A gear manufacturing production planner creates and manages daily/weekly manufacturing schedules to optimize machine capacity, labor, and material availability. They ensure on-time delivery by coordinating with production teams, monitoring WIP, adjusting for shop floor disruptions, and maintaining inventory levels to meet customer demands.
Responsibilities:
Production Planning: Develop, maintain, and update daily/weekly production schedules for gear hobbing, shaping, grinding, and finishing operations.
Capacity Planning: Maximize machine and labor efficiency by balancing workloads, managing backlogs, and adjusting for bottlenecks.
Material Coordination: Ensure necessary raw materials (steel, blanks, alloys) and tooling are available before production starts. Work with vendors on quality and price.
Customer Service & Expediting: Monitor high-profile jobs, adjust schedules for unforecasted demand or customer changes, and provide status updates.
Inventory & Data Management: Monitor inventory levels and maintain data integrity within the MRP/ERP system.
Communication & Reporting: Act as the liaison between production, sales, procurement, and quality control, reporting daily on progress and issues.
Required Skills and Qualifications
Experience: Previous experience in manufacturing, specifically in CNC machining, gear cutting, or related metalworking industries.
Technical Skills: Proficiency in ERP/MRP systems and Microsoft Office products.
Communication: Strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with shop floor personnel and management.
Problem-Solving: Ability to quickly re-schedule jobs in response to equipment failures or raw material shortages.
Education: High school diploma required; a bachelor’s degree in supply chain, logistics, or industrial engineering is often preferred.
Typical Work Environment
Office-based, but requires frequent presence on the production floor (shop floor) to monitor production progress.