Jennifer McAfee began with Newmar in 2016 in an entirely new position for the company: cycle counting. She spent a couple years launching and perfecting the position before being promoted to buyer, where she was responsible for the day-to-day buying of basic commodities. After a few years in this position learning purchasing and understanding expediting, she was then promoted to purchasing agent, where she’s taken on the most complex and line-stopping commodities.
Jennifer manages nearly 100 suppliers and more than 7,000 part numbers in her new role. Her supplier on-time delivery exceeds 95% while her shortages to the line are commonly zero.
She proved her salt when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she managed the complexity all supply chain personnel were facing while taking on incremental responsibility of new parts.
“She jumped in to perform other department tasks and train new personnel for cycle counting,” a nominator wrote.
If it’s lunchtime, you’ll often find Jennifer having lunch with her key receiving personnel. She’s built relationships with them, and in return, they give her respect and deliver high performance. Her positive relationships with suppliers also result in maximum performance on their part. She is regularly at the plant interacting with installers and group leaders to understand where BOM [bill of materials] may be inaccurate or point out where the incorrect materials may be in use. Her nominators write it is through her proactive collaboration with production, engineering and external suppliers that she ensures accurate deliveries of all her required commodities on-time.
“Jennifer is very passionate about her position. She is continuously striving to meet the expectations of the production line while continuously minimizing on hand inventory — key metrics in the business. External stakeholders to Newmar regularly state, ‘We want to keep working with Jennifer.’”
Jennifer says, “In the eight years I have been at Newmar, I have been able to advance my career multiple times, quickly. Starting out as a cycle counter, advancing to a buyer, and now a purchasing agent, I, along with my peers, consider myself a trusted resource.”
Jennifer lives the lifestyle outside of work, spending time in the outdoors where she enjoys riding her ATV. She purchased a toy hauler trailer for that specific reason: so she can camp and ride. She has begun training her puppy for dock diving and has entered numerous competitions.
Jennifer’s advice for upcoming leaders in the RV space:
“Hard work pays off. Don’t be afraid to do the dirty work. Go out on the production floor, learn the parts and the process, because it will be time well spent.”