Meet the Team: Sourcing
What do you do to relax away from work?
Sophie: I go to gigs; although it’s not particularly relaxing, I enjoy it. I like going out with my family for meals and spending time with them.
Tanya: Exercising and cooking. I cook for my friends a lot, and we have dinner parties.
Laura: I watch TV, read, or I like hiking and walking as well so sometimes I take myself off for a bit of a wander.
What music is on your playlist at the moment?
Sophie: My favourite bands are Avenged Sevenfold, Future of the Left and a local band called Tusk.
Laura: I like rock music, so A Day To Remember, Fallout Boy and I do have some Disney Princess songs on there too.
What books are you reading?
Sophie: The last one I read was 11/22/63 by Stephen King, which is about someone going back in time to stop JFK getting assassinated. It was really, really good. In contrast the next book I’m going to read is Joan Rivers: Diary of a Mad Diva.
Tanya: I’m reading the biography of Pele.
Are there any projects you’ve been involved with or particular achievements that you’re most proud of?
Tanya: We’ve been involved in some cost reductions through consolidating shipments, and as a result we’ve reduced the costs by about 50 per cent.
Laura: I passed my first year of university this year, which the company has funded. I’m studying Business, and it’s going to help me go further in my career.
Do you ever do any DIY or tiling at home yourself?
Laura: I did do painting and wallpapering when I moved into the place I’m in now, but I’ve noticed that the wallpaper is now hanging off the wall!
What’s your favourite Johnson Tiles product?
Sophie: Silvo because it’s nice and sparkly, especially Graphite Sparkle.
Laura: I like Tones, but unfortunately my place was already tiled when I moved in.
Who or what inspires you, either for work or away from work?
Sophie: Working with the team, especially Steph Johnson (Factored Products Co-ordinator) as I work closely with her and she trained me in my job so I look up to her when I need to.
Tanya: Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian driver, and my mum.
Laura: Tanya does, she’s really cool. She moved to the UK on her own 10 years ago, and she speaks three languages, raises her son and she works so hard but still makes time to go out and look after herself.
What is your favourite film?
Sophie: My absolute favourite film is Labyrinth. I’ve got about four copies at home because every time we can’t find it we just buy it again.
Tanya: Pretty Woman, I know it’s cheesy but that’s the only film I can watch over and over again. I like the Godfather too, even though I know they’re completely different.
Laura: Sense and Sensibility – I bet you weren’t expecting that!
What does your job involve?
Sophie: Importing products from Spain and Italy mainly. We’re involved in getting orders and enquiries from the customers, and then we place the orders from the factories. We see the whole process from booking orders in and then putting them on for delivery, so we’re involved in every bit of the process.
Tanya: It involves logistics, transportation; I deal with the majority of the companies’ transport requirements.
Laura: I take all of the sales data and forecasts and compile that into a running forecast and make sure that the stock levels here are ok and that all the stock we bring in from suppliers we don’t run out of – because unless our supplier has got a problem we shouldn’t ever run out of stock. There’s a lot of analysis and order placing, whilst making sure that suppliers are on time, which is the hardest bit really. We let Tanya know when things are ready and she’ll arrange with the shippers to get it here when we need it. But we deal with everyone from China to Spain.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Sophie: Being able to see a project right through to the very end. With Customer Service they add the orders, but they don’t send the products out, as the Warehouse does it. But we actually go up to the Warehouse and check everything off, so we’re involved in every single bit.
What’s the funniest or strangest thing that’s happened to you at work?
Laura: I think the weirdest thing was when I first walked in after I’d got the job, I had bright pink hair and everyone just turned and stared at me. My mum who works for Personnel at Johnson Tiles made me dye it! My dad and sister also work at the Factory Outlet shop.
As an international company, successfully exporting products and importing raw materials are vital aspects of our work.
And it is our Sourcing team that ensures this all runs smoothly. Liaising with international clients, dealing with overseas customer enquiries and organising the logistics of transporting across the globe – these are just some of the tasks that Factored Products Co-ordinator Sophie Massey, 23, and Material Expeditors Laura Jones, 26, and Tanya Miranda, 36, handle on a daily basis.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
Sophie: I went to Plymouth University to study Psychology, which I completed in 2012, and then I moved back to Stoke. I enjoy going to the cinema and spending time with my mum, three brothers and my boyfriend, and also visiting my dad in Manchester, which is always a good excuse for a bit of shopping!
Tanya: I’m a crazy Brazilian lady, that’s what they call me at work. I like exercising, I like my food and I love cooking. I can speak three languages, Spanish, Portuguese and English, so I can talk to lots of people. I have a little boy who’s eight and he takes up most of my time.
Laura: Aside from work I do a bit of exercising at Caveman Training, which Tanya goes to as well. I see my friends a lot and I like going for meals. I also have a problem with buying clothes!
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