About This Career

Coordinates and expedites 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.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Quality Assurance pathway.

A person in this career:

• Distributes production schedules or work orders to departments.
• Revises production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering.
• Reviews documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.
• Arranges for delivery, assembly, or distribution of supplies or parts to expedite flow of materials and meet production schedules.
• Confers with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays.
• Requisitions and maintains inventories of materials or supplies necessary to meet production demands.
• Confers with department supervisors or other personnel to assess progress and discuss needed changes.
• Plans production commitments or timetables for business units, specific programs, or jobs, using sales forecasts.
• Compiles information, such as production rates and progress, materials inventories, materials used, or customer information, so that status reports can be completed.
• Examines documents, materials, or products and monitors work processes to assess completeness, accuracy, and conformance to standards and specifications.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel