Rushikesh Gaikwad

MBA Operations & Supply Chain graduate with experience in Materials Planning, Inventory Management, Demand Forecasting, and Production Planning within FMCG manufacturing. Skilled in supply-demand balancing, inventory optimization, KPI analysis, and supplier coordination. Proficient in MS Excel, ERP systems, and data-driven decision making to support material availability, shortage management, and operational excellence.

Experienced in cross-functional collaboration with procurement, warehouse, production, and logistics teams to achieve inventory and service level targets.

Junior Food Technologist (Supply Chain Planning) at Chitale Sweets and Snacks (2024-03 – 2025-05)

• Supported replenishment planning and inventory control activities to maintain target stock levels and improve inventory turns across manufacturing and warehouse operations.
• Performed demand forecasting and supply planning using historical demand patterns, sales trends, and production requirements.
• Monitored inventory levels and material flow to ensure timely availability of raw materials and minimize stock-outs.
• Managed replenishment recommendations, safety stock reviews, and reorder point calculations to support service level objectives.
• Coordinated with procurement, warehouse, and production teams to optimize deployment of materials and improve inventory utilization.
• Supported phase-in and phase-out planning activities to reduce excess inventory and ensure smooth transition of materials.
• Prepared production forecasts and material requirement plans to align procurement activities with production schedules.
• Conducted inventory analysis to identify slow-moving, excess, and obsolete inventory and recommended corrective actions.
• Analyzed key supply chain KPIs including inventory turns, fill rate, stock availability, forecast accuracy, and service levels.
• Performed root cause analysis on material shortages, delayed replenishments, and inventory variances to improve planning performance.
• Collaborated with suppliers to review open orders, delivery schedules, lead-time adherence, and replenishment priorities.
• Managed expedite requests and material allocation activities to support production continuity and customer fulfillment requirements.
• Developed inventory optimization recommendations that improved material availability while reducing excess stock and carrying costs.
• Generated planning reports using MS Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP) to support inventory and supply chain decisions.
• Worked closely with production, procurement, logistics, and warehouse teams to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce operational bottlenecks.
• Communicated material availability risks, supply constraints, and order status updates to internal stakeholders to support proactive decision-making.

Quality and Production Trainee at Paperboat Foods (2022-06 – 2022-12)

• Supported supply chain operations including production planning, inventory tracking, and order monitoring
• Maintained data accuracy, integrity, and consistency across production and inventory records
• Assisted in supply-demand coordination and exception handling processes
• Improved packaging cycle efficiency by 20–25% through process optimization
• Coordinated with internal teams to ensure smooth execution of production and supply plans
• ABC Analysis Conducted to Prioritize Inventory Management Activities
• Assisted in production planning and daily scheduling to meet demand requirements
• Monitored raw material consumption and minimized wastage during production
• Maintained production logs and prepared daily performance reports
• Assisted in vendor quality evaluation and incoming material inspection
• Maintained documentation for processes, reports, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Ensured adherence to SOPs across production and quality processes
• Reduced inventory holding period through better demand-supply synchronization

MBA in Operations & Supply Chain – PDEA's College of Engineering, Pune (2023 – 2025)

BTech in Food Technology – MIT School of Food Technology, Pune (2019 – 2023)