Rohit Gupta

Managing Technical & Quality operations for ASDA Supermarkets UK from India in Home & General Merchandising

Profile Summary:

1. Supplier Management:

• Factory Compliance: Managing 15+ Vendors across India in different product categories. Ensuring their factory compliance & Audits FCCA, SMETA, Higg, Disney FAMA are meeting ASDA compliance requirement.
• Testing & Inspection – Regularly taking update from factory and also 3rd parties for Testing requirement for any products. Reviewing the report and giving go ahead on behalf of ASDA.
• Critical Path Management- Weekly Progress update with Suppliers on the products on selections or order. Ensuring all deadlines are being met.
• Factory Visits & Meetings: Having periodic factory visits to all suppliers to ensure all factory and social compliance are being met.

2. Product Management:

• Product Category Handling- Seasonal & Festive, Stationery, Kitchen Textile, Home Décor & Candle, Bathsoft, Nursery & Kids Textile.
• Sealing & Signoff- Reviewing the Black Seal & Gold Seal from sampling lot ensuring approved standards are met which should have right first time approval.
• PP Meeting & Risk Assessment- Having PP Meeting with suppliers before starting new season in order to make sure proper risk assessment done, to avoid any chances of failure.
• Sustainability: Having periodic check on Sustainability credentials such as BCI, GRS, FSC, Oeko Tex etc.

3. Team Management:

• Managing technical team, ensuring all day to day tasks are executed on time.
• Providing training and guidance to team wherever they need support to resolve ongoing issue.
• Overlooking projects and supporting team by

4. Client Management:

• Working with ASDA Team on day to day basis for all updates with regards to sample approval, Product review, Improvement plans
• Supporting ASDA team in terms of updating product standards, technical specs and other product compliance documents.
• Working on continual improvement plans from supplier by getting top complaints and returns information from suppliers.

• Sustainability Management: Managed product/factory sustainability compliance such as GRS, BCI, FSC, Higg Index, Oeko Tex etc and ensured proper due diligence is being followed. Ensuring all the material shipped to Sainsbury’s are from genuine sources with all sort of required document as evidence.

Suppliers & 3rd party Management:

• Audit Management - Reviewing technical audit report, working with 3rd parties for NC & CAP closure and advise resolution on NCs to suppliers.
• Inspection Management- Working with 3rdparties for the inspection requirement and inspection procedures. Assessing the inspection reports and working with supplier on resolution of NCs and allowing shipment dispatch after review.
• Testing Management – Supporting 3rdparties labs for Test requirements associated with products, advising requirement to supplier for products in my area, getting the testing done and reviewing report. Assessing results and working on the failures to make it work.
• Critical Path Management – Working with suppliers and commercial team for timelines and drop-dead dates for different milestone from sample approval to product dispatch. Accountable for any technical concern or resolution in product lifecycle.
• Returns & complaints Management – Assessing periodic returns & complaints and sharing It with respective supplier, taking resolution on top 10 non-sellable returns.
• Working with Dye companies- Getting in touch of dye and chemical supplier supplier such as Archroma, Huntsman to get innovation and implementing on the product.

Product Management:

• Product Development- Working with suppliers & PD team on Product briefs and advising best way to develop the sample meeting technical compliance considering product cost.
• Product Risk assessment- Having Pre-Production meetings with supplier for the risk assessment (Material and Process), documenting it. Using FMEA, 5S, Fish Bone Diagrams etc.
• Product Review and sealing- Reviewing Development samples and approving it for production ensuring all technical compliance has been met.
• Product Improvement Plans- For product getting more complaints and returns, working on improvement plans with the factories and incorporating into next shipments.
• Production Management: Taking weekly follow ups with suppliers for production status and challenges they are getting. Resolving the issues with action plan.

Process Management:

• Product Standard- Working with UK Team and defining technical requirement for each kind of product for easy reference for suppliers. Providing all information about product, process and material to make easy guide for any new supplier and technologist.
• Specifications – Setting up Specs for any product and categorizing into Good, better & best as per range planning. Providing all sets of information such as material, grades, fabric, counts and each construction specs.
• Root Cause Analysis- Having Root cause analysis of any customer complaints or store feedback, working with suppliers to get it resolved by having proper RCA with the help of different RCA tool.

Job Profile:

• Study market trends for new patterns and colors from websites and various magazine and implementing in rugs and cushion as per customer requirement.
• Translating ideas and patterns into designs and considering quality of product and develop new collections for it.
• Sample development of designs taking care of costing, material, selling price and the market competition.
• To track new colours and colour combinations according to market and buyer. Preparing new shades in dye house for a particular collection.
• Producing new qualities, textures in the products using different technique in Rugs and cushion.
• Special interest in all type of carpet yarn dying process and making new and unique textures in yarn with the dyeing.

Product Handled: Knotted Carpet (7/7, 8/8, 9/9,10/10,11/11), Indo Nepali, Flat weaves, Tufted, Shaggy Weave, Pit loom product.

Achievements in Company

• Consumption of Approx. 8000Kg waste dyed Handspun Wool and silk using de-coloration and re-dyeing technique in Knotted carpets. Made new carpet collection with antique effect. Saved wool worth of 10 Lakh rupees and got appreciation.
• Developed 3 New collections (8/8 Glory, 9/9 Empress, 9/7 New Synergy) in Knotted category
• Developed 3 new Tufted Rug Collection (Mosaic, Eternity, Tuscany) with innovations in yarn dyeing and carving

• Generated new design ideas while ensuring the overall aesthetic of the final product.
• Researched and analyzed market trends to identify new colours and colour combinations.
• Utilized a variety of materials and combinations to enhance visual appeal.
• Created comprehensive presentations for customers, detailing design elements such as colors, materials, textures, levels, and finishes.
• Managed and updated design records for ongoing projects
• Collaborated with clients, ensuring flawless design for sample production.
• Product Handled: Knotted Carpets, Shaggy, Hand Tufted, Indo Nepali Rugs
• Achievement: My designed rug came on cover page of US rugs magazine ‘Rug Insider’ in Spring 2012 Issue.