Production Planner
What Does a Production Planner Do?
The primary responsibility of the production planner is to organize production according to demand and quality standards.
They are responsible for production planning, capacity planning, and scheduling of production following customers’ requirements and requests issued by the sales team or for Make to Stock (MTS) purposes.
Hiring a production planner in an organization helps to guarantee that goods will be produced on time for distribution in a profitable manner.
Production planners find employment in manufacturing or production companies, studio, etc.
The production planner job description entails scheduling product lines to meet changing monthly forecasts while managing inventory levels and schedules.
It also involves reviewing and acting upon order release and exception messages generated, as well as coordinating Bills of Materials in an MRP environment.
Production planners are also responsible for creating weekly production timetable for assigned brands, utilizing tools and systems such as SNP2, JDE, and MPS, and MRP while taking into consideration inventory available and customer service goals/targets.
They are responsible for coordinating production workflow for one or multiple products, as well as planning and prioritizing operations in a manner that guarantees maximum performance with reduced delays.
They are also responsible for ascertaining manpower, equipment, and raw materials needed to cover production demand, and assigning workers and other staff to particular production operations; and scheduling shift according to production needs.
The production planner work description also involves designing weekly manufacturing plan to meet target load objectives and satisfying the organization’s inventory goals.
They also furnish the sales team with lead-time information to enable them appropriately handle customers’ enquiries.
A vital qualification to have to work a production planner is to possess extensive manufacturing experience.
However, experience alone is not enough. Employers also seek individuals with at least an Associate degree in a technical field.
Individuals interested in the production planner career must also have strong project management skills and relevant computer skills to perform their job successfully.
East Anglia in the East of England comprises the four counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex and is close to London. It is well-connected with Europe and the rest of the world through London Stansted Airport, the International Gateway to the East of England. There is also Norwich International Airport and London Southend Airport. The region has an excellent rail service with Greater Anglia, including the Stansted Express.
A recent report shows that East Anglia is home to three out of five of the fastest-growing city economies in the UK. Cambridge topped the list, with Ipswich second and Norwich fifth nationally according to The UK Powerhouse study.
The report reveals that Ipswich had the second-highest rate recorded of GVA growth rate (a measure of the value of goods and services produced) in the UK in the first three months of the year (2.5%), while Norwich enjoyed a growth rate of 2.4%.
Looking forward, the report also predicts the three locations will maintain their top 10 positions by the final quarter of 2028.