Manager, Production Planning & Service

CMI, Inc. - designs, manufactures, and sells breath alcohol analysis equipment marketed worldwide for law enforcement and other industries.

The Manager, Production Planning & Service is responsible for leading production planning, manufacturing operations, product service, inventory management, and document control to ensure the efficient delivery of high-quality products and services that meet customer expectations. This position oversees production and service supervisors while driving operational excellence through effective planning, resource management, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.

Working closely with the President and leaders in Engineering, Purchasing, Quality, Finance, and Customer Service, this role develops and executes strategies that optimize production capacity, improve inventory performance, reduce costs, enhance profitability, and maintain exceptional customer satisfaction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Production Planning & Operations

• Develop, maintain, and execute production schedules based on customer demand, material availability, labor capacity, equipment utilization, and delivery commitments.
• Balance production workloads and allocate personnel, equipment, and resources to maximize efficiency.
• Monitor production performance, identify constraints, and implement corrective actions to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.
• Coordinate manufacturing priorities with Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and Customer Service.
• Evaluate production capacity and recommend staffing, equipment, or process improvements.
• Drive operational efficiency through Lean manufacturing, waste reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure production metrics are tracked, analyzed, and communicated to leadership.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop production and service supervisors.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold teams accountable for results.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, employee development, succession planning, and performance management.
• Foster a culture of teamwork, accountability, communication, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure employees have the tools, training, and resources necessary for success.

Materials, Inventory & Purchasing

• Partner with Purchasing to establish material requirements, supplier priorities, and inventory strategies.
• Maintain inventory levels that support customer demand while minimizing excess inventory and carrying costs.
• Monitor inventory accuracy and coordinate cycle counting and inventory control activities.
• Resolve shortages, substitutions, supplier issues, and material discrepancies.
• Utilize ERP/MRP systems to manage inventory, production orders, and material transactions.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Engineering and Quality to ensure products meet company and customer quality standards.
• Verify Bills of Material (BOMs), work instructions, specifications, and controlled documents are accurate and production-ready.
• Lead investigations into quality concerns and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Support new product introductions, engineering changes, and manufacturing process improvements.
• Promote Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement throughout operations.

Service Operations

• Oversee product repair and service operations to ensure timely turnaround and customer satisfaction.
• Balance service workloads and prioritize customer requirements.
• Monitor service quality and identify recurring product issues for Engineering and Production review.
• Ensure service documentation and repair records remain accurate and complete.

Financial & Operational Performance

• Develop departmental budgets, labor plans, and capital equipment recommendations.
• Monitor operational KPIs including productivity, labor efficiency, inventory performance, on-time delivery, quality, and cost.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through process improvements and cost reduction initiatives.
• Prepare operational reports and recommendations for executive leadership.
• Support long-range capacity planning and business growth initiatives.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Promote and maintain a safe working environment.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, company policies, and applicable regulations.
• Conduct routine safety observations and address workplace hazards promptly.
• Encourage employee participation in safety and continuous improvement initiatives.

Document Control

• Lead the company’s document control process for engineering drawings, specifications, work instructions, procedures, and quality documents.
• Ensure document revisions are properly reviewed, approved, distributed, and archived.
• Maintain compliance with document control procedures and support internal and external audits.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises Production Supervisors, Service Supervisors, Document Control personnel, and other assigned operational staff. Responsible for employee coaching, performance evaluations, hiring recommendations, training, discipline, scheduling, and overall departmental performance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance may be measured by:

• On-time delivery
• Production schedule attainment
• Inventory accuracy
• Labor efficiency
• Productivity
• Customer service turnaround time
• Scrap and rework reduction
• Quality performance
• Safety performance
• Cost reduction initiatives
• Employee engagement and retention
• Continuous improvement achievements