Production Planner

SUMMARY:

A multinational agricultural company is seeking the above to manage production scheduling, inventory, and procurement to optimize cost efficiency, ensure timely product availability, coordinate material planning, monitor production performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to maintain supply-demand balance and support continuous improvement in the production process.

POSITION INFO:

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a relevant tertiary qualification
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in scheduling in a chemical manufacturing or manufacturing environment
• Good knowledge and understanding of supply chain concepts and methodologies including MRP
• ERP applications experience in SAP R/3, SAP ECC/APO, SAP 4 HANNA is essential
• CPIM or related APICS qualification is advantageous
• Ability to analyse data trends to understand supply chain effectiveness

• Being responsible for detailed 3-week production scheduling and managing a 3-month capacity view of the production plan for both firmed and non-firmed demands forecast and requirements.
• Planning production assets to ensure cost efficiency and operating cost-effectively.
• Closely monitoring the result of Material Replenishment Planning (MRP) by analyzing the system-generated material requirement plan report.
• Managing inventory of slow and no-mover materials, aiming to identify risks to the production plan, redeployment, or rework opportunities, and escalating any high risks to ensure meeting inventory targets.
• Assisting in setting up material safety stock reasonably and working with colleagues to achieve inventory targets.
• Ensuring the optimization of on-site inventory of components and formulated bulks to minimize working capital.
• Following up on the Artwork labels change process to ensure the correct version is applied and minimizing material write-offs.
• Using demand requirements to analyze production order fulfillment scheduling (actual vs. plan) and recommending actions for continuous improvement.
• Proactively communicating a possible negative impact on the production plan and revising the production plan accordingly.
• Managing material requirements by ensuring the procurement of materials is done in a timely manner by suppliers within the set KPI parameters and operating against MRPII philosophies and principles.
• Ensuring all planned orders are updated in APO in line with the latest production plan and have the correct alternative BoM/routing assigned.
• Maintaining the overall FF&P supply plan across a defined asset portfolio (work centers, routings, and plants), providing options to meet variances in demand and supply, and implementing tactical supply plans where appropriate.
• Coordinating along with the supply chain teams, especially with FF&P Supply Chain Planners, Vendor Schedulers, and Manufacturing, to manage the production plan and ex-works shipments over a zero to end current season horizon.
• Managing relationships with key stakeholders that include Logistics Order Management, warehousing, regulatory and FF&P supply chain planners at both regional and global levels, Plant and Production teams, FF&P asset maintenance scheduler, Vendor Schedulers, Demand Planners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Processing all late or change of delivery dates in the SUCAP system and reporting due to production changes or non-adherence.
• Demonstrating a health and safety culture, leading by example, adhering to rules, and participating in site initiatives.
• Reviewing the correctness of the rolling material forecast to suppliers in close collaboration with the Vendor Scheduler.
• Timely communicating with all internal stakeholders, any production delays, material constraints, and possible customer sales losses to reprioritize the plan.
• Fully understanding site production line flexibility, production capacity, and labor constraints, collaborating with Production supervisors to work out the weekly production plan with a 6-week rolling forecast, ensuring the effective use of assets and resources.
• Maintaining the overall supply/demand balance through a review of the net demand & uncertainty, creating balanced production plans over the current season (up to a 12-month horizon), and working with FF&P SCPs to ensure an appropriate balance between manufacturing responsiveness, cost efficiency, and inventory holding, determining and implementing the need to hold safety stock.
• Working as a key member of the Supply Chain Team to continually improve the responsiveness and efficiency of the Supply Chain within the portfolio.
• Helping develop and then executing Tactical Supply Plans based on Regional Differentiation.
• Working with the AI Asset Planner to ensure the supply of AI meets the FF&P plans.
• Managing the Plant/Unit-specific aspects (e.g., codes, routings) of the range management process for regional SUs (product life-cycle), ensuring both the efficient introduction and removal of products where appropriate.
• Maintaining the overall supply/demand balance through a review of the sales forecasts and AI net demands, creating balanced production plans, and providing a monthly inventory projection.