised and sensitive for procurement involvement (MRO, Contract Labour
and Facilities) and whose savings potential was considered slight by even the established procurement
function.
• Sourced the provision of temporary labour through HR providers for four UK warehouse and packing
lines, annual spend £6M, approx. 300 workers. Proactively managed stakeholder interaction and
expectations and conducted detailed market analysis. Full RFP exercise undertaken, negotiation
strategies developed and executed. 50% reduction in supplier margins achieved, robust contracts
implemented with enhanced service levels with incumbent suppliers. Annual saving £350K.
• Full Market analysis undertaken for the consolidation of the provision of MRO and engineering
spares to specialist providers to enable realistic comparisons with the client’s current solution.
Subsequently negotiated price reductions with incumbent suppliers and implemented an OEM parts
replacement process and tracking system ensuring ownership remained with the engineering
function enabling year on year benefits. Savings achieved year one £150K.
• Full spend and supply market analysis undertaken relative to the provision of contract HGV drivers,
re-negotiated rates with principle supplier generating savings of £80K per annum.
• Re-negotiated office cleaning contracts at three UK locations generating an annual £60K saving.
Andrew Christophers – Curriculum Vitae
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3. NOVA-Innovene UK Ltd 2001 – 2007 Procurement and Logistics Manager
(European multi-national producer of solid and expandable polystyrene - Commodity Chemicals)
Reporting to the General Manager and the European Purchasing and Logistics Director, responsible for all
indirect and capital expenditure, 170K tonnes raw material and finished goods throughput, warehousing and
on site container park facility, MRO and raw material inventory. 22 staff, finished product loading, goods
receiving, stores management and transport coordination. Annual operating budget of £1.8M. A member of
the Site Leadership Team and lead member of the Nova-Innovene European Procurement Network.
Tasked with the creation of an Indirect procurement function, an MRO stores facility, SAP implementation
and combining the site procurement and logistics functions in two recently combined Chemical businesses
originally Huntsman and Shell Chemicals.
• Created a dedicated indirect procurement function from scratch focussed on cost reduction,
efficiency improvements and security of supply. Recruited staff, established robust documented
procedures to provide cost visibility, necessary audit trails, ISO9001 and SARBOX compliance.
• Negotiated over £4M cost reductions achieved in a variety of indirect commodity areas including
Maintenance Expenditure, MRO, Utilities, Capex (Mechanical and Electrical Installation, Specialist
Equipment, Civil Engineering, Demolition) Waste Management, Contract Labour, 3PL, Healthcare,
Professional Services, and Equipment Leases.
• Established an MRO stores facility comprising 7,000 individual parts and consumables which
necessitated the removal, relocation and inspection of all parts from a number of satellite stores, a
full SAP master data generation exercise and the implementation of cycle counting programs along
with all necessary SAP training to ensure continual data integrity and inventory accuracy.
• Defined and implemented UK purchasing strategies relative to annual indirect spend circa £8M along
with circa £3M Capital expenditure. Realigned the businesses approach to procurement from
reactive to proactive ensuring best use of resource and maximum opportunity to add value.
• Exploited the synergies between the procurement and logistics functions resulting in the elimination
of non-value added activity, head count reduction and a 30% reduction in operating budget.
• Developed and effectively employed the use of reverse auctions and electronic RFQ’s to both re-
enforce purchasing strategy and to obtain significant cost reductions on a variety of products and
services including Capital Equipment, Mechanical and Electrical Installation and Waste
Management.
• Leveraged the organisations “European Procurement Network” to facilitate volume related
commercial benefits and knowledge transfer thus enabling the implementation of business
improvement projects and the streamlining of transactional purchasing methods and techniques
including the implementation of the purchasing card and automatic purchase order creation.
Caradon PLC 1997 – 2001 Procurement and Materials Manager
(Manufacturer of Central heating, bathroom and electrical products, Dalton, Stelrad, Mira and MK – White Goods)
Reporting to both the Head of Purchasing and the Site Manager, responsible for the strategic sourcing of a
£10M direct spend portfolio and the materials control function and associated raw materials and finished
goods inventory in the shower tray and enclosure division, 2 direct reports.
• Managed a £10M spend portfolio covering Speciality Chemicals and Resins, Commodity and
Specialist Metals, Packaging, Bespoke Components, High Pressure and Gravity Die Castings,
Plastic Injection Mouldings, Aluminium and Plastic Extrusions, Aggregates, Refractory’s, Glass and
Factored Products and Foundry Raw Materials including Cast Iron Scrap, Steel and Coke and Waste
Management. Successfully generating year on year cost reductions in excess of 5% per annum.
• Led the implementation of the SAP MM module incorporating full analysis of functional needs prior to
module configuration and master data generation. Implementation took this business from a non-
formal, paper-based approach to automated ERP and system generated purchase order placement.
Andrew Christophers – Curriculum Vitae
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4. • Designed and implemented supplier controlled consignment stock programmes, analysed inventory
needs, improved and generated measures for inventory accuracy performance for direct and indirect
materials resulting in the reduction of inventory value by 40%.
Caradon PLC 1985 – 1997 Various Positions & Responsibilities
Foundry buyer and materials coordinator, production control and scheduling, shop floor supervision, supplier
performance assessment, month end reporting and financial analysis with regard to material flows etc.
Training and Qualifications
C.I.P.S. foundation stage of graduate diploma completed
C.I.P.S Professional stage, 2 modules completed (Strategy, Tactics and Operations), Level 5 equivalent.
Scotwork - Negotiating Skills
Aclivus – Sales Negotiation
C.I.P.S. – Profitable Purchasing Strategies, Law for the Buyer
Sheppard Moscow – Positive power and influence
Oliver Wight – Sales and Operations Planning
Skills / General
Familiar with software packages such as SAP excel, word, outlook, power point and visio. Full UK driving
licence. Experienced at working within ISO14001 & 9001, SARBOX and Responsible Care environments.
Andrew Christophers – Curriculum Vitae
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