Profession food production planner

Food production planners prepare production plans, evaluate all the variables in the process and strive to ensure that production objectives be achieved.

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Personality Type

  • Enterprising / Realistic

Knowledge

  • Statistics

    The study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments in order to forecast and plan work-related activities.

  • Food legislation

    Legislation related to the food and feed industry including food manufacturing, hygiene, safety, raw materials, additives, GMOs, labelling, environmental and trade regulations.

  • Quality assurance methodologies

    Quality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.

Skills

  • Adapt production levels

    Adapt current production levels and strive to improve the current production rates looking for economic gains and margins. Negotiate improvement with sales, dispatch and distribution departments.

  • Implement short term objectives

    Define priorities and immediate actions for the short future.

  • Maintain updated professional knowledge

    Regularly attend educational workshops, read professional publications, actively participate in professional societies.

  • Apply GMP

    Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

  • Enhance production workflow

    Enhance the product workflow by analysing and developing logistics plans that impact production as well as distribution.

  • Give instructions to staff

    Give instructions to subordinates by employing various communication techniques. Adjust communication style to the target audience in order to convey instructions as intended.

  • Control of expenses

    Monitoring and maintaining effective cost controls, in regards to efficiencies, waste, overtime and staffing. Assessing excesses and strives for efficiency and productivity.

  • Schedule regular machine maintenance

    Schedule and perform regular maintenance, cleaning, and repairs of all equipment. Order necessary machine parts and upgrade equipment when necessary to ensure optimal performance.

  • Create food production plan

    Delivers the production plan within agreed budgetary and service levels.

  • Keep up with innovations in food manufacturing

    Latest innovative products and technologies to process, preserve, package and improve food products.

  • Support management of raw materials

    Support management of raw materials and plants required by the department for production. Oversee the needs for material and notify when stock levels reach re-order levels.

  • Disaggregate the production plan

    Splits production plan in daily, weekly, and monthly plans with clear objectives and targets required.

  • Analyse production processes for improvement

    Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.

  • Communicate production plan

    Communicates production plan to all levels in a way that targets, processes, and requirements are clear. Ensures that information is passed to everyone involved in the process assuming their responsibility for overall success.

  • Monitor ingredient storage

    Monitor ingredient storage and expiry dates via weekly reporting leading to good stock rotation and reduction of waste.

  • Detect bottlenecks

    Identify bottlenecks in the supply chain.

  • Meet productivity targets

    Devise methods to determine improvement in productivity, adjusting the goals to be reached and the necessary time and resources.

  • Manage backlogs

    Manage work control status and backlogs to ensure completion of work orders.

  • Apply HACCP

    Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

  • Ensure cost efficiency in food manufacturing

    Ensure that the whole process of food manufacturing from receipt of raw materials, production, to food manufacturing and packaging processes is cost-effective and efficient.

  • Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages

    Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.

  • Apply control process statistical methods

    Applies statistical methods from Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) in order to control manufacturing processes.

Optional knowledge and skills

liaise with colleagues act reliably use a computer liaise with managers apply foreign language for international trade analyse work-related written reports assess ergonomics of the workplace plan food plant production activities write routine reports write work-related reports food safety standards lead process optimisation apply scientific methods hire new personnel plan self-organisation be at ease in unsafe environments provide written content keep up-to-date with regulations keep food laboratory inventory

Common job titles

  • Production associate
  • Production scheduler
  • Master production scheduler
  • Materials & labor planner/scheduler
  • Machining production planner/material management
  • Production planner/procurement-ice cream
  • Scheduler (entry level)
  • Associate production planner
  • Scheduler 1
  • Planner, food category