Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
Also called Expeditor, Materials Planner, Production Planner, or Production Scheduler
What Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks do
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks coordinate and expedite the flow of work and materials within or between departments of an establishment according to production schedule. Duties include reviewing and distributing production, work, and shipment schedules; conferring with department supervisors to determine progress of work and completion dates; and compiling reports on progress of work, inventory levels, costs, and production problems.
Who tends to enjoy it
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Leading
People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
What you'd actually do
- Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments.
- Revise production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering.
- Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.
- Arrange for delivery, assembly, or distribution of supplies or parts to expedite flow of materials and meet production schedules.
- Confer with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays.
- Requisition and maintain inventories of materials or supplies necessary to meet production demands.
- Confer with department supervisors or other personnel to assess progress and discuss needed changes.
- Plan production commitments or timetables for business units, specific programs, or jobs, using sales forecasts.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
What you'll need to know
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Parts, Warehousing, and Inventory Management Operations 18 colleges
Related careers
Production
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Management
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 43-5061.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.