Production Planner

Description:

About Italmatch

Italmatch USA Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty chemicals throughout North America and globally as part of the Italmatch Chemicals Group. We are committed to innovation, operational excellence, safety, and sustainability.

Position Summary

The Production Planner is responsible for coordinating and maintaining production planning and scheduling activities for the Smyrna Plant to support customer demand, inventory objectives, and operational requirements. This role ensures production schedules are aligned with customer orders, material availability, plant capacity, and inventory requirements while maintaining established quality and service standards.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and manage production schedules based on customer demand, incoming orders, inventory requirements, and plant capacity.
• Coordinate with Operations and other departments to ensure internally produced components and materials are available when required.
• Adjust manufacturing schedules and production priorities in response to changing customer requirements, operational constraints, material availability, and feedstock limitations.
• Monitor production progress and proactively identify potential scheduling conflicts, shortages, or other risks that could impact customer commitments.
• Support effective utilization of plant capacity and resources while maintaining appropriate inventory levels.

Inventory & Material Planning

• Review and monitor inventory levels of finished products, intermediates, raw materials, and feedstocks in close collaboration with the Business Operations Planner.
• Ensure physical inventory of finished products, intermediates, raw materials, and feedstocks are aligned with ERP levels and investigate/address any significant differences.
• Determine raw material and feedstock requirements necessary to support scheduled production.
• Coordinate with Procurement and Supply Planning to ensure timely replenishment and availability of required materials.
• Identify potential material shortages and communicate risks to the appropriate stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Communicate regularly with Customer Service regarding product availability, production status, and order fulfillment.
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality, Logistics, Procurement, Supply Planning, and Business Operations to support customer service objectives and overall plant performance.
• Maintain a strong working relationship with the Business Operations Planner to ensure alignment between customer demand, inventory requirements, and plant production capabilities.
• Participate in Regional Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) meetings with Business Operations and other key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Business Operations Planner and Supply Planning team on rough-cut capacity planning and longer-term production requirements for the facility.

Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Follow established company policies, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and ISO 9001 requirements.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to production planning, scheduling, inventory management, and operational efficiency.
• Maintain accurate planning and scheduling information within applicable systems and ensure timely communication of changes.

Reporting Relationship

• Reports to the Plant Manager.
• Maintains a strong functional working relationship with the Business Operations Planner - Americas and other regional Supply Chain and Business Operations resources.

Requirements:

• 3-5 years of experience in production planning, scheduling, inventory management, supply chain, or a related function within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in a process manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, or similar industrial environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate production requirements across multiple functions.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and attention-to-detail skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across departments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, a scientific discipline, or a related field.
• Experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system; SAP experience preferred.
• Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) or similar supply chain certification preferred.
• Experience supporting S&OP, capacity planning, and inventory management processes.

Why Join Italmatch?

• Competitive salary and incentive opportunity
• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Company-paid Life and Disability Insurance
• Career growth with a global specialty chemicals leader

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are Equal Opportunity Employers. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.