Production Planner jobs
In any manufacturing/production situation, from a workshop to a high-volume production line, there is a fine balance between producing items much faster than they can be sold and going too slow to keep up with demand. In the ideal zone there needs to be a slight leeway, with any slack taken up by warehousing, but since this has a series of cost implications of its own, it needs to be minimised.
The production planner will be in charge of ensuring productivity is always at an optimal level to meet all demands while cutting out overproduction. Where products are perishable or otherwise time-sensitive this would simply not be an option as overproduction is pure waste. But even making things that will sell eventually but slowly will be a drain on the company’s credit and cash flow.
Using materials requirements planning (MRP) software and systems, the production planner will stay in tune with current stock levels, raw materials availability and customer demands to ensure that as productivity rises and falls, all stock levels are optimised. The planner will be in touch with several parties on a regular basis, most notably forecasters, sales and marketing teams, warehousing staff, suppliers and the factory floor. This is all to gain the best possible insight into the ability to meet customer demand and to guide productivity as it rises and falls throughout the year.
The skills required
The main personal characteristic of a production planner will be a logical, analytical mindset. This he or she will engage to perform the mental juggling act that is production planning. Business understanding will be highly valued, as there is little to distinguish running a business and keeping abreast of the costs and planning production based on the best intelligence. Plans will be being made weekly or monthly, but they will always be subject to change as the situation changes – the good planner will be able to take these changes, and all their after-effects and permutations, in their stride.
There are several popular MRP solutions on the market, and there is a good chance any large company will use one of them, so experience in using one would certainly help. A good working knowledge of all the main spread sheet and word processing solutions will also be helpful for analysis and communication.
Production Planner Jobs in Guildford
Located 26 miles (46 km) south west of the centre of London , Surrey's county town Guildford is a historic setting in England's South. For a time, between the 10th and the 13th centuries the Royal Mint was located here, and that's not the town's only association with precious things – the “Guild” part of its name relates to gold. Guildford's castle was built during this time, too.
Guildford was one of the first towns to have a canal dug through it, in the mid-1600s, about 100 years before the national boom in canals. Named the Wey Navigation, it linked directly to the River Thames to allow the fast transportation of heavy goods to and from the capital. Although the town has never been the location of heavy industry, it has always been a good place to do business, and that is certainly true today, with several international companies having offices or head offices there. The list includes Philips Electronics, Colgate-Palmolive, Ericsson, Allianz, Electronic Arts and Sanofi. Since EA is not the only major video game producer in town, Guildford has something of a reputation of being an entertainment software capital.
Guildford is a reasonably affluent town and is a firm favourite among London's commuters who still want to live in a thriving town with plenty going on. Its population is around 70,000, and there are places such as the Surrey Research Park with plenty of exciting innovations being developed. Despite the lack of heavy industry, Production Planner positions do come up in Guildford, and we're best placed to locate them when they arise.
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Production planner recruitment at Cast UK
Whether you’re working for a company looking for a production planner or you’re an experienced production planner yourself, Cast UK wants to hear from you. We deal with talent at this level of expertise every day, and we know exactly what kinds of candidates clients are looking for. Your manufacturing operation could really benefit from forming a relationship with Cast UK – please call us on 0333 121 3345 or get in touch here for more info.
For production planners looking for new challenges – please follow the link below and register your details with us. We know there are companies looking for your talents right now, so it could be the smartest thing you can do for your career.
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