Industrial Production Manager
What you need to know
Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.
Industrial production managers split their time between the production area and a nearby office. When they are working in the production area, they may need to wear protective equipment, such as a helmet or safety goggles.
Some of the things industrial production managers might do:
- Decide how best to use a plant’s workers and equipment to meet production goals
- Ensure that production stays on schedule and within budget
- Hire, train, and evaluate workers
- Analyze production data
- Write production reports
- Monitor a plant’s workers and programs to ensure they meet performance and safety requirements
- Streamline the production process
- Determine whether new machines are needed or whether overtime work is necessary
- Fix any production problems
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* Interpersonal skills. Industrial production managers must have excellent communication skills so they can work well other managers and with staff.
* Leadership skills. To keep the production process running smoothly, industrial production managers must motivate and direct the employees they manage.
* Problem-solving skills. Production managers must identify problems immediately and solve them. For example, if a product has a defect, the manager determines whether it is a one-time problem or the result of the production process.
* Time-management skills. To meet production deadlines, managers must carefully manage their employees’ time as well as their own.
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The average pay for industrial production managers in the United States was $116,970 in May 2023 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
An industrial production manager’s pay depends on factors such as level of experience, education and training, geographic location, and specific industry.
About 15,300 new job openings for industrial production managers are projected each year, on average, over the next 10 years in the United States.
Overall employment of industrial production managers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2022 to 2032 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Most of these managers are employed in manufacturing industries, some of which are expected to have declining employment due to greater productivity.
However, because industrial production managers are responsible for coordinating work activities with the goal of increasing productivity, they will continue to be needed in this capacity.
Employers prefer that industrial production managers have at least a bachelor’s degree. While the degree may be in any field, many industrial production managers have a bachelor’s degree in business administration or industrial engineering. Sometimes, production workers with many years of experience take management classes to become production managers. At large plants, where managers have more oversight responsibilities, employers may look for managers who have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a graduate degree in industrial management.
Many industrial production managers begin as production workers and move up through the ranks. They usually advance to a first-line supervisory position before eventually becoming an industrial production manager. Most earn a college degree in business management or take company-sponsored classes to increase their chances of a promotion.
Discover some of the courses you will take pursuing a degree in Industrial Engineering or Management and Leadership.
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