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After wrangling two teenagers out of the house, I arrive at the office at 8.30 and make myself a coffee to drink while I check my emails for anything that has come in overnight. As a Director at Silvery Tweed, I am responsible for buying the seeds that we process and go into our customers’ products. After going through my emails, I check the situation with the seed and grain markets as well as the exchange rates so I am up to date and can quickly respond to any queries that come in from customers.  

I also take the time to read any news updates from Ukraine and the Middle East. These two areas are big producers of seeds and grains, so it is important to keep on top of what is happening there to try and predict any fluctuations in price and availability.  

I work closely with Neil McGarrity, the Head of Purchasing here at Silvery Tweed, so we will sit down and have a general catch-up on what work we have on and share the workload. Once I have caught up with Neil, I will check on the stock levels and customer forecast numbers. This is a balancing act as we want to ensure we have enough of each product in our warehouses to cover some of the long lead times, which can be up to three or four months, while not having so much that it sits there and spoils.  

It will be time for another coffee by this point, which I will enjoy while checking in with the Production Manager to find out any additional requirements that they may have. Part of what I do is look at ways in which we can make it easier for production to do their job. For example, we managed to reduce the amount of manual handling and waste that we generated by switching from 25kg bags of products to ton bags.  

I usually bring lunch in from home, which I will eat while looking at emails before a supplier visit in the afternoon. It is always good to see suppliers so we can discuss performance, any technical requirements and what our needs might be over the coming months.  

The next job on my list is to look after customer enquiries that Head of Sales David Overton has sent to me. I make sure we have access to the materials to meet demand and satisfy customer requirements. 

My day always ends by making a to-do list of any important tasks for the following morning, tidying my desk and washing my cup before I head home.