London, England, United Kingdom
Kenta has more than ten years of extensive experience in various supply chain industry roles and transitioned into management consulting over three years ago. As a consultant, he now leads teams and manages complex programmes, ensuring high-quality outputs for clients and establishing effective client relationships. Having worked in the aerospace, consumer electronics, and automotive industries in Asia, North America, and Europe, he currently provides advisory services to clients in retail, consumer goods, hospitality & leisure, and life sciences. Kenta has been delivering strategic and end-to-end value chain improvement projects, ranging from supply chain, operations, and procurement to the development and deployment of target operating models. His core capabilities include network & logistics optimisation, inventory management, planning, scheduling, forecasting, and supply chain design. He also has expertise in data enablement through visualisation and the implementation of modern supply chain digital tools.
Business Development, Practice Development, and Line Management - Lead the development of sales propositions and bid proposals for network design/optimisation, inventory management, and planning, scheduling, and forecasting engagements - Support business development calls as a supply chain SME - Design and host training sessions to upskill internal analysts and consultants - Line manage analysts and placement analysts Key Projects: 1. Operational Improvement (Global Aviation and Rail Catering Provider) - Delivered £1.8m in savings through operational improvements - Managed a team of 7 and acted as the client interface - Proposed and tested sustainable operational changes 2. Value Chain Opportunity Assessment (Global Aviation and Rail Catering Provider) - Identified £9.9m in cost savings and improvement opportunities - Conducted document reviews, stakeholder interviews, and site visits - Produced a comprehensive report with actionable plans 3. Cost Reduction Programme (Omni-Channel Fashion Retailer) - Conducted distribution assessment and re-tendering - Achieved €1.3m savings by recommending fit-for-purpose 3PL providers 4. Value Chain Opportunity Assessment (UK-Based Coffee Chain) - Mapped operations, established a baseline, and identified £6.7m in efficiencies - Proposed multiple go-to-market options with best and final offers 5. Market Strategy Alignment (Broadline Food Distributor) - Facilitated interviews and workshops, developed a strategic plan for three years 6. Procurement Operating Model Redesign (Japanese Pharmaceutical Company) - Designed a target operating model and deployment plan followed by a series of facilitated workshops - Developed procurement enablers 7. Supply Chain Due Diligence (Private Equity Firm) - Produced a due diligence report and identified operational improvement areas 8. Logistics Outsourcing (European Bakery Chain) - Identified a logistics partner to achieve retail growth and managed the transition
• Responsible for IT investment projects to digitalise/visualise supply chain and finance with a budget of £100K • Developed paper-free remote working environment for supply chain/finance in response to COVID-19 • Facilitated 100% OTIF deliveries for European OEM customers during COVID-19 supply chain disruptions • Strategised post-Brexit material sourcing, warehousing, and supply chain continuity for EU and UK markets • Summarised and analysed monthly sales volume and profit performance against target P&L • Supervised the team processing Sales and Purchase Orders, and import/export custom clearances • Compiled business partner credit profiles by reviewing external credit monitoring information from Dun & Bradstreet and Moody's with proposed credit limits, and obtained board approval for the same • Ensured integrity of supply chain related ERP master data (Material, Business Partners, and Pricing) • Assisted Accounting team with audits of UK GAAP financial statements and HMRC audits
• Transitioned business processes to IBP (Integrated Business Planning) from S&OP (Sales and Operation Planning) with the IBP Lead and Head of Planning, as well as FP&A, Marketing, Sales and Leadership teams • Supervised and trained one Supply Chain graduate trainee • Implemented a new financial planning platform (Anaplan) and a new supply chain analytics platform (Tableau) • Collaborated with international teams in global IT transformational projects related to the supply chain planning system (Kinaxis from SAP Advanced Planning and Optimisation) and ERP (SAP S/4HANA from R/3) • Supported global and local Supply Chain optimisation projects (RFQ for third-party logistics vendors) • Advised on risks and opportunities in relation to supply chain constraints against ongoing and planned marketing and sales strategies in weekly commercial planning meetings • Managed new product launches and end-of-life planning with FP&A, Marketing, Communications and Sales teams • Led monthly demand planning cycles (sales volume: 3.1 million units per year, approximately 300 active SKUs) • Oversaw fortnightly inventory planning processes • Administered day-to-day inbound and outbound supply chain execution activities to meet financial targets • Received Dyson Award for being a role model demonstrating corporate values (Different, Authentic and Better)
• Led RFI, RFP and RFQ processes for selecting 3PL agents – reduced logistics costs by 40% • Synchronised EBOM in PLM with MBOM in MRP in accordance with ECOs and MCOs • Managed master production schedules and MRP master data for assembly, component parts, and engine module parts purchased from third-party partners • Provided on-time delivery of engine modules by creating daily recovery plans to meet client requirements with Quality Assurance, Engineering, and Procurement teams • Improved visibilities of delays with root causes analyses, suggested corrective actions, and recovery plans with internal component parts producers and third-party parts producers • Determined required factory capacity ramp-up based on programme requirements with Engineering, Quality Assurance and Operations teams • Ensured compliance with standard cost accounting requirements by monitoring incoming/outgoing transactions • Analysed labour rate and time variances, manufacturing direct and overhead cost variances
• Developed bi-annual 5-year P&L and cash flow forecasts for executive review of business performance • Compiled annual 20-year P&L for executive review of business strategies • Conducted financial status review for CPAs, financial contributors, and governmental agencies • Managed active contracts status – engine and spare parts sales, aftermarket services and payments to clients • Provided strategic financial advice on Engineering Change business case requests • Obtained and maintained export/import approvals from regulatory agencies in Japan, the US, and Germany • Managed master production schedules for the programme (production engine modules and aftermarket parts) and conducted comprehensive supply chain risk assessments against updated forecasts • Coordinated assembly and component parts manufacturing operations (3 joint venture partners, 7 plants) • Ensured compliance of technical data transactions with US export controls (EAR and ITAR) and goods movements with export/import controls and aviation regulations