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 Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town at the north of Lincolnshire roughly as far north as Grimsby on the east coast but 23 miles (37 km) inland. Its closest major neighbour is Hull, 16 miles (26 km) to the north east, and Leeds and Sheffield are both roughly 35 miles (57 km) to the west. The town originally comprised five villages, Ashby, Crosby, Brumby, Frodingham and Scunthorpe, but time merged them together and they officially collectively became Scunthorpe as we now know it, with a population of around 75,000.
The town has a rich industrial heritage, and played its part in the Industrial Revolution as a major centre for ironworks in the mid to late 1800s. These would eventually become steel works as the technology was honed. The usual story for most of these industrial boom towns is that that fell into decline in the twentieth century, but happily for Scunthorpe this is not the case. The largest single employer remains the steelworks, now owned by the Indian steel giant Tata. Thanks to the ongoing success of the steelworks, many engineering firms, large and small, are doing well in the area. Major local employers include BOC, Bell Waste Control, Nisa Today’s, 2 Sisters, Key Country Foods, The Sauce Company and Ericsson.
With such a vibrant industrial history and the whole spectrum of industry from heavy to light, Production Planner jobs can appear in Scunthorpe from time to time. The town is also at the centre of a circle of major towns, cities, resorts and ports, which can potentially lead new logistics, warehousing and supply chain companies to set up there.
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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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