Industrial Production Managers

Summary

What Industrial Production Managers Do About this section

Industrial production managers monitor a plant’s workers to ensure they meet safety standards.

Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.

Duties

Industrial production managers typically do the following:

• Decide how best to use a plant’s workers and equipment to meet production goals
• Ensure that production stays on schedule and within budget
• Hire, train, and evaluate workers
• Analyze production data
• Write production reports
• Monitor a plant’s workers and programs to ensure they meet performance and safety requirements
• Streamline the production process
• Determine whether new machines are needed or whether overtime work is necessary
• Fix any production problems

Industrial production managers, also called plant managers, may oversee an entire manufacturing plant or a specific area of production.

Industrial production managers are responsible for carrying out quality control programs to make sure the finished product meets a specific level of quality. Often called quality control systems managers, these managers use programs to help identify defects in products, identify the cause of the defect, and solve the problem creating it. For example, a manager may determine that a defect is being caused by parts from an outside supplier. The manager can then work with the supplier to improve the quality of the parts.

Industrial production managers work closely with managers from other departments as well. For example, the procurement (buying) department orders the supplies that the production department uses. A breakdown in communication between these two departments can cause production slowdowns. Industrial production managers also communicate with other managers and departments, such as sales, warehousing, finance, and research and design.

Work Environment About this section

Industrial production managers work in a variety of manufacturing industries.

Industrial production managers split their time between the production area and a nearby office. When they are working in the production area, they may need to wear protective equipment, such as a helmet or safety goggles.

Work Schedules

Most industrial production managers work full time and some work more than 40 hours per week. In some facilities, managers work night or weekend shifts and must be on call to deal with emergencies at any time.

How to Become an Industrial Production Manager About this section

Industrial production managers need leadership and interpersonal skills to supervise manufacturing employees.

Industrial production managers typically need a bachelor’s degree and several years of related work experience.

Education

Employers prefer that industrial production managers have at least a bachelor’s degree. While the degree may be in any field, many industrial production managers have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or industrial engineering. Sometimes, production workers with many years of experience take management classes to become production managers. At large plants, where managers have more oversight responsibilities, employers may look for managers who have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a graduate degree in industrial management.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Many industrial production managers begin as production workers and move up through the ranks. They usually advance to a first-line supervisory position before eventually becoming an industrial production manager. Most earn a college degree in business management or take company-sponsored classes to increase their chances of a promotion.

Alternatively, a worker who joins a firm immediately after graduating from college may work as first-line supervisor before beginning a job as a production manager.

Some begin working as an industrial production manager directly after college or graduate school. They may spend their first few months in training programs, becoming familiar with the production process, company policies, and safety regulations. In large companies, many also spend short periods of time working in other departments, such as purchasing or accounting, to learn more about the company.

Important Qualities

Interpersonal skills. Industrial production managers must have excellent communication skills so they can work well other managers and with staff.

Leadership skills. To keep the production process running smoothly, industrial production managers must motivate and direct the employees they manage.

Problem-solving skills. Production managers must identify problems immediately and solve them. For example, if a product has a defect, the manager determines whether it is a one-time problem or the result of the production process.

Time-management skills. To meet production deadlines, managers must carefully manage their employees’ time as well as their own.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

While not required, industrial production managers can earn certifications that show a higher level of competency in quality or management systems. The APICS offers a Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) credential. The American Society of Quality (ASQ) offers credentials in quality control. Both certifications require specific amounts of work experience before applying for the credential, so they are generally not earned before entering the occupation.

Pay About this section

Most industrial production managers work full time and some work more than 40 hours per week.

Job Outlook About this section

Overall employment of industrial production managers is projected to grow $pc.toString().replaceAll("^\-","") percent from 2020 to 2030, $gra.

About $tools.number.format('#,###',$op) openings for industrial production managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Employment of industrial production managers is projected to show little or no change from 2018 to 2028. Most of these managers are employed in various manufacturing industries, which may see a decrease in overall employment due to increased productivity.

In the past, employment of industrial production managers was less affected by productivity gains because these managers were responsible for coordinating work activities with the goal of increased productivity. However, as facilities adapt to leaner production models that rely more heavily on robotics and other technology, employment of workers and managers may be equally affected.

Some manufacturing jobs are at risk of being outsourced to other countries with lower wages, dampening some employment growth. However, this risk may be reduced by recent trends of “reshoring,” where previously outsourced personnel and services are being brought back to the United States. In addition, some firms are moving jobs to lower-cost regions of the United States rather than foreign countries in a trend referred to as “domestic sourcing.”

Job Prospects

Applicants will likely face strong competition for positions, but those who have several years of experience and a bachelor’s degree in industrial management or business administration should have the best prospects.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about careers in production management and certification, visit

Association for Operations Management (APICS)

For more information about quality management and certification, visit

American Society for Quality                                 

For general information about manufacturing careers, visit

National Association of Manufacturers

CareerOneStop

For a career video on quality control systems managers, visit

Quality control systems managers