By Dr. Olaniyi Opanuga, PhD, FNIPM, FCIAM, FIMC, CPSOCOM, COPOM(c) 

 

Production management involves more than managing a factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant in an industrial facility. It includes managing agricultural, mining, energy (oil, gas, electricity), construction and service operations.

If you start working as a factory worker, technician or a supervisor and end your career at that level it is your choice. Your employer will not provide all the trainings you need. If you expect your employer to make you rich you will wait in vain. Train and develop yourself. Invest in your own career if you care to go far in life. Hence if you study at Nigerian Institute of Production Management-NIPM and obtain necessary certification and diploma you should be able to work in any sector of the nation’s economy. What is limiting you is lack of knowledge. Gain the necessary knowledge and skills and get a high paying job. Improve yourself and better your life.

 

Nothing stops you from aspiring to become a production manager, manufacturing or plant manager, operations manager, general manager, technical or operations director, Chief Operations Officer (COO) or the managing director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO). The top and senior managers are constantly looking for who to promote or what do you think staff performance appraisal is about?

In the management hierarchy the higher you go the higher your level of authority, the more the scope of your responsibilities and accountabilities and the higher your salary plus the associated respect, recognition status symbols and entitlements such as houses, cars, titles, office and luxury items. All these show how important you are in the Society.

But, did you choose these things from heaven? Perhaps not. By self-awareness, planning, focusing, dint of hard work (I think smart work is better), right behaviours, attitudes and taking the right steps at the right time you will get noticed and separated for career lifting through rapid promotion.

Become whoever and whatever you want to become by taking decisive steps. If you need to go back to school please do so. You don’t have to leave your job for further studies as here’s a wide range of qualifications both academic and professional that you can acquire online. Technology has transformed the way people learn globally.

Gain personal and business connections, earn professional qualifications and increase your knowledge and skill sets to set yourself apart from the crowd of factory workers and move to the top.

About 46 years ago I enjoyed the job of a machine operator, later storekeeping and warehousing, supervisor on processing and packing lines and working with the laboratory, quality maintenance and the utility technicians. Working in the factory was my starting point but later I moved into sales and marketing then back to production at a higher level. Then I became an operations director and later a CEO.

Factory floor work and general manufacturing plant operations can be very challenging. You make friends but not much social events outside the factory. You may spend years working without knowing all your neighbours at home. Though, the tension increases as you move up on the management ladder but your pay incentives and discretionary time increases.