How Do I Become a Production Control Manager?

People with production control manager jobs often work in the manufacturing industry and are responsible for optimizing regular operations and finding solutions to improve productivity. These professionals perform inspections in manufacturing plants, develop performance standards, and ensure that all products are of satisfactory quality. To become a production control manager, you should first plan on earning an undergraduate degree in a concentration such as engineering. While an undergraduate degree is a minimum requirement of most employers, a master's degree in a related field can make a person who wants to become a production control manager a much more appealing job candidate.

A person who wants to become a production control manager should have excellent leadership skills. These professionals are often responsible for enforcing company standards of quality, productivity, and safety. Many production control managers spend a large percentage of their time in production environments, meaning that they communicate directly with low level production assistants, as well as supervisors, managers, and foremen. For this reason, a person who would like to become a production control manager should be skilled at giving orders, getting results, and inspiring confidence in colleagues and employees.

Production control managers also develop training resources and workshops and may, in some instances, conduct training themselves. A person who wants to become a production control manager can benefit from understanding some basics of instruction. Courses in management or human resources can be valuable for aspiring production control managers.

It is also common for a professional in this role to have to use complex software, such as intelligence systems that pull data from a number of different sources. A person who wants to become a production control manager should be able to use computer programs to gather and analyze relevant data. He or she should be able to generate graphs and spreadsheets and use his or her analysis to make informed decisions about how to improve processes.

In order to find the most successful and cost effective solutions, production control managers have to understand the current state of their industry. They should have an understanding of how software and machinery systems are being developed to further meet the needs of manufacturing professionals. To find solutions that help a manufacturing company to grow, a person who wants to become a production control manager should know key features, benefits, and setbacks of relevant assets. A good way to do this is to join professional organizations and attend trade shows where suppliers, engineers, and designers present their newest developments.