An equipment planner orders, manages and inventories equipment for businesses. They must have industry knowledge, manage budgets, research purchase options, maintain relationships with vendors, and coordinate equipment location and movement.
An equipment planner is an employee who orders, inventories and manages all types of equipment used in a business. The equipment planner may have a broad focus or work in a specific industry; Medical equipment planners, for example, will work exclusively in medical settings such as hospitals or medical centers. The planner must have an in-depth understanding of the types of equipment commonly used in a specific industry and will need to develop contacts with distributors and manufacturers to find the best prices, service and delivery options.
Inventory management is an important duty of the equipment planner. He or she must track equipment invoices, maintain files for any costs incurred in repairs or replacement parts, and manage maintenance schedules for all machines. It is likely that the equipment planner will need to operate within a set budget that is also approved by company management. This means he or she must prioritize equipment purchases to ensure the most relevant and necessary parts are purchased first.
The equipment planner will also need to research various equipment purchase options to ensure the best equipment for the money is purchased. This can be a difficult process, especially if the planner is not familiar with the machines or equipment used in a particular industry; employers tend to hire planners with some industry familiarity for exactly this reason. The planner will set up an account with a vendor or manufacturer and is responsible for maintaining good relationships with these vendors for future purchases or warranty issues. If a problem arises with a particular piece of equipment, the planner will be responsible for arranging for machine maintenance or repair or for dealing with warranty issues directly with the manufacturer.
Sometimes it is necessary for the equipment planner to coordinate the location of machines or the movement of equipment throughout the building. In a hospital, for example, equipment may be needed by more than one medical professional at the same time, in two different locations. The equipment planner will therefore need to coordinate the location of the equipment to accommodate as many medical professionals as possible. A schedule is often drawn up to manage this task. Sometimes the planner is responsible for physically moving pieces of equipment from one location to another, so a fair degree of physical fitness may be required.
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