PLAN
There are three main areas within the Plan department that you will develop an in-depth knowledge of throughout the programme. These areas are Production Planning, Logistics Planning and Material Planning. All Planners will work with other departments within British American Tobacco, the factories and procurement as well as dealing with third party suppliers. Therefore you will develop a wider knowledge of British American Tobacco’s core functions.
During the first year you will gain a broad holistic view of the Operations function as a whole, allowing you to gain first hand experience of how each department operates within the function. British American Tobacco has one of the largest linear optimisation models in the world. Understanding how the tobacco leaf gets sourced, how it gets to the factory itself and then how it gets manufactured are all essential elements of the success of British American Tobacco. This is a hugely complex part of the role and will allow you to gain an overall understanding of all areas of Supply Chain Management.
The second year of the programme will be where you will focus on all elements of Plan. Throughout the year you will spend time with each area. Within Logistics Planning you will develop your ability to find cost effective solutions for getting finished and semi-finished goods to customers by liaising with the factories. You will also be dealing with stock reports on a daily basis in order for you to make sure you meet the customers’ needs.
Within Material Planning, you will ensure that the core material requirements are maintained. You will also need to act according to short and medium term plans as well as look at inventory levels in order to make sure needs at met. Production Planning will be where you create plans that ensure the right supply products meet the customers’ requirements. You will be planning and forecasting in order to make sure the production line is aligned to these requirements.
