Responsibilities
1. Production Planning: As a production planner, your primary responsibility is to develop the weekly production plan to make best use of the available resources. This involves analysing sales order data, inventory, resource availability, customer behaviour, and other relevant factors to generate monthly and weekly production plans. You may use statistical models, MRP software, and collaborate with cross‑functional teams to develop accurate production plans.
2. Inventory management: Optimize inventory levels by reflecting demand fluctuations in the MRP forecast while considering production lead times and supply constraints. You'll monitor inventory levels, analyse stock outs and excess inventory situations, and recommend appropriate actions such as safety stock adjustments, re‑ordering, or obsolescence management. The goal is to ensure product availability while minimizing costs associated with excess inventory.
3. Performance analysis and reporting: Continuously monitor and analyse production data e.g. open orders, late orders, inventory holding, production output, and sales shipments as required to measure current performance and feed into continuous improvement activity. You'll communicate findings to management, production teams, and other stakeholders to support decision‑making processes.
4. Sales and operations planning (S&OP): Collaborate with sales, marketing, finance, production, and supply chain teams to develop and execute an effective sales and operations planning process. This involves aligning demand forecasts with production capabilities, inventory levels, and customer expectations. You'll participate in S&OP meetings to review demand forecasts, discuss potential supply constraints, and make decisions to meet customer demands.
5. Collaboration and communication: Work closely with cross‑functional teams, including sales, customer service, marketing, production, and finance departments, to gather input, share information, and align production plans with the overall business strategy. You'll collaborate on new product launches, promotions, and market changes to ensure production plans and the MRP forecast are adjusted accordingly. Effective communication skills are essential to coordinate activities, resolve conflicts, and provide updates to stakeholders.
6. Demand variability management: Anticipate and manage demand variability by considering factors such as seasonality, market dynamics, and regulatory changes. You'll assess the impact of external factors on demand and the resulting impact on production requirements, developing contingency plans, and implement strategies to mitigate risks associated with demand fluctuations. This may involve working closely with purchasing, customer service, and service departments to align demand expectations and manage supply chain disruptions.
7. Continuous improvement: Actively seek opportunities to improve planning processes, tools, and methodologies. Identify areas for process optimisation, automation, and efficiency gains. You'll participate in cross‑functional improvement initiatives, implement best practices, and leverage technology solutions to enhance forecasting accuracy, streamline operations, and improve overall supply chain performance.
8. Provide cover for other operations support functions to release and close materials work orders to ensure that production flow is maintained through periods of absence.
9. Any other duties as required by management.
Quality System Duties and Responsibilities
* Build quality into all aspects of their work by maintaining compliance to all quality requirements.
* Knowledge/Skills/Experience:
o Inventory management
o Bills of Material
o Routings
o MRP knowledge essential
o Computer literacy including Microsoft packages (Excel) is essential
* Personal Qualities:
o Good communication skills essential
o Must have excellent attention to detail
o Knowledge of the division products and processes is desirable
* Permissions: Supervision/Management of Others:
o Not applicable
* Internal and External Contacts:
o Internal: Quality Department, Purchasing Department, Sales Department, Customer Service Department, Production Department, Stores Department
o External: 3PL warehouse
* Special Features/Conditions: Full driving licence.
* Disclaimer: above information in this description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It does not contain nor is it intended to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
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