What does a Production Superintendent do?
A production superintendent oversees the production operations of manufacturing plants to ensure their efficiency and adherence to guidelines, budgets, and timelines. They have the authority to coordinate meetings with managers and teams to set objectives and schedules, supervise the use of funds, address issues and concerns, conduct assessments and evaluations, and develop strategies to meet production goals. Moreover, as a production superintendent, it is essential to lead staff while implementing the company's safety policies and regulations for a smooth and safe workflow.
Production superintendent responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real production superintendent resumes:
- Manage day-to-day operation and maintenance activities in a high volume, OSHA, PSM cover specialty chemical manufacturing facility.
- Participate in kaizen events and lean projects.
- Script SQL commands for data mining and ad-hoc reports.
- Analyze vendor data and debug production databases (SQL).
- Introduce Kaizen and SPC to facility and develop metrics for operating unit.
- Train employees in hazard analysis of critical control points (HACCP).
- Simplify PowerPoint presentations to be brief at the daily maintenance production meeting.
- Investigate all aircraft and vehicle mishaps on flight line and prepare PowerPoint presentations for supervision.
- Serve as HACCP team leader with weekly rotating inspections and responsible for corrections in production areas.
- Direct responsibility to comply with safety, environmental and FDA regulation.
- Develop and implement numerous OSHA compliance programs for the facility including training of associates.
- Schedule production for facility following FDA guidelines to meet customer demands and company budgets.
- Balance manpower requirements and resources with aircraft logistics requirements to maximize the organization's ability to meeting assign objectives.
- Balance manpower, resources with maintenance logistics to maximize organization's ability to meet higher headquarters and overseas contingency operations.
- Monitor control plans, troubleshoot workmanship problems and supervise production activities to ensure manufacture products meet or exceed establish quality requirements.
Production superintendent skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Production Superintendents are proficient in Continuous Improvement, OSHA, and Production Supervisors.
We break down the percentage of Production Superintendents that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Continuous Improvement, 10%
Utilized Statistical Process Control, Lean Manufacturing Practices, Continuous Improvement, Total Quality Management and Material Resources Planning practices.
- OSHA, 10%
Developed and implemented Standard Operating Procedures for work standardization and implemented procedures to meet OSHA guidelines.
- Production Supervisors, 9%
Work closely with production supervisors to increase productivity and profitability within the manufacturing operation.
- Safety Standards, 9%
Provided daily direction to 4 salaried supervisors to insure effective and efficient productivity, quality, and safety standards were maintained.
- Product Quality, 7%
Develop and implement operating methods and procedures which are designed to reduce operating problems and improve product quality.
- Equipment Maintenance, 5%
Assure that adequate equipment maintenance and calibration programs are established and followed.
"continuous improvement," "osha," and "production supervisors" are among the most common skills that production superintendents use at work. You can find even more production superintendent responsibilities below, including:
The three companies that hire the most production superintendents are:
- JBS USA8 production superintendents jobs
- ManpowerGroup7 production superintendents jobs
- WestRock6 production superintendents jobs
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Compare different production superintendents
Production superintendent vs. Shop foreman
A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks. They often work in manufacturing, automotive, and warehouse industries, which require knowledge of operating equipment. A shop foreman must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially on addressing customers' inquiries and complaints and performing clerical tasks as needed.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between production superintendents and shop foreman. For instance, production superintendent responsibilities require skills such as "continuous improvement," "osha," "production supervisors," and "product quality." Whereas a shop foreman is skilled in "customer service," "preventative maintenance," "cdl," and "cnc." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Shop foremen tend to make the most money working in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $76,003. In contrast, production superintendents make the biggest average salary, $90,840, in the automotive industry.The education levels that shop foremen earn slightly differ from production superintendents. In particular, shop foremen are 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a production superintendent. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production superintendent vs. Line leader
Production line leaders or production team leaders typically work in the manufacturing industry. These leaders undertake both mental and physical work, including filing reports and paperwork, helping in order completion, and managing production assembly lines. They physically contain construction materials to ensure correct handling. Also, they oversee the varying activities within the organization or department. Among their tasks include inventory control, data entry, and product quality.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that production superintendent responsibilities requires skills like "osha," "production supervisors," "product quality," and "equipment maintenance." But a line leader might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "quality checks," "assembly line," and "iso."
Line leaders earn a lower average salary than production superintendents. But line leaders earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $39,263. Additionally, production superintendents earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $90,840 annually.line leaders earn lower levels of education than production superintendents in general. They're 5.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production superintendent vs. Leader
Leaders pave the way for a company to achieve certain goals. They are in charge of bringing the organization to greater heights. They set the direction of the organization, much like how a captain sets the sails of the ship. They are responsible for coming up with main strategies and alternatives should there be challenges along the way. Leaders ensure that the company is guided by its vision and mission and that the employees emulate company values. They do so through leading by example. Leaders should have strategic skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from production superintendent resumes include skills like "osha," "production supervisors," "safety standards," and "product quality," whereas a leader is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "strong time management," "pet," and "digital transformation. "
Leaders typically earn similar educational levels compared to production superintendents. Specifically, they're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production superintendent vs. Lead person
A lead person or lead worker is an employee who provides leadership and instructions to others in a group to complete tasks quickly and effectively. Lead workers plan and organize meetings with supervisors and the management to discuss a particular project's progress and development. Lead persons would often participate in the training of new employees about their job duties. As the group leader, lead persons must also ensure that employees are following company policies and adhere to all standards and guidelines.
Types of production superintendent
Updated January 8, 2025
