Industrial Production Manager

An Industrial Production Manager oversees the tasks and plans required to produce any of an infinite number of manufactured items. This may involve one area of a large facility (for example, overseeing windshield and mirror production in an auto-manufacturing plant), or the entire plant if it specializes in one relatively simple product.

As an Industrial Production Manager, you focus on making the manufacturing process more efficient—that is, finding ways to maximize quality and output while minimizing costs, accidents, and other liabilities. As part of your goal as an Industrial Production Manager, you oversee quality-control efforts, making certain that each product is up to standard, and investigating the problem if it is not.

Your day will likely be spent between the production areas and your office. In the production area, you inspect products and procedures, and talk with members of the production line about any problems that they may have encountered. In your office, you write reports to your superiors about any current issues, deal with personnel matters, and read research that pertains to the quality of your product. You may also meet with research and development teams to discuss changes to the product or the introduction of new items.

The week is almost certain to extend beyond 40 hours, particularly if your company’s products are seasonal in nature and, therefore, have a surge in quotas at particular times of the year. If the production line runs 24 hours a day, you will be expected to respond to emergencies at any hour.