Industrial Production Managers

Summary

Industrial production managers supervise employees at manufacturing plants.

Quick Facts: Industrial Production Managers
2010 Median Pay	$87,160 per year $41.91 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	1 to 5 years
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	150,300
Job Outlook, 2010-20	9% (Slower than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	13,700

What Industrial Production Managers Do

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.

Work Environment

Almost 80 percent of industrial production managers work in manufacturing industries. Most work full time, and many work long hours.

How to Become an Industrial Production Manager

Most employers require production managers to have a bachelor’s degree and 2 to 5 years of related work experience.

Pay

The median annual wage of industrial production managers was $87,160 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of industrial production managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average of all occupations. Most of these managers are employed in manufacturing industries, which are expected to decline due to foreign competition and increased automation.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of industrial production managers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about industrial production managers by contacting these additional resources.

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 routine production reports
• Monitor a plant’s workers to ensure they meet performance and safety requirements
• Create ways to make the production process more efficient
• Determine whether new machines are needed, or whether overtime work is necessary
• Fix any production problems that may arise

Depending on the size of the manufacturing plant, industrial production managers may oversee the entire plant or just one area of it.

Industrial production managers are responsible for carrying out quality control programs to make sure the finished product meets a prescribed level of quality. They generally choose from a number of programs that are standard in manufacturing industries, such as ISO 9000 or Six Sigma. These programs help a manager 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. 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. Just-in-time production techniques mean that companies keep inventory low, so communication among managers in each department and suppliers is important.

They also communicate with other departments, such as sales, warehousing, and research and design, to assure the company's success.

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 have to wear protective equipment such as a helmet or safety goggles.

Industrial production managers held about 150,300 jobs in 2010. Almost 80 percent of industrial production managers work in various manufacturing industries. The manufacturing industries employing the most industrial production managers in 2010 are as follows:

Work Schedules

Most industrial production managers work full time, and many work long hours. In some facilities, managers work night or weekend shifts and must be on call to deal with emergencies at any time of day.

How to Become an Industrial Production Manager About this section

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

Most employers require production managers to have a bachelor’s degree and 2 to 5 years of related work experience.

Education

Most 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 and become a production manager. 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.

Training

Some managers begin working at a company directly after college or graduate school. They 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.

Work Experience

Some industrial production managers begin as production workers and move up through the ranks. They first advance to a first-line supervisory position before eventually being selected for management. Most get a college degree in business management or take company-sponsored classes to increase their chances of a promotion.

Production managers who join a firm immediately after graduating from college sometimes work as first-line supervisors before beginning their jobs as production managers.

Certification

Industrial production managers can earn optional certificates that show a higher level of competency in quality or management systems. The Association for Operations Management offers a Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) credential. The American Society for Quality offers credentials in quality control.

Important Qualities

Interpersonal skills. Industrial production must have excellent communication skills so they can work with managers from other departments, as well as with the company’s senior-level management.

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 be able to identify problems immediately and solve them. For example, if a product has a defect, the manger determines whether it is a onetime 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.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of industrial production managers was $87,160 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in the occupation earned more than the amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $52,640, and the top 10 percent earned more than $148,020.

The table below lists the May 2010 median annual wages of industrial production managers in the manufacturing industries where they are most commonly employed.

Most industrial production managers work full time, and many work long hours. In some facilities, managers work night or weekend shifts and must be on call to deal with emergencies at any time of day.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of industrial production managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. Most of these managers are employed in various manufacturing industries, which are expected to decline as manufacturing continues to experience foreign competition. In addition, the manufacturing process is becoming more automated, which is expected to cause job declines in the field. However, because managers coordinate the work of both workers and machines, their employment is not expected to decline as fast as overall manufacturing employment. Projected employment growth of industrial production managers from 2010 to 2020 in the four manufacturing industries that employ the most industrial production managers is as follows: 

Job Prospects

Despite the projected decline in employment, job openings are expected, due to the need to replace workers who retire. Applicants who have a bachelor’s degree in industrial management or business administration should have the best prospects.

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