Production Planner

Job Purpose

The Production Planner is responsible for developing, coordinating, and maintaining production schedules to ensure customer orders are completed on time while optimising the use of labour, machinery, and materials. The role requires close collaboration with Production, Procurement, Stores, Sales, Quality, and Logistics to ensure efficient production planning and inventory management.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning

• Develop daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules based on customer demand and production capacity.
• Plan production to ensure on-time delivery of customer orders.
• Monitor production progress and adjust schedules where necessary.
• Balance production capacity with customer requirements.
• Prioritise urgent orders while minimising disruption to existing schedules.
• Ensure production plans are communicated effectively to relevant departments.

Inventory & Material Planning

• Monitor raw material, packaging, and component requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement to ensure materials are available before production commences.
• Prevent material shortages that may delay production.
• Monitor stock levels and recommend replenishment where required.
• Work closely with Stores to maintain accurate inventory records.

Capacity Planning

• Evaluate machine, labour, and equipment capacity.
• Recommend production adjustments to maximise efficiency.
• Identify production bottlenecks and propose solutions.
• Assist with resource allocation across departments.

Production Monitoring

• Track production performance against planned schedules.
• Investigate production delays and recommend corrective actions.
• Update production plans based on machine downtime, absenteeism, material shortages, or customer priority changes.
• Produce daily production status reports.

Coordination & Communication

• Liaise with Production Supervisors regarding daily production requirements.
• Communicate schedule changes promptly to all affected departments.
• Coordinate with Sales regarding delivery expectations.
• Attend production meetings and provide planning updates.

Reporting

• Prepare production schedules and planning reports.
• Monitor production KPIs.
• Report on production output versus plan.
• Analyse trends affecting production performance.
• Maintain accurate production planning records.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve production planning processes.
• Recommend improvements to scheduling efficiency.
• Assist with implementing new planning systems and procedures.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives throughout the manufacturing process.

Qualifications

• Grade 12 (Matric).
• Diploma or Degree in Production Management, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field (preferred).

Experience

• Minimum of 3–5 years' experience in production planning within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience in inventory and capacity planning.

Experience using Microsoft Excel and production planning software

Experience:

• Production planning: 2 years (Required)

Work Location: In person