Ashland.com

CAREERS

+ OUR VALUES

BUSINESS SNAPSHOTS

MEET OUR PEOPLE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

UNIVERSITY RECRUITMENT

CURRENT U.S. OPENINGS

CURRENT CANADIAN OPENINGS

Careers - Meet our People

"The people at Ashland make Ashland. This is a very people-friendly environment. A part of every day is something to remember."

Kim
Purchasing Coordinator
Ashland Distribution
Dublin, Ohio

Day in the Life

The best thing about this job is that I am never bored! I am constantly challenged and always learning.

As an expediter/planner, I work with purchasing reports, SAP* maintenance and pricing information on a daily basis. In other words, I'm the "go to" person for sales, plants, customer service and purchasing information. You might say "problem-solver" is another name for this job.

I usually work between 40 to 50 hours per week, but there are no typical days in distribution. Each begins with a plan of action or a "to do" list that is usually thrown out the window by 8:15! Every day is fast-paced, and you constantly have to reprioritize.

I interact with any number of colleagues on a given day, including plant, sales, accounts payable, accounting, data central, customer service and source management personnel. This position provides a good opportunity to interact with various departments and people within Ashland. The best thing is that we are all part of the same team.

PACES (proactive, accountable, collaboration, externally focused, acting w/speed) is defined as a key to Ashland's overall success, and it certainly applies to Ashland Distribution. In fact, all five components are "a must."

Buyers must be proactive in their inventory decisions, so that we have what our customers need. We're all accountable for the decisions we make that have any impact on the business. There must be collaboration between all parties, so that everyone is on the same page when it comes to servicing the customer. Being externally focused is how you maintain your customer base. Acting with speed, whether it involves getting back to a customer on pricing or quickly resolving a problem will be noticed, remembered and will keep customers coming back.

A potential candidate for this position should know that a sense of urgency is a requirement. This is a fast-paced environment, and your priorities can quickly shift, so you have to be able to act accordingly. It is also important to be detail-oriented, possess leadership qualities and a willingness to share knowledge and information. We value and rely upon each individual's contributions.

I've accumulated many fond memories at Ashland, but my favorite would have to be the day I received my Eagle Wings Award. It showed me that, even though we all have bad days, overall performance is what matters.

*Registered trademark of SAP AG in Germany and several other countries