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 Redditch
Redditch is a moderately populated Worcestershire town situated about 12 miles (20 km) south of the centre of Birmingham. Worcester is the same distance to the west and Leamington Spa is over to the west, and the whole town is surrounded from west to north to east by a curve made up of the M5, M42 and M40. The town’s population is around 80,000.
The town is historically noted as being the manufacturing base for needles, and at one point 90 per cent of the world’s needled could trace its journey back to Redditch. The industry has largely gone away now, replaced by a multitude of small manufacturing businesses. However the needle-making heritage lives on in the shape of the National Needle Museum, which tussles with Keswick’s pencil museum for the top spot on most tourists’ must-visit-before-I-die lists.
Redditch became a new town after the Second World War, and much of the old buildings and infrastructure was demolished to make way for a more modern, planned town. The town has a few notable residents in the world of business. Motoring and cycling retailer and windscreen wiper blade fitter Halford’s has its headquarters in the town, as does the engineering company GKN (formerly Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds), which can trace its history back to the 1700s. There’s also a major shopping centre, Kingfisher, which is responsible for creating a lot of local jobs. With such a diversity in Redditch and great links to major cities, it’s little surprise that Production Planner jobs appear in our inbox from time to time.
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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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