The certified production manager should cope with the rapidly changing needs of the production and inventory management field and hence he should master the following aspects:
• Elements of the supply chain with attention to distribution planning, supplier interfaces, and customer service.
• Forecast demand, provide priority control and manage lead-time.
• Manage, control, and account for inventory.
• Integrate production and inventory management through master scheduling and material and capacity requirements planning.
• Implement systems and technologies, including MRP, MRPII, ERP, JIT, and TQM.
Production managers ensure that manufacturing processes run reliably and efficiently.
Responsibilities of the job include:
• Planning and organizing production schedules
• Assessing project and resource requirements
• Determining quality control standards
• Overseeing production processes
• Re-negotiating timescales or schedules as necessary
• Selecting, ordering and purchasing materials
• Organizing the repair and routine maintenance of production equipment
• Liaising with buyers and marketing and sales staff
• Organizing relevant training sessions
• Manage and evaluate machine resources to ensure productivity and minimal downtime
• Oversee the workforce in the manufacturing department
• Strive to reduce expenses and increase productivity across all product lines
• Ensure all employees follow industry standard health and safety guidelines
• Set ambitious production goals and communicate them to key personnel
• Provide motivation, support and guidance to all employees
• Communicate any problems or obstacles to senior management
• Establish workflow policies that enhance speed and efficiency without compromising product safety or integrity
• Create schedules for employees to ensure optimum staffing levels
Assess your knowledge and experience
The Technical Body of Knowledge is an outline of topics covered on the certification exam. The Technical Competency Model describes the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by manufacturing professionals. It will help you better envision your role and evaluate your readiness for certification.
Body of knowledge
Basics of Supply Chain Management
* Elements of the Supply Chain
* Just-in-Time (JIT)
* Total Quality Management (TQM)
* Manufacturing Resources Planning
* Demand Planning
* Capacity Management. Planning
* Demand Management
* Sales and Operations Planning
* Master Scheduling
* Measuring the Business Plan
* Operations Planning & Scheduling Systems Material and Capacity design Requirements MRP CRP Forecasting Inventory Management Inventory management overview Accounting and control of inventory Inventory replenishment systems Determination of order quantity Dealing with uncertainty Environments, additional models, and just-in-time Distribution inventories Distribution inventory planning and control Operations & Productivity
* Product & Process Design
* Facility Location
* Layout Design
* Material Handling
* Production Planning Control Project Scheduling Quality concepts Operations Research