Production Manager

What is a Production Manager?

Duties

The following duties are executed by the production manager:

• Oversee recruiting efforts which includes hiring, training, developing and evaluating staff; undertake corrective action as per company policies.
• Recommend and implement updates to existing operating methods and process to maximise production efficiency.
• Establish clear objectives and goals for all personnel while maintaining constructive working relationships.
• Coordinate with the Regional production manager to achieve company and market strategy goals.
• Work alongside departments like Planning, Quality, Maintenance and Logistics to ensure that the correct inventory mix is available, a balance of production operations and raw material requirements.

Day In The Life

A production manager’s work primarily involves managing daily production operations via careful planning and oversight. It is up to you to ensure that all standards and expectations are clearly met in a cost-effective and efficient manner without compromising on quality. To this end, you will also be responsible for monitoring and training production crews so they are committed to meeting all safety and production requirements. Every day, you will look after staff and also make certain that they have adequate protection against emerging safety hazards as per environmental permit requirements. You could also be assessing different production lines like overseeing a packaging line or overseeing tests on airbags in vehicles.

If you are working for a larger organisation, you might be supported by a production supervisor who will provide direction to the production department when you are occupied with other tasks. Alternatively, at a smaller organisation, you will have a more hands-on job working on the noisy shop floor and supervising staff. Either way, you are expected to keep up with the latest trends on information and technology that are affecting functional areas to better promote innovation and ensure organisational compliance.

Work Schedule

As a production manager, you will work for 40 hours per week which may involve shifts and late hours. You are expected to report to work as per schedule and be on time right from lunch, breaks, and the beginning of the shift. Since much of the work is around tight deadlines, you need to be on call at all times to deal with unexpected obstacles. Further, you might be based on one site but also responsible for other operations at multiple locations., meaning you will be required to travel occasionally.

Growth Of The Job

As a production manager, the possibilities you have for growth depends on the nature of production. Companies sometimes perform different types of production which adds to the complicated nature of the role. Previously, the employment of industrial production managers has been unaffected by fluctuations in productivity as their work activities involved increasing effectiveness among staff. Many professionals eventually head to more strategic senior positions and handle strategic planning or management. You may also progress to advanced professional qualifications upon encouragement from your employer to better future job prospects.

Typical Employers

Production managers are hired by manufacturing and processing companies. This job can be very diverse and complex due to the amount of duties and circumstances which must be handled. Most individuals in these positions begin their career as a junior level trainee or as a production supervisor. With adequate experience, they are eventually promoted to a managerial position. The industries with manufacturing are wide-ranging, e.g. chemical engineering, heavy engineering, textiles, printing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aerospace, etc.