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Plant general manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

7 min read

Quoted experts

Bernie Cerasaro,

Dr. Kim Roberts

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical plant general manager skills. We ranked the top skills for plant general managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.3% of plant general manager resumes contained continuous improvement as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a plant general manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 plant general manager skills for your resume and career

1. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how plant general managers use continuous improvement:

Improved financial performance by $2M through record labor productivity from aggressive implementation of lean and continuous improvement tactics.
Embedded commitment to continuous improvement & customer focus required by Asian customer base for qualification of locally produced products.

2. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how plant general managers use product quality:

Improved product quality and margins by successfully modifying product recipes.
Consolidated two key functional groups to drive product quality/innovation and launch times.

3. Safety Program

Safety programs are a series of measures to protect employees from any mishaps and make the work environment safer. Safety programs include checklists, guidelines, and direct procedures that a specific area or department must follow. Safety programs take care of office space safety, maintenance and repairs, and identification of frauds as well.

Here's how plant general managers use safety program:

Renewed effective safety committee activity and actively involved all team members in a behavioral safety program.
Achieved 95% employee participation in revitalized Behavior Based Safety Program.

4. Plant Operations

Here's how plant general managers use plant operations:

Managed plant operations to encompass finance, manufacturing, engineering, materials, quality assurance, human resources and information systems.
Direct P&L responsibility for overall business and plant operations, business strategy, market growth and financial performance.

5. OSHA

Here's how plant general managers use osha:

Enforced compliance with DOT and OSHA regulations to ensure a safe working environment for 45 to 60 plant employees.
Passed three FDA Inspections, two USDA Inspections and one OSHA Inspection with zero critical findings.

6. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how plant general managers use r:

Handled all Attorney General and Better Business issues Served as corporate liaison between Big Sandy Superstores and R &M Delivery
Maintained the ISO quality system, ASME code welding U and R stamp certification.

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7. Financial Performance

Here's how plant general managers use financial performance:

Reviewed and analyzed Financial Reports - managed COGS and CAPEX to improve financial performance.
Developed and delivered finance 101 training to develop understanding of business practices and financial performance with the leadership and management teams.

8. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how plant general managers use customer service:

Maintained superior customer service record during major reorganization and expansion projects while ensuring a smooth transition of major business units.
Led local implementation of JD Edwards Inventory Management System meeting cost and schedule requirements while maintaining target Customer Service levels.

9. Direct Reports

Here's how plant general managers use direct reports:

Managed ten direct reports (Director Level) and a total of 950 associates with a $72M value of production.
Hired and trained a management team of 7 direct reports to supervise a 3 shift operation of 240 total employees.

10. On-Time Delivery

On-Time Delivery, or OTD, is a metric that measures the rate at which finished goods and deliveries are completed on time. This rate is measured by the overall number of units shipped within a specified time frame agreed upon by the consumer and supplier. On-Time Delivery allows suppliers' compliance with delivery deadlines, and hence their consistency, to be assessed using a continuous and collaborative development approach.

Here's how plant general managers use on-time delivery:

Improved productivity from 59% to 85% utilizing lean manufacturing techniques and on-time delivery from 79% to 93%.
Increased on-time delivery from 80% in 1998 to 97% in 2000 through lean manufacturing techniques.

11. Process Improvement

Here's how plant general managers use process improvement:

Created an environment of continuous process improvement.
Lead unit though process improvement, implemented Just In Time to drive the food and labor cost down.

12. ISO

Here's how plant general managers use iso:

Implemented an ISO 9001 quality system from system development to implementation and certification.
Certified management representative responsible for ensuring adherence to ISO/TS 16949, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and other IMS relevant standards.

13. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how plant general managers use lean manufacturing:

Implement operational systems of improvement based on Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma to drive profitability.
Program Manager for Lean Manufacturing Improvements, BPM Improvements and Facility Relocation.

14. KPI

Here's how plant general managers use kpi:

Set up robust Matrix KPI's to measure everything from sales inputs to cash collection.
Implemented MDP (Managing Daily Performance) - SMART KPI metrics (SQDC) and process for daily performance mgmt.

15. FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services that regulates the production and sale of food, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, and other consumer goods, as well as veterinary medicine. The FDA is now in charge of overseeing the manufacture of products like vaccines, allergy treatments, and beauty products.

Here's how plant general managers use fda:

Ensured regulatory obligations met DOT and AAR guidelines domestically, export-compliance requirements internationally as well as FDA and OSHA requirements internally.
Collaborated with marketing, operations, engineering, and logistics personnel to exceed customer expectations and meet FDA regulations.

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What skills help Plant General Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on plant general manager resumes?

Bernie Cerasaro

Assistant Teaching Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny

Skills employers would be looking for would be functional skills and interpersonal skills. Functional skills should stand out on a resume and be aligned to the business job in question. For example, if focused on marketing positions, marketing skills such as data analytics, market research, consumer behavior, global marketing, and professional selling skills would be areas for which employers would be looking. If the job market is looking for someone in accounting, then functional skills that would stand out would be intermediate financial accounting skills and courses on taxation and auditing. For those seeking positions in project management or supply chain management, skills that would stand out would encompass subject matter such as project management, portfolio management, operations planning and control, purchasing and materials management, and knowledge of ERP type systems and other business processes.

Skill sets can be enhanced via various types of certification. For example, those interested in accounting might pursue a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license, which requires 150 credits. As most universities require 120 credits for a bachelor's degree in business, a CPA would require just an additional 30 credits, which students can start accumulating while still at college. Project management certification is also an opportunity to enhance the aforementioned skills and would certainly stand out on an applicant's resume. The Project Management Institute (PMI) promotes PMP certification, which validates that you are highly skilled in soft skills to lead project teams and have the required technical aspects of managing projects. Some universities are working with the PMI to have PMI-approved courses. Approved courses are used toward the PMP training hours required to sit for the exam. For example, Penn State University has received approval for two such courses, Portfolio Management and Organizations and Project Planning and Resource Management.

Due to the high rate of interaction with the global marketplace and the complexity of international business, managers are looking more closely at applicants who have some familiarity with global markets and international culture, such as applicants who may have study abroad experience, traveled internationally, speak a foreign language or have lived or worked in another country.

What plant general manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kim Roberts

Professor of Operations Management, Website

Business professionals lead organizations by focused efforts that revolve around products/services, processes, and people. Business professionals work to ensure the firm's products and/or services meet customer expectations, with an eye toward an ever-changing market. They manage processes that produce or support the firm's products. This requires the ability to analyze data to make informed decisions, to drive continuous improvement, and to solve problems through critical thinking. Successful business professionals must also create climates that promote teamwork and foster collaboration.

What technical skills for a plant general manager stand out to employers?

Dr. Mary Kern Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College - City University of New York

- Clearly, the ability to use different forms of communication technology has become key, and as these forms evolve rapidly, employers are look for an ability to adapt, adopt, and teach them to their colleagues.

- Evidence-based management and decision-making are playing a much larger role in organizations, and thus the ability to work with quantitative data to understand situations and to help make decisions is crucial.

Do you want to know more?

List of plant general manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a plant general manager resume and required skills for a plant general manager to have include:

Continuous Improvement
Product Quality
Safety Program
Plant Operations
OSHA
R
Financial Performance
Customer Service
Direct Reports
On-Time Delivery
Process Improvement
ISO
Lean Manufacturing
KPI
FDA
Inventory Control
Sigma

Logistics
Cost Savings
Kaizen
Human Resources
Plant Safety
Capital Expenditures
Capital Projects
MRP
Cost Reduction
EPA
Strategic Plan
QC
Direct Labor
Product Line
Business Plan
ERP
Inventory Management

Manufacturing Management
CNC
USDA
Production Planning
Quality System
PPM
Toyota
Ebit
Value Stream
Management System
Production Operations
Customer Complaints
Production Scheduling
Labor Costs
Process Control
MM

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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