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Production department supervisor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Robin Mello Ph.D.,

Eric Briscoe

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical production department supervisor skills. We ranked the top skills for production department supervisors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.1% of production department supervisor resumes contained continuous improvement as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a production department supervisor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 production department supervisor 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 production department supervisors use continuous improvement:

Develop Excel workbooks for all production departments plant-wide to analyze key performance metrics for continuous improvement projects.
Foster an environment conducive to achieving continuous improvement and lean manufacturing objectives.

2. Customer Specifications

A Customer Specification is a document that describes the general requirement of an expected service from a contractor. It outlines the key requirements of the customer. Customer specifications should be written in simple and general language so that the contractor clearly understands the expectations of the customer. It is also known as a User Specification.

Here's how production department supervisors use customer specifications:

Worked closely with customer inventory control specialists to ensure that all materials maintained at job site complied with customer specifications.
Assured products were manufactured in accordance with company policies, procedures, and customer specifications.

3. Safety Procedures

Safety procedures are a set of standardized procedures, that ensures minimal to no risk to people, resources, and the work environment. A company follows the step-by-step safety procedures as it they not only keep the customers and the employees safe, but also help in avoiding legal claims.

Here's how production department supervisors use safety procedures:

Ensured team performed machinery preventative maintenance after production runs, enforcing lockout/tag-out strict safety procedures and clean work area environment.
Initial and continuous training of machine operators in correct operation of packaging lines with emphasis on safety procedures.

4. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how production department supervisors use lean manufacturing:

Collaborate with Plant Manager and apply lean manufacturing concepts when applicable.
Worked with and helped to implement lean manufacturing in fabrication department.

5. Production Floor

Production floors are a platform from which productions are drilled and/or manufactured and also houses a processing plant and other equipment necessary for the proper functioning of the production operation.

Here's how production department supervisors use production floor:

Lead new material trials on the production floor.
Manage and Direct Production Floor/Oversee Production Efficiency Rates * Delegate Facility Responsibilities to Maintenance, Shipping and QA * Inventory Investigation/Scrap Reduction/Safety/Recycling/Training

6. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how production department supervisors use sigma:

Assist Process Technicians with implementation of SIX SIGMA process metrics.
manage 6 sigma projects, maintenance work orders and production schedules through KiwiPlan-Shop Floor and Oracle production software.

7. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how production department supervisors use payroll:

Schedule production, verify completed production, payroll verification, employee supervision
Complete all paperwork and payroll.

8. 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 production department supervisors use r:

Managed all HSE requirements for the plant to include TURA, & Form R reporting.
Worked closely with PD and R &D to ensure that build milestone is met for new product.

9. Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese term derived from the words "kai-" which means "Change" and "zen" for good. In short, Kaizen means "change for the better," or it could also mean "continuous improvement." It is a term used for the process that continuously improves all employees. Kaizen believes in the improvement in productivity in a gradual and methodological approach. This improvement could happen by making the workplace more efficient and effective by improving team atmosphere, making the job less tiring and fulfilling and safer for the employees. Members of a company are expected to suggest an improvement when they encounter a problem.

Here's how production department supervisors use kaizen:

Identified, documented and enforced KAIZEN opportunities at the manufacturing process improving production output and cycle time.
Increase the moral of stage owner by arranging KAIZEN Competition.

10. Production Schedules

The project plan of a film or a documentary that highlights how a production budget will be spent over a given period until its completion is called a production schedule. The scheduling process starts with writing and analyzing the script, which is then broken down to determine and allocate the budget for each scene. The production schedule also includes several elements of the film including; cast actors, special effects, wardrobe, special equipment, stunts, extras, silent bits, production equipment, and many others.

Here's how production department supervisors use production schedules:

Scheduled employees, ordered materials and monitored quality control, maintained production schedules and performed inventory control.
Created digitized weekly/monthly production schedule for facilitation of apparel printing for both custom orders and catalog/internet sales.

11. Equipment Performance

Equipment Performance refers to how a piece of equipment performs a designated job. If machinery or equipment is getting older, a company may want to perform an equipment performance test to determine whether the equipment must be upgraded. This equipment may be computer or other technology, tractors or farming tools, or software programs.

Here's how production department supervisors use equipment performance:

Developed measures to improve work methods, equipment performance and quality of products/designs.
Recommended or implemented measures to motivate employees and improve production methods, equipment performance, product quality or efficiency.

12. Quality Standards

Quality standards are a specific level of standards of products that are set by the companies for the customers that have to be met and maintained throughout the process until the time of delivery. Quality standards are information that includes the customer's requirements, guidelines, and characteristics for the needed final product or service.

Here's how production department supervisors use quality standards:

Ensured implementation of strict quality standards and accountability measures.
Performed Quality Gage R&R test (Repeat Ability & Reproduce Ability) to maintain quality standards.

13. MRP

MRP is an abbreviation of Material Requirements Planning and refers to the control system which is implemented in the planning and management of the activities related to manufacturing. Through MRP, manufacturers can easily schedule the production and it can also be used for inventory. MRP systems are mostly software-based but the process can also be carried out manually.

Here's how production department supervisors use mrp:

Led the development of new internal processes and new procedures to facilitate the conversion and implementation of the Oracle MRP system.
Supported the Manufacturing plant with process design and improvement and MRP bill of material maintenance.

14. Process Improvement

Here's how production department supervisors use process improvement:

Maintained and improved productivity requirements by utilizing data evaluation and process improvement methodology.
Contracted to numerous companies to assist in process improvement.

15. Production Lines

Here's how production department supervisors use production lines:

Set up and maintained equipment operation for new production lines, and provided daily supervision of twenty hourly employees.
Hire and Train employees on production lines to help maintain yields.

What skills help Production Department Supervisors find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on production department supervisor resumes?

Dr. Robin Mello Ph.D.

Professor & Chair of Theatre, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

-Communication (The arts teach expertise in this area.) and negotiation
-Leadership and project management (Believe it or not, the arts focus on time management and high commitment to work ethic.)
-New ideas and innovations (Developing ideas and solutions and working on them through to the finished project)
-Curiosity and risk taking
-Technology skills (Film and theatre production are focused on mentoring in shops and laboratories.)
-Imagination and interpersonal skills
-Curiosity - independence - knowing how to follow through on tasks and projects
-Cultural literacy and diversity
-Singing, dancing, storytelling, acting, writing, designing, comedy, and scholarship

What production department supervisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Eric Briscoe

Lecture, Morgan State University

Students and others should take advantage of online opportunities to get acquainted with new technology. As a result of the pandemic costs may be lower because of the financial hits that institutions and businesses have taken.

What type of skills will young production department supervisors need?

David McCoy Ph.D.

Chair of the Department of Journalism and Digital Media, Associate Professor of Journalism and Digital Media, Ashland University

The types of skills needed for a successful career in the future is a blend of fundamental qualities and emerging abilities. Graduates, as always, will need effective written and oral skills. The ability to flex between organic or face-to-face communication and the newer technologies of online real-time communication will be a must as companies adapt to a post-Covid-19 market place. Media content creation will be an evolving, and critical, skill that will permit workers to succeed in an increasingly media literate and savvy world.

Do you want to know more?

List of production department supervisor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a production department supervisor resume and required skills for a production department supervisor to have include:

Continuous Improvement
Customer Specifications
Safety Procedures
Lean Manufacturing
Production Floor
Sigma
Payroll
R
Kaizen
Production Schedules
Equipment Performance
Quality Standards
MRP
Process Improvement
Production Lines
Disciplinary Actions

Process Control
Production Methods
Production Reports
Production Process
CNC
Inventory Control
Performance Appraisals
USDA
Product Quality
Troubleshoot
Production Output
Production Control
FDA
Customer Orders
GMP
Performance Evaluations

Production Demands
Performance Reviews
Machine Operators
SPC
Production Orders
Equipment Maintenance
HR
Photoshop
HACCP
Direct Reports
QA
WIP
Safety Training
Cost Savings

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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