Production schedulers are responsible for coordinating and developing production schedules on a daily or weekly basis to meet goals. They take stock of inventory levels and facilitate providing necessary materials and components. Sometimes, production schedulers are also responsible for managing product delivery to customers.
A successful production scheduler has good computer skills and a basic knowledge of scheduling in production. They must possess excellent organizational skills to manage daily and weekly master schedules, and they also must have effective communication skills. In many businesses, production schedulers must multitask and move workers and materials around to meet deadlines and customer needs. They are also responsible for meeting production goals and should expect to form action plans and maintain visibility on the floor to promote success among workers.
Production schedulers also analyze past and present data to generate reports and create more effective schedules. While production schedulers typically have set hours, they are usually on-call in case of production problems that need to be resolved immediately.
Production schedulers typically need at least an associate’s degree in management or a relevant field; a bachelor's degree may be preferred. Experience in the production industry is beneficial, and knowledge of management resource planning (MRP) is expected.
Production Scheduler Tasks
Efficiently assign production to minimize company costs and meet delivery deadlines.
Monitor production process and implement process improvements.
Schedule the production process and production departments by material, employee and equipment availability.