Customers often had urgent and last-minute needs, and we relied heavily on vendors who frequently struggled to meet timelines. Many deliveries arrived late, damaged, quantity discrepancies, wrong/missing certifications, and communication was often inconsistent. When order delays occurred, vendors would sometimes request significant expedite fees to recover time, which ultimately impacted our ability to meet customer expectations. My focus was on coordinating orders and maintaining service levels, so anything related to back-billing or fee negotiation would have been handled by A/R and the customer.
Up until mid-2025, the workload was demanding but manageable. The major shift occurred during the SAP implementation. Leadership chose to roll out the system in multiple phases, starting with a pilot at smaller warehouse sites. After the pilot, the timeline for Phase 2 was accelerated before all core issues were resolved, which led to widespread disruptions in order fulfillment, customer delivery performance, and internal workflow. This resulted in extended hours, weekend work, and a high-pressure environment across multiple teams.
During this period, there were differing perspectives between senior leadership, mid-level management, and the front-line operational teams regarding the challenges being faced. When executives later visited to assess the situation firsthand, the emphasis remained on pushing forward with additional rollout phases rather than stabilizing the initial implementation. At that point, I decided to transition out, as I felt the work environment and priorities were no longer aligned with my capacity to deliver effectively and sustainably.
