Production Planner—Orchestrating Factory Operations
Table of Contents
The Master Scheduler: Production Planner
Production planners schedule what gets made, when, and how much. They earn ₹32,000-50,000/month as entry-level planners, advancing to ₹60,000-1,00,000+/month in senior roles.
What Production Planners Do
Daily Responsibilities:
- Monitor production schedules (are we on track?)
- Adjust plans based on real-time changes (customer rush orders, equipment breakdowns)
- Communicate with production teams
- Coordinate material availability
- Balance competing priorities
- Report on production metrics
Strategic Responsibilities:
- Forecast production demand
- Plan capacity (can we meet demand?)
- Identify bottlenecks
- Optimize production flow
- Minimize inventory
Maximize efficiency
Technical Skills
- Production planning software (SAP PP, Kinaxis, etc.)
- Demand forecasting
- Capacity planning
- MRP (Material Requirements Planning) concepts
- Inventory optimization
- Excel and data analysis
- Supply chain coordination
Salary Expectations
Production Planner:
₹32,000 – ₹50,000/month
Senior Planner / Planning Supervisor:
₹50,000 – ₹75,000/month
Production Planning Manager:
₹75,000 – ₹1,20,000+/month
Entry Requirements
- Any degree (engineering, commerce, IT)
- Production planning software knowledge (ERP systems)
- Analytical mindset
- Understanding of manufacturing processes
- Can learn on-the-job with training