Production Planning Manager
Almost Heaven Saunas Location: Lewisburg, WV Reports To: VP of Operations
Position Summary
The Production Planning Manager is responsible for developing and executing production plans that ensure customer orders are fulfilled on time while optimizing labor, materials, equipment, and inventory levels. This role serves as the key link between Sales, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Logistics to balance demand and production capacity.
The ideal candidate combines strong analytical planning skills with hands-on manufacturing experience and is capable of managing both short-term scheduling and long-range production planning in a fast-paced, make-to-order manufacturing environment.
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Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Production Planning & Scheduling - Develop and maintain daily, weekly, and monthly production schedules for all sauna product lines.
- Balance customer demand, production capacity, labor availability, and material constraints.
- Coordinate production priorities to meet customer delivery commitments and company profitability objectives.
- Monitor schedule adherence and make real-time adjustments to minimize disruptions.
- Create and maintain capacity planning models to support growth initiatives and seasonal demand fluctuations.
- Lead Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities related to production execution.
Inventory & Material Management
- Collaborate with Purchasing and Supply Chain teams to ensure materials are available to support production schedules.
- Maintain optimal inventory levels for raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods.
- Monitor inventory shortages, excess inventory, and obsolete materials.
- Develop strategies to improve inventory turns while maintaining service levels.
- Coordinate production planning efforts around supplier lead times and material constraints.
Manufacturing Coordination
- Partner with Production Supervisors and Manufacturing Managers to execute production plans efficiently.
- Identify bottlenecks and proactively develop solutions to improve throughput.
- Analyze production performance and recommend adjustments to staffing, equipment utilization, or scheduling.
- Support new product introductions and production transition planning.
Data Analysis & Reporting
- Maintain production planning data within ERP systems (D365 preferred).
Track and report key performance indicators including: - On-Time Delivery (OTD)
- Production Schedule Adherence
- Capacity Utilization
- Inventory Turns
- Backlog
- Manufacturing Throughput
- Labor Productivity
Create dashboards and reports to support operational decision-making.
Conduct demand forecasting and trend analysis.
Continuous Improvement
- Lead initiatives focused on improving planning accuracy and production efficiency.
- Support Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Continuous Improvement activities.
- Develop standardized planning processes and documentation.
- Utilize data and analytics to drive operational improvements.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Communicate production priorities and constraints to stakeholders across the organization.
- Facilitate weekly planning and production review meetings.
- Collaborate with Customer Service and Sales on delivery expectations and order prioritization.
- Support executive leadership with capacity forecasts and strategic planning recommendations.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Depending on organizational structure, this position may directly supervise:
- Production Scheduler(s)
- Production Planner(s)
- Master Scheduler(s)
- Inventory Analyst(s)
May also provide indirect leadership across manufacturing, purchasing, and supply chain functions.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field preferred.
- Equivalent manufacturing and planning experience may be substituted.
Experience
- 5+ years of production planning, scheduling, supply chain, or manufacturing operations experience.
- 2+ years of leadership or management experience preferred.
- Experience in a manufacturing environment required.
- Experience with ERP systems; Microsoft Dynamics 365 preferred.
- Experience with demand planning and inventory management.
Technical Skills
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- ERP/MRP planning systems experience.
- Data analysis and reporting capabilities.
- Understanding of manufacturing workflows and capacity planning.
- Lean Manufacturing knowledge preferred.
Competencies
- Analytical Thinking
- Planning & Organizing
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Communication
- Leadership
- Attention to Detail
- Adaptability
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
- Customer Focus
- Accountability
- Collaboration
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- On-Time Delivery %
- Production Schedule Adherence %
- Customer Order Fill Rate %
- Inventory Turns
- Labor Utilization %
- Manufacturing Throughput
- Backorder Reduction
- Forecast Accuracy
- Capacity Utilization
- Inventory Accuracy
Physical Requirements
- Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments.
- Occasional standing, walking, and lifting up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to visit production areas regularly to support operational activities.
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