PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

Production managers and supervisors who aspire to occupy a production management position need the NIPM CSMP, CPMP and CPM Certifications to develop professional knowledge and skills required to achieve results in a manufacturing plant or service facility. Your commitment to comprehensive long-term learning is key to the attainment of professional standards.

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

By Dr. Olaniyi Opanuga, CPMP, CPM, COMP, COM, FNIPM

Acquiring NIPM CSMP, CPMP and CPM Certifications will help you to move into management position with confidence and integrity.

Production managers and supervisors who aspire to occupy a production management position need the NIPM CSMP, CPMP and CPM Certifications to develop professional knowledge and skills required to achieve results in a manufacturing plant or service facility. Your commitment to comprehensive long-term learning is key to the attainment of professional standards.

The Certified Production Supervisory Management Professional (CPSMP), Certified Production Management Professional (CPMP) and Certified ProductionManager (CPM) qualifications demonstrate that you have attained a high level of knowledge and competencies in production management. It shows that you have mastered your professional skills and that you are committed to professionalism and ethical discipline in your chosen field of practice.

These are the credentials you need to earn to compliment your academic qualifications for professional credibility and performance excellence.

  1.  ROLE OF PRODUCTION MANAGERS

The job of creating or making products and delivering service to customers pivots on specific manufacturing and service delivery processing which must be effectively managed.

What production managers do in their jobs vary in different organizations but one general role is planning, organizing, staffing, controlling, coordinating and leading the production team(s) , systems and processes to achieve desired performance goals usually involving attainment of volume, quality, safety, cost and efficiency targets.

Measurable objectives are usually set by manufacturing plant management or operations management while production KPIs are monitored. Financial implications of every production activity should be taken seriously. Production manager’s role in budgeting and cost control is crucial to the achievement of bottomline results.

  • 2.0 PRODUCTION PLANNING AND CONTROL

Technology tools, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and allied software systems are increasingly used to optimize performance in manufacturing processes and across the entire business.  

Production managers and supervisors have a crucial role to play in forecasting future demand or liaising with the sales and marketing or supply chain planning team, controlling inventory levels and managing production capacity to ensure timely, cost effective and quality order fulfillment.

Planning, scheduling and organizing the work flow to achieve expected output usually stem from demand forecast, actual customer orders or following assessments of project scope and resource requirements, estimating, negotiating and agreeing budgets and delivery dates with customers and the sales /marketing team.

Planning covers the aspects of material procurement and inventory management, manpower production, capacity, finance or project budgeting process and so on while control includes the aspects of costs, quality, throughput and allied processes.

3.0   SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS:

         Flow of Materials, Processing And Packaging, Warehousing, Transportation and Distribution

Achieving efficient flow of materials and products in the factory requires professional knowledge and skills.

Materials include raw materials, components and parts, packaging materials, consumables MROs. The quality and cost of materials  need to be controlled in terms of internal and external logistics network and in terms of the planning material requirements, purchasing, transportation and storage  these will impact the results at the material handling, processing, packing, warehousing, shipping, freighting and distribution phases of the product journey.

Never jettison the place of research and development (R & D) and innovation. Converting raw materials into finished products involves technology management, designing systems, processes and products. Production managers are involved in decision-making and strategy formulation from factory location to facility layout, applying methods, ergonomics and allied industrial engineering techniques to achieve optimum utilization of resources.

I always like to emphasize planning and strategy because production management job involves optimizing resources, working with tight budgets, controlling cost and managing speedy work flow while dealing with workforce challenges under the pressure of meeting deadlines in the face of several constraints on a daily basis.

4.0  HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT:

Health And Safety Practices

Regulatory compliance is vital. Reputable organizations operate by definite HSE policy and safety culture which guide their operations. Production managers need to ensure that safety, health and environmental regulations are met and duly enforced.

NIPM HSE training programmes usually involve  the following:

  • Overview of HSSE (the additional ‘’S’’ Stand for security), ISO 14001 EMS, ISO 45001 etc.
  • Why World Class organizations insist on “Zero Accident” with incentives. How safer operations, safer workplace works
  • Risk Identification and Hazards Control
  • Occupational Safety Practices in Industry
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Process Safety, Projects, Risks and Permits
  • Fire Safety
  • Security Vigilance, Security Controls and Security Management Systems
  • Environmental Footprint and Sustainability
  • Medical Emergencies and First Aid etc.

5.0  QUALITY MANAGEMENT:

Quality Control Standards

Determining and ensuring quality control standards is driven by both regulatory compliance requirements and company’s quality management system (QMS). The need to satisfy the needs and wants of your customers should be central to your factory operations if you hope to compete profitably in the marketplace and maximize shareholder value.

Production and operations managers are in the job role of satisfying the customer at a profit. Talks about customer focus, customer service excellence and relationship management, superb customer experience and so on will not hold water except production and operations managers do the right thing on the factory floor. It is a “mindset” thing, a belief system. The Japanese leading manufacturers championing quality culture are still winning globally till date!

The marketplace is not the battle ground in business. The real battle ground is where production takes place. First, you need to start with actionable quality policy. Below are some of the focus areas in NIPM Training programmes. 

  • ISO 19001:2015 QMS
  • Process Control and Quality Control
  • Quality Assurance Management
  • cGMP  
  • TQM/Kaizen
  • Six Sigma
  • Quality Inspection
  • Good Documentation Practice (GDP)
  • Food Safety, Hygiene and Sanitation/FSMS
  • Pharmaceutical Safety
  • HACCP etc.

Production and operations management performance pivots also on customer specifications, quality parameters, operational qualification, process validation, verification and general quality assurance not merely about volume.   

6.0   MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT:

         Maintenance of Production Equipment

Acquisition or procurement and installation of equipment, machines and tools means nothing if they are not properly maintained as capital assets.

The regular or continuous use of machine, equipment and methods of production and the associated technology and processes can only be sustained through effective and efficient maintenance programmes.

Planning and organizing repair, service and maintenance of production equipment as well as ensuring proper  supervision, monitoring, control and management of utilities cannot be overlooked if production and operations managers must ensure that manufacturing processes run smoothly, efficiently and reliably. To get your systems working optimally and facility or plant operations running efficiently lets evaluate the following:

  • Maintenance Policy and Strategy
  • Planned and Unplanned Maintenance
  • Corrective Maintenance
  • Preventive Maintenance
  • Risk-based Maintenance
  • Reactive Maintenance
  • Predictive Maintenance
  • Reliability-Centered Maintenance
  • Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) etc.
  •  

Which one(s) are we using and how? The pros and cons are reviewed at NIPM Maintenance Management training workshops.

7.0   CONCLUSION

Production and operations management principles are applied to ensure that an organization achieves operational efficiency for enhanced competitive advantage, profitability and sustainable growth.

Production and operations managers use the resources or inputs below in a way to maximize value by designing appropriate systems and continuously improving manufacturing processes. During training sessions I always state the eight (8) principles of production and operations management and how they are applicable to the following 6 “Ms” and 2 “Ts” in a typical manufacturing and service industry.  

  • Manpower
  • Money
  • Machines
  • Materials
  • Methods
  • Markets
  • Technology
  • Time

 Production and operations as a management process is hinged on the tenets of resource acquisition, optimization, maintainability, accountability and sustainability.

Build career competencies for personal excellence.

Set yourself up for career success.

Start your CPSMP, CPMP or CPM Certification Course today. Re-certification takes place every two (2) years to enable you to upskill and update for sustainable career growth.

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