Production Planner

• Creating, managing, and optimizing daily, weekly, and monthly master production schedules based on customer orders and sales forecasts.
• Issuing detailed shop-floor work orders with specific machine allocations, resin grades, tooling requirements, and target cycle times.
• Calculating raw material requirements, including virgin resins, regrind ratios, colorants, additives, and packaging materials using MRP/ERP systems.
• Coordinating with Procurement to ensure timely availability of raw resins and specialized component inserts to avoid line shutdowns.
• Scheduling and tracking the availability of molds, dies, and auxiliary machinery (such as dryers, chillers, and hot runner controllers) with the Tooling and Maintenance teams.
• Sequence job orders strategically to minimize machine changeovers, color-purge downtime, and resin drying lag times.
• Tracking daily shop-floor output against production targets and analyzing root causes for scrap generation, extended cycle times, or unplanned press downtime.
• Re-sequencing production schedules dynamically to handle machine breakdowns, mold failures, or urgent rush orders.
• Collaborating with Quality Assurance to manage yield targets and ensure output meets quality specs (avoiding defects like flash, sink marks, or short shots).
• Aligning with Logistics and Warehouse teams to maintain optimal inventory levels and fulfill shipping deadlines.
• Generating core performance reports, including Schedule Attainment, Lead Time Variance, Machine Utilization (OEE), and Scrap Rate metrics.

Required Qualifications & Key Skills

• Experience: 2–5 years of production planning or scheduling experience specifically within plastics processing (Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, or Thermoforming).
• Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of plastic manufacturing operations, resin handling/drying requirements, mold setup times, and press cavitation.
• Systems: Proficiency in Excel
• Core Competencies: Analytical thinking, capacity forecasting, inventory management, and high stress tolerance for agile schedule adjustments.