Industrial Productions Managers
Additional Information
Duties
Managers in the industrial sector are often responsible for the following:
- Manage a factory's workforce and equipment so that output targets may be met.
- Ensure that production is on time and under budget.
- Evaluate and supervise employees.
- Perform a study of the output statistics.
- Compile a report on production.
- Verify the performance and safety of a plant's employees and programs.
- The manufacturing process should be streamlined.
- Assess the need for more equipment or if overtime work is required.
- Resolve any issues with production.
Industrial production managers, usually referred to as plant managers, are responsible for a specific region of production or the entire manufacturing facility.
Managers in industrial production are in charge of implementing quality control measures to ensure that the final product fulfills predetermined standards of quality. These managers, who are also known as quality control systems managers, employ software to find and fix product flaws and problems. A management, for example, may establish that an outside supplier is the source of a fault. So, the management and supplier may work together to develop the parts.
Industrial production managers collaborate closely with managers from other departments, too. It's a good example of how procurement (purchasing) and production work together. A failure in communication between these two divisions might result in production delays. Sales, warehousing, finance, and R&D are just a few of the departments that industrial production managers interact with on a daily basis.
Education
Industrial production managers should have a bachelor's degree at the very least, according to hiring managers. For these workers, business and engineering are two of the most common subjects of study.
Production employees who have worked in the industry for a long time may attend management programs in order to become production managers. Employers may prefer to hire managers with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Science in Industrial Management (MSIM).
Knowledge of the Field from Prior Employment
Some industrial production managers begin their careers as production employees and work their way up the ladder. Prior to becoming an industrial production manager, they often move to the post of first-line supervisor. For the most part, people go to college or attend classes offered by their employers in order to improve their chances of development inside the organization.
It's also possible for someone fresh out of school to start out in a production management position before moving up to the level of first-line supervisor.
Some industrial production managers begin their careers right out of college or graduate school. The first few months of their employment may be spent in training programs where they learn about the manufacturing process, corporate rules, and safety guidelines. Short stints in other areas, such as buying or accounting, are also commonplace in major corporations to gain a better understanding of the business.
Criteria to Be Considered
Personality traits. Industrial production managers must be able to communicate effectively with their coworkers and employees in order to be successful in their roles.
The ability to lead. Industrial production managers must inspire and guide their personnel to ensure a seamless manufacturing process.
The ability to solve problems. The responsibility of production managers is to quickly detect and resolve any issues that may arise. As an example, the manager analyzes if a product fault is a result of the production process or an isolated incident.
The ability to effectively manage one's time. In order to achieve production targets, managers must ensure that their employees' time and their own are well-managed.
Registration, Certification, and Licenses.
It is not mandatory for industrial production managers to have certificates in quality or management systems. You may get a CPIM credential from the American Production and Inventory Controls Society (APICS). Credentials in quality control can be obtained from the American Society of Quality (ASQ). To be eligible for either certification, you must have completed a certain number of hours of work in your field prior to applying.
Pay
The median annual wage for industrial production managers was $121,440 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $74,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $197,310.
Job Projections
Employment of industrial production managers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
