Product Line Manager, Automotive Replacement

Product Line Management (PLM) is essential to our organization - enabling the profitable growth of the Automotive Replacement product line. PLM works collaboratively with the Technical Development, Operational, and Commercial teams to create successful opportunities that strengthen the overall financial health and success of the Automotive Replacement product line. Key Responsibilities Strategic Input and Leadership Cultivate a deep understanding of the India, Automotive Replacement market and consolidate insights for integration into global product line strategies, regional commercial strategies, and overall commercial success and leadership in the market. Includes tracking market trends, indices, and participating in industry organizations. Maintain a view of the Indian competitive landscape, identifying key players, creating competitive profiles, and enabling competitive benchmarking assessments. Drive the progress of new production adoption and product line initiative KPIs and ensuring seamless integration into the commercial plans - including tracking actual performance against targets. Provide thoughtful input into the product roadmap based on market and application-driven needs and opportunities. Outline New Product Development projects with a clear scope and opportunity overview. Champion approved VAVE (Value Add / Value Engineering) projects to completion, driving cost and productivity savings for the product line - including supporting the validation of the savings realization. Drive sourcing decisions by closely working with the sourcing team to establish the right external partners Supporting Operational Excellence and Driving Customer Satisfaction Contribute to demand planning by translating market indices and industry reports into projected business implications on end market performance. Evaluates, adjusts, and aligns cell-level Demand and Supply plans based on commercial initiatives, market conditions, and financial commitments. Identify, rationalize, optimize, and execute inter-company sourcing - balancing P&L, service level, and Working Capital considerations. Resolve critical service level and quality issues that impact customer satisfaction and financial performance. Manage and address Excess & Obsolete (E&O) inventory. Provide valuable insights into capacity requirements and documentation. Lead select CapEx investment justification and implementations. Drive Commercial Success and Growth Deliver engaging field sales training on products, application criteria, and creating compelling value in the market. Collaborate with Sales & Operations Planning, Customer Experience, and Operations to resolve backlog situations, ensuring the achievement of financial and other operating metrics. Capture VOC through active participation in customer meetings, Distributor Advisory Council meetings, industry events, and engagement with field sales while engaging as a subject matter expert in customer and distributor meetings. Support the evaluation of high value or strategic quote packages in terms of pricing and scenario planning around market conflicts. Lead the product line specific price increase evaluation and recommendations associated with inflation, 80/20 pricing action implementation, or targeted pricing actions - aligning with and with the support of the pricing team meeting overall objectives. Execute the pricing and positioning strategy for New Product introductions for commercialization. Lead catalog creation as per market needs. Provide support for vertical market research, content creation, target identification, training and market insights for marketing campaigns. Coordinate with cross-functional teams for local trade shows, industry associations, and standards bodies participation.