8 Facts About Inventory Control Coordinators

Last Updated on July 6, 2025

Having food processing facilities run smoothly is no easy task.

Although it may not seem immediately obvious, making food products in a manufacturing facility is quite similar to cooking a recipe at home. Both processes involve following a set of steps, but the operations in a facility are more complex. Just as you need to gather ingredients before starting to cook at home, a manufacturing plant must also stock up on its ingredients. In both cases, you need enough space for the ingredients and products.

For example, suppose a food manufacturer is baking cookies. In that case, they must ensure they have all the necessary ingredients and a suitable storage space for the baked goods.

It sounds simple enough. 

Store cold ingredients in the fridge or freezer, and once the cookies are baked, keep them at room temperature. While this may seem straightforward, coordinating the storage can be challenging. It’s simple to handle items when they’re just text on a computer. Still, when you need to transport the physical products, mistakes can happen.

Managing inventory can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with hundreds of ingredients and products that occupy physical space and can be pretty heavy. This is the reason why companies hire Inventory Control Coordinators (ICCs), as it’s too big a task for production managers to handle alone.

1. Inventory Control Coordinators manage and optimize inventory

Inventory Control Coordinators are responsible for managing and optimizing inventory levels across multiple food processing facilities. They regularly monitor inventory levels to ensure that production planners have the necessary information to make informed decisions about production schedules, inventory levels, and ordering quantities.

In addition to managing inventory levels, ICCs oversee the transfer of finished goods from warehouses. This includes monitoring inventory across all warehouses to prevent shortages and managing overstock. They also collaborate closely with other departments, such as production, purchasing, logistics, and sales, to ensure that all inventory needs are met.

ICCs ensure that the manufacturing facility’s inventory is accurate and up-to-date. They accomplish this through careful monitoring of inventory levels, reviewing inventory trends, and conducting routine physical counts. When discrepancies are found, they work diligently to resolve them and prevent them from happening in the future. This again often requires ICCs to collaborate with other departments and other key stakeholders to identify the root cause of the issue and implement corrective actions.

Overall, inventory control coordinators play a critical role in ensuring that a food manufacturing facility’s inventory is accurate, up-to-date, and well-managed.

2. Inventory Control Coordinators physically count items

You would think that, in the modern age of sensors, computers, and cameras, it would be unnecessary for businesses to send individuals to count inventory in warehouses physically. This might be the case in the future, but in today’s age, many organizations still require this practice for accuracy.

ICCs regularly count all ingredients, in-between products, and finished products in a warehouse and verify that they match computer inventory levels. Counting inventory is the process of physically counting and recording the number of items in stock at a warehouse or processing facility.

Sometimes, things can fall through the cracks if a barcode isn’t scanned correctly or if a product is accidentally placed in the wrong location. Conducting a physical inventory count helps prevent stockouts, overstocking, and other issues that can impact business operations.

Sometimes, items can get overlooked due to improper barcode scanning or because a product was mistakenly placed in the wrong location. Conducting a physical inventory count helps prevent stockouts, overstocking, and other issues that can negatively impact business operations.

3. Inventory Control Coordinators solve problems

ICCs do more than count stock. For example, let’s say that during their routine counting run, the ICC found an entire skid of nearly expired eggs. If this product was allowed to go past expiration this would be a large financial loss. It’s up to the ICC to alert production and sales/marketing teams on how to proceed with yogurt.

Now that they have alerted these teams, it’s time to start an investigation and determine how to prevent this from happening in the future. There are avenues they might explore to explain the source of the missing yogurt. For example, these might include:

1. Verifying the count: The inventory controller would double-check the count and ensure that they were not the ones making the mistake.
2. Checking records: If the skid is in the factory, it may not have been shipped out correctly on an order. The team will coordinate with the shipping department to ensure the item was not overlooked.
3. Checking with warehouse staff: It is possible that the warehouse staff may have mistakenly listed the product incorrectly. They will likely speak with staff to uncover the issue.

Mistakes happen, however, and a one-off discrepancy is okay. However, issues arise when it becomes an ongoing problem. Therefore, it is up to the ICC to determine the problem quickly as this provides more time to figure out a solution!

4. Inventory Control Coordinators generally have degrees in business and supply chain management

Becoming an Inventory Control Coordinator requires different levels of education depending on the size and complexity of the organization. Generally, a college or bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, logistics, or supply chain is required to become an ICC. For this role, it is beneficial if the candidate has at least some experience working in a warehouse, as it provides valuable knowledge for this field.

However, some organizations may not require a post-secondary degree and only require a high school diploma, as long as candidates have demonstrated work experience at a manufacturing facility. Ultimately, the educational and experience requirements for Inventory Control Coordinators vary based on the organization’s specific needs and the complexity of the job duties.

5. Inventory Control Coordinators work with multiple departments

Like many roles in a manufacturing facility, ICCs work closely with various departments. For example, they collaborate with the production department to ensure that there is enough inventory to meet production needs. By communicating inventory shortages or surpluses to production planners, more informed decisions on what to manufacture in each manufacturing facility can be made. 

Additionally, they work closely with the purchasing department to maintain accurate inventory levels and ensure that sufficient materials are on hand. ICCs collaborate with the quality control department to ensure that products meet quality standards and are disposed of in accordance with regulatory requirements. Another department includes the sales and marketing department, which also works with the ICC to ensure that inventory levels meet customer demands and plan for future sales.

6. Inventory Control Coordinators assist with product movements

Food manufacturing facilities typically have limited space, and when they’re producing large quantities of products, they might not be able to store everything on-site. As a result, they often rely on additional warehouses or secondary facilities for storage. This is where inventory control coordinators come into play; they oversee the transfer of finished goods within the warehouses.

These coordinators consistently track finished goods inventory levels across all locations to prevent shortages and proactively manage overstocks. They also work closely with staff to identify and enhance their processes, providing training on how to handle items effectively and supporting them with Standard Operating Procedures as needed.

7. Inventory Control Coordinators support production reviews

Food products in a facility can often expire due to slow usage or neglect. Inventory control coordinators work to minimize waste and ensure an adequate supply of ingredients for production.

One strategy they employ to achieve these goals is by analyzing inventory trends. These trends are identified using metrics such as:

1. Inventory turns: This metric measures a company’s efficiency in managing its inventory.

2. Aged Inventory: Aged inventory refers to stock that has been stored in a warehouse or displayed on store shelves for an extended period without being sold.

3. Excess Inventory: Excess inventory refers to the stock that a company holds over what is necessary to meet current demand. This situation can arise from factors such as overproduction, inaccurate demand forecasting, and fluctuations in customer preferences.

These metrics provide valuable information to production planners, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding schedules, inventory levels, and ordering quantities. Based on these insights, products may be either discontinued or prioritized differently. By optimizing inventory management, efficiency can be enhanced, which helps reduce waste and maximize resources.

8. Inventory Control Coordinators are strategic, adaptable and are systems thinkers

Like many professions, certain skills will enhance your effectiveness as an Inventory Control Coordinator. These skills include:

• Strategic Thinking – Inventory Control Coordinators (ICCs) must possess strong judgment skills in order to effectively perform their duties. They need to be decisive, as reversing a decision can lead to costly mistakes. Ultimately, their goal is to optimize inventory levels for production while minimizing costs and meeting customer demand.
• Systems Thinking – Manufacturing facilities are complex systems where even small changes can lead to significant impacts later on. Inventory Control Coordinators must possess a thorough understanding of inventory management systems and their interconnections. They know how to integrate digital tools with the physical world.
• Adaptability – An Inventory Control Coordinator must be adaptable to the dynamic environment of food manufacturing facilities. Changes can occur rapidly, so it is essential for the coordinator to adjust to shifts in production schedules and other elements of the supply chain. With their experience and expertise, they can make quick decisions to prevent delays in production and shipping.