What does a manufacturing planner do?
It is the responsibility of a manufacturing planner to keep track of the production schedule. The duties of manufacturing planners involve the development of a master schedule with management consultation. They oversee the workflow of the production hub or facility. Their job includes the coordination of the production of one or more products. They ensure the promptness and accuracy of the production process. Also, they plan and prioritize the overall process for efficiency.
Manufacturing planner responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real manufacturing planner resumes:
- Manage the kanban system for the entire plant, consisting of rubber, nylon, and metal compounds.
- Manage inventory levels for commodities of raw materials.
- Monitor WIP ensuring products are complete in order to meet require customer due dates.
- Reduce WIP costs and negative inventory by eliminating errors in BOMs and material transactions.
- Update BOM for existing test plans, and create and populate BOM for new (production) planning.
- Document all BOM requirements such as raw material, hardware and any other supplies necessary to produce the product.
- Coordinate plant production in conjunction with logistics, purchasing and marketing departments.
- Coordinate and record all expedite shipments to the customer ensuring customer specific logistics are utilize.
- Facilitate and moderate demand, utilizing SMED and Kaizen technologies to facilitate procurement.
Manufacturing planner skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Manufacturing Planners are proficient in BOM, Shop Floor, and Engineering Drawings. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Manufacturing Planners that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- BOM, 10%
Interrogated CATIA V5 installation requirements models and developed BOM's and converted into workable manufacturing build plans in DELMIA and/or Velocity.
- Shop Floor, 8%
Monitored sales and production forecast to minimize stock-outs and maximize shop floor efficiency.
- Engineering Drawings, 7%
Investigated and analyzed engineering drawings and Supplier/ Airline data to establish and define spare part configuration, interchangeability and part validation.
- Lean Manufacturing, 7%
Helped in designing and implementing 5S/Lean Manufacturing processes for entire injection molding department; including maintaining overall equipment efficiency tracking logs.
- Production Schedules, 6%
Coordinated with engineering and production teams to establish production schedules and capacity requirements when new revisions or models were introduced.
- Production Planning, 5%
Prepare appropriate reports and analyses relating to production planning.
Common skills that a manufacturing planner uses to do their job include "bom," "shop floor," and "engineering drawings." You can find details on the most important manufacturing planner responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a manufacturing planner to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively." Manufacturing planners often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "worked closely with the production floor on priorities and communication of shortages. "
Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling manufacturing planner duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints." According to a manufacturing planner resume, here's how manufacturing planners can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "created detailed estimates/quotes to manufacture complete products per engineering drawings and customer requirements. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of manufacturing planners is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday manufacturing planner duties, as "material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "plan detailed operations from engineering drawings, engineering orders, change notices, and other engineering releases. "
Math skills. A big part of what manufacturing planners do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to manufacturing planner responsibilities because "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical manufacturing planner tasks: "analyzed production specifications and capacity data and performs mathematical calculations to determine production processes, tools and human resource requirements. "
The three companies that hire the most manufacturing planners are:
- Lockheed Martin45 manufacturing planners jobs
- Thermo Fisher Scientific14 manufacturing planners jobs
- Boeing13 manufacturing planners jobs
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Compare different manufacturing planners
Manufacturing planner vs. Inventory control lead
An Inventory Control Lead oversees supplies in an organization, aiming to meet market demands and avoid oversupply. They perform regular inspections and assessments, review invoices and other documentation, monitor product distribution operations, and produce regular progress reports. It is their responsibility to address issues and concerns, resolve them promptly, and efficiently maintain smooth workflow operations. Moreover, an Inventory Control Lead manages different teams, encouraging them to reach goals while implementing company policies and guidelines.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between manufacturing planners and inventory control lead. For instance, manufacturing planner responsibilities require skills such as "bom," "shop floor," "engineering drawings," and "lean manufacturing." Whereas a inventory control lead is skilled in "inventory adjustments," "physical inventory," "inventory cycle counts," and "inventory control procedures." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Inventory control leads really shine in the energy industry with an average salary of $55,732. Comparatively, manufacturing planners tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $75,316.On average, inventory control leads reach similar levels of education than manufacturing planners. Inventory control leads are 2.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Manufacturing planner vs. Expeditor
The role of expeditors is to ensure the timely and efficient preparation and delivery of food. To accomplish this task, they also perform other duties, including managing inventory levels, managing supply requisition, and coordinating with subcontractors. They are also responsible for streamlining interdepartmental communication, monitoring job progress, and collaborating with project managers to collect relevant information about job status. This role requires specific skills and qualifications, including a high school diploma or an associate degree in food service, business management, and hospitality management, relevant work experience, and certifications in CCP, CPSM, or CPPB.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that manufacturing planner responsibilities requires skills like "bom," "shop floor," "engineering drawings," and "lean manufacturing." But an expeditor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "cleanliness," "house training," and "team work."
Expeditors may earn a lower salary than manufacturing planners, but expeditors earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $46,040. On the other hand, manufacturing planners receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $75,316.In general, expeditors achieve similar levels of education than manufacturing planners. They're 4.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Manufacturing planner vs. Master scheduler
A master scheduler is in charge of overseeing and developing a company's overall production schedule, ensuring quality and workforce adherence. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to determine their needs, developing daily schedules and objectives, disseminating scheduling notices, and conducting regular inspections to ensure the completion of projects in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, a master scheduler must produce progress reports and encourage workforce members to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from manufacturing planner resumes include skills like "engineering drawings," "production schedules," "manufacturing resource planning," and "purchase orders," whereas a master scheduler is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "mrp," "program management," and "microsoft project. "
Master schedulers make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $78,633. On the other hand, manufacturing planners are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $75,316.Most master schedulers achieve a similar degree level compared to manufacturing planners. For example, they're 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Manufacturing planner vs. Inventory control coordinator
An inventory control coordinator is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of office inventory to ensure that the company has enough supplies to support the employees' needs for business operations. Inventory control coordinators manage supply chain systems, conduct inventory checks regularly, write inventory reports, create purchase requests, and file inventory documents on the database. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in analyzing the chain processes, and strictly adhere to the company's internal guidelines and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between manufacturing planners and inventory control coordinators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a manufacturing planner might have more use for skills like "shop floor," "engineering drawings," "lean manufacturing," and "production control." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of inventory control coordinators require skills like "customer service," "data entry," "inventory control procedures," and "pallets. "
The transportation industry tends to pay the highest salaries for inventory control coordinators, with average annual pay of $38,327. Comparatively, the highest manufacturing planner annual salary comes from the technology industry.In general, inventory control coordinators hold similar degree levels compared to manufacturing planners. Inventory control coordinators are 3.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of manufacturing planner
Updated January 8, 2025
