Role Description
As a production scheduler you are responsible for managing turning customer demand into a working plan for a production line, which maximises customer service and efficiency but minimises waste and cost. For this role you will need to build good relationships with a wide variety of suppliers, colleagues in PBS, Supply Planning and Distribution. It is also important to be adaptable for this role, even the best plans need to be changed in unforeseen circumstances
As well as a planning what should be made when, where and in what quantity, the scheduler is responsible for ensure the necessary materials and ingredients are available in time to complete production. It is important we keep working capital low by only ordering what is needed but not running out and stopping production. We also make some products using more than one production line. You will need to work with other schedulers and production team leader to manage work in progress, looking at shelf life and storage capacity.
As well as looking after day to day operations and getting a really hands on perspective of what we do you will be involved in longer term initiatives. This could be evaluating suppliers and working with PBS to introduce changes or working with engineering colleagues to arrange line trials of new products. You will also have a close working relationship with supply planning to develop the longer term plans for your production lines and take part in supply chain improvements projects.
Profile: Production Scheduler – Andy Yates
"In my 6 months as a production scheduler I was responsible for the production lines making mini eggs, chocolate covered nuts and some other bagged chocolates. This involved looking after raw ingredients, packaging supplies and vast amounts of WIP. I had to develop a really close working relationship with our production team leaders to learn the quirks of this production area and how that affected our plans. At the same time I had to work closely with our production planner to understand the demand patterns of these seasonal products. Cadbury sell around 4000 tons of Mini Eggs between January and Easter but this volume has to be spread out across the year.
"On a daily basis I had to make fine adjustments to the plans depending upon how the lines were running. I ordered materials in to the factory, working with logistics to ensure we had both the warehouse capacity available and enough people to unload the trucks and get the supplies to the right place in time. One of the greatest challenges in this role was the unexpected. I also had to be adaptable What do you do when a machine breaks down or a pallet of packaging materials arrives damaged and cannot be replaced in time. It was at times like these that the relationships I’d built up with our suppliers and our team leaders were especially valuable. Being able to quickly find out what alternatives were available and then determine the best course of action was essential to meet demand and prevent the line remaining idle.
"Beyond the day to day activity I also enjoyed working on some of the longer term tasks. These involved bringing new suppliers in and giving them an understanding of what our needs were and planning line trials of new products. I also worked with the production planners to set up the longer term plans and help them understand the issues faced within the factory and how to make the best product changeovers and how to add the most value to our production plans.
"Whilst in that role I faced some challenging times and gained a fantastic insight into the daily workings of one of our factories. I got to play a part in creating products which are a part of Easter across the world, which gave me an immense amount of satisfaction. From this role I’ve gained a great deal of experience in how the entire supply chain needs to work closely together and to see how the principles of our business are turned into winning brands. All of this experience and the training I received will be really valuable as I move into other placements. Whilst this role appears to be focussed on data and numbers the working relationship I built with those around me was the greatest achievement and the most important part of the role."