How to Become a Production Manager?

The person who looks after process of planning and manufacturing of a product in an industry is referred to as production manager. Depending on the product that a company manufactures, the educational requirements may vary. For those working in the field of automobile manufacturing require an engineering degree.

Those professionals operating in pharmaceutical companies need to have a degree in pharmacy. There is post for production managers in companies from different fields where some kind of product is manufactured. The activity of planning is also an important part of a production manager's profile. Thus, production manager needs to have many different skills.

To become a production manager, first of all, you need to be well versed with technicalities associated with the job. Secondly, it is necessary to have managerial skills which help in getting the work done within the specified time limit. There are many other facets of a production manager's job. The details of how to become a production manager can be found in this article.

A candidate looking for the job of production manager must have a college degree relevant to the field in which he/she is applying. Such a degree would allow him/her in understanding the technical details associated with the job. Students who wish to work in the industrial sector can think about pursuing a degree in industrial technology.

It is always an added advantage to have a management degree (for example MBA) since it helps in moving up the levels of hierarchy. Since the planning activity also comes under the job profile of a production manager, he needs to have knowledge of financial transactions and management policies.

This is the main reason why a management degree proves to be useful.

A diploma course in production management is offered by many universities and which provides the students with all the necessary skills & technical know-how. Such a diploma course is therefore, useful and worth considering. It also means that a degree is not a must for becoming a production manager.

A production manager is the key person to the manufacturing process in a firm. He needs to have knowledge about the product development lifecycle. All the technical details associated with manufacturing should be known to him. There are many other production manager responsibilities which need to be understood.

 Let us have a look at these different responsibilities...

• Creating a layout of the project or work to be completed is an important part of a production manager's job. Preparing a layout or outline of work gives an idea about the tasks to be implemented in the process of manufacturing a product. Planning these tasks also becomes easier by having an overview of the project to be completed.

• A production manager should basically be a multi-tasker. Coordinating different activities which together contribute to the production work is also an important aspect of a production manager's profile.

• The work of a manager is not just limited to the proper working/operation of production system. He has to communicate with people from other departments to allow smooth functioning of the department he is leading. 

For example, production management is closely associated with sales products. Keeping an eye on sales figures, communicating with the sales manager, setting target for a given period, etc. are all the important work responsibilities which need to be handled by him.

Salary of production managers is different in different fields. It depends on the product being manufactured, sales and overall size of the company. A production manager working in the industrial sector can earn anything between $70,000 and $75,000 annually.

It is however, necessary to understand that salary in this range is offered to experienced professionals. In order to work as a production manager, you need to have enough experience to handle critical situations.

It is therefore, advisable to start off as a trainee or assistant manager to obtain knowledge and experience required to handle the managerial duties in a proper manner.

The work of a production manager requires you to be on your toes all the time. It is not just the process of manufacturing, but also the related activities that these professionals need to handle. Inventory, sales, workforce management are the different things which influence the production work to a great extent. Knowledge of all these aspects of the job profile should prove to be helpful for readers.