Industrial Production Manager Career

Industrial production managers coordinate and oversee production operations in manufacturing plants and factories. These important professionals ensure that plants produce high-quality products efficiently and safely. If you’re a natural leader and are interested in the manufacturing sector, then a job as an industrial production manager might be right for you. 

This guide provides an overview of the industrial production manager career path, including the typical job duties performed by production managers, the educational requirements to enter the profession, and the skills and talents you’ll need to succeed as an industrial production manager.

The daily responsibilities expected of an industrial production manager vary depending on the size and type of the production operation they’re involved in. But all industrial production managers share the same main objectives of optimizing the production process and ensuring product quality. Key responsibilities expected of production managers include the following: 

• Production planning and optimization. Forecasting product demand and developing a schedule to meet that demand is a crucial aspect of production management. Production managers often contend with tight deadlines and strict budgets. Employers expect them to make the production process as cost-efficient as possible without sacrificing product quality or worker safety. 
• Resource management. Production managers analyze inventory levels, sales data, product yields, and market trends to determine production needs and allocate resources accordingly. They must determine how to use raw materials, equipment, and production staff as efficiently as possible. This often requires finding creative ways to decrease waste, increase productivity, and satisfy production demands. 
• Quality control. Production managers work with quality assurance teams to establish quality standards and ensure that the products meet these standards. They regularly inspect the quality and consistency of raw materials, intermediate products, and final outputs. If the plant produces substandard products, the production manager will investigate why and how the problem occurred, devise a plan to mitigate the issue, and teach staff best practices to avoid the problem in the future. 
• Enforcement of safety policies and procedures. Safety is a crucial concern in factories and plants because laborers in the manufacturing industry often work with hazardous chemicals and powerful equipment. Failure to follow safety procedures and maintain tools and equipment properly can lead to fires and explosions, equipment accidents, electric shock, chemical burns, falls, and other potentially deadly incidents. Ensuring that staff follow all safety regulations is one of the most important duties an industrial production manager performs. 
• Personnel management. Industrial production managers hire, train, and supervise production teams. They monitor work productivity, identify areas for improvement, and enforce rules and standards. Staff look to industrial production managers for guidance and support during the production process, feedback on their job performance, and help with meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles.