RISING STARS
SARAH DANIEL Job title: Product Performance Controller Company: RGB Building Supplies
What’s your role?
My role is everything Stock Control related. I am responsible for stock values, stock adjustments, stock counts and reporting on inefficient surplus stock within the business and tasked to decrease it. I also work closely with branches and suppliers when introducing new stock, reviewing ranges, discontinuing dead lines and evaluate what action needs to be taken to ensure product is warranting its selling space within the branches.
How did you get into this industry?
You hear this a lot around the industry but I just fell into it. I did not have a burning desire to work here from a young age! When I left college I worked full time in an industrial laundry and eventually wanted to get out of the ‘rut’. All I wanted was an admin or receptionist role but was unsuccessful until 2012 when I saw the Apprenticeship role at RGB Holsworthy Branch and have not looked back!
What might a typical day for you at work be? A day in the Builders Merchant in any role is very varied but a typical day for me usually involves a lot of Excel! It may start with doing some stock or sales reports for the Category Managers. Adjusting re-order levels to suit sales out and liaising with one or all branches detailing stock allocations for a supplier change implementation.
What were you doing at work last week? I was writing down the value of some stock in an effort to get rid of the surplus dead stock, reported on the success of our Christmas Promotion and helped put up the Christmas Tree!
What are your big challenges in this role? This is an industry of strong and traditional values therefore for me my most challenging moments are when I made a mistake. I am embarrassed easily and throughout my career I have found myself trying to prove my worth therefore when these mistakes were made I felt humiliated. However, I soon realised that your mistake is your greatest opportunity as it is better than to do nothing, learn nothing and not evolve.
What do you love about your role?
There are many! But I have two which are jumping out. Firstly the people and that is the team who I work with, the branches, the suppliers and the customers. Nothing is taken too seriously, you can have a laugh, and there is a
relaxed atmosphere. Secondly the beauty of this industry career wise is the flexibility, you can explore different career paths, different ways of doing things and come across many different opportunities.
What do you think has been your biggest achievement so far in your role?
There are a number of achievements which I am proud of, including getting a job in Head Office and being awarded the BMF Young Achiever of the year. But my biggest achievement for me personally is the relationships I have built with different people. I have made some friends for life in this industry and that is an achievement that unfortunately not many people have.
What would you like to achieve next? Raising awareness and encouraging all different people to join this wonderful industry is something I feel passionate about, in particular women and young people. Young People, Women, aspiring people and people who don’t fit the normal can add another dimension to these roles. The builder’s merchant has so much to offer and they have so much to offer us also!
What advice would you give someone new to this industry?
Learn as much as you can from different areas of the business, this will enhance your knowledge and earn you respect. Be honest, share ideas and say yes! You grow most when you are out of your comfort zone so always give it a go!
What would you say to someone who might be thinking about a career/getting a job on the merchant industry?
Its defiantly is worth the leap. Many people see it as lumping cement around the yard on a wet Tuesday afternoon but there are a number of different avenues you can explore whether it is sales, finance, marketing, HR the list goes on! Too manay people see the builders merchant as a last resort and we end up with a real skills shortage but the opportunities are endless. I could not see myself anywhere else!
As an industry we need to do all we can to keep up with a world which is forever changing. As norms values and technology changes we need to move with it. Listen to others and embrace new ideas….Change is often seen as too risky but we cannot become what we want by remaining where we are. BMJ
MANAGER’S VIEW
Sarah Daniel joined the business in 2012 as our first female apprentice. She demonstrated a self-motivated desire to improve herself and has worked in many areas of the business including the yard, behind the counter, in the showroom and at Head Office – iving her a good foundation knowledge of how the business works. She was always willing to learn, but also to make suggestions on where she felt improvements could be made. She would learn from one role, or one branch, and then suggest changes at another. She saw the business as a whole – not just the specific branch she was working. These qualities have held Sarah in good stead within her current role as she keeps the consistency of her approach throughout the whole branch network. Sarah is the first to step forward to help promote the apprenticeship scheme and is a BMF Ambassador – supporting the HR Director in attending recruitment fairs and trade shows to talk from the heart about her experiences within the Industry. She now uses her skills and experience to guide a group of Branch Stock Controllers ensuring that everyone is working in one direction and understands the company’s objectives.
for buildings in profitable partnerships with distributors, contractors and housebuilders. We manufacture our range of Celcon Blocks in three state-of-the art factories in Kent and Yorkshire. Our Borough Green factory,
recently the subject of a major rebuilding programme, is the most modern and efficient aircrete factory in Europe, and we benefit from the experience and knowledge of our technical experts from our plants across Europe.
January 2019
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