A material planner works for a manufacturer or a manufacturing firm as an employee. His or her primary responsibility is to ensure that all of the materials required by the manufacturer are on hand and available. He or she also collaborates with other manufacturing company employees to plan and manage the manufacturing process as well as inventory control.
One of the departments with which a planner collaborates is the purchasing department or the manufacturer’s buyer. These two employees collaborate to ensure that enough of each of the materials used in the manufacturing of the product are available to meet the manufacturing company’s production schedule and plan.
An undergraduate degree in business administration, engineering, or industrial management is typically required of a planner. When the material planner is first starting out in the industry, he or she may be required to work with all of the employees at the manufacturing plant. This enables the planner to become familiar with each stage of the manufacturing process. Understanding the process gives him or her a complete picture, allowing them to plan and order materials accordingly.
A material planner typically does well in the position when they possess certain characteristics in addition to the educational requirements. Negotiation skills are at the top of the list, so the material planner can get the goods needed to make the product for the best price and in the most effective and efficient way possible.
The material planner must have excellent communication skills because he or she works with and services various departments and people within those departments. The planner should be able to work with a variety of people, each with their own personality and level of education.
A material planner must also be very familiar with computer hardware and software in today’s advanced technological world and what will continue into the future. Employees must rely on computer programs for much of the manufacturing and inventory control processes.
When requesting material orders, monitoring inventory levels, and monitoring product output based on materials that are ordered and sitting in inventory, the planner will need to be able to navigate these programs.