PRODUCTION MANAGER: MANAGING THE WORKFLOW
LESSON PLAN OVERVIEW
Career: Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. Product design, product development, and managing resources materials, employee training, and setting up an assembly line are all components of this position.
Lesson: This lesson plan introduces students to the Industrial Production Manager career by having students plan the operations of a manufacturing plant including all of the research and necessary steps to execute and deliver the production needs.
Grade Level: High School
Learning Objectives:
〉 Students will explore the role of an Industrial Production Manager and how they strategically plan the operations of a manufacturing plant.
〉 Students will learn how to analyze raw materials, equipment, production time, skilled workforce, and logistics to meet the production needs of the company.
〉 Students will research and create a production plan to increase current production to meet the needs of the growing company.
〉 Students will also gain an insight into the Industrial Production Manager profession, including common job tasks, salary, career pathway, and credentials
perform the job.
Materials
Activity #1: Respond to Request for
〉 Student Worksheet: Respond to Request for
(RFQ) Activity #2: Create a Production Plan
〉 Student Worksheet: Create a Production Plan
〉 Computer for internet research
TEACHER GUIDE
Lesson Instructions: The following lesson plan will help you demonstrate to students common skills and procedures used in an Industrial Production Manager career. Begin each lesson by reading the Class Message below to your students, then have them watch the recommended Video Introduction. Afterwards, facilitate discussion with the Class Questions listed.
After the discussion, students will work on the included activities. Each activity has a printable worksheet with student instructions and areas to record their work. Have students read their worksheets before beginning each activity.
You should also familiarize yourself with the student worksheets to help demonstrate any procedures and facilitate the ending activity discussion.
Class Message: Today we are going to explore some of the responsibilities and duties of an Industrial Production Manager, a career within the Manufacturing industry. An Industrial Production Manager’s job is to develop a plan based on the production schedule, ensure the required resources are available, and manage daily production processes.
Industrial Production Managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and other related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or plastics and paper products.
In this lesson, we will discuss some common Industrial Production Manager tasks, such as understanding how to economically manage resources to include raw materials, equipment, production time, skilled workforce, and logistics to meet the production needs of the company.
Let’s watch this brief video to better understand the Industrial Production Manager career and how Industrial Production Managers affect our everyday lives.
Class Discussion Questions:
〉 Think about everything you use on a daily basis, like your clothes, toys, video games, toothbrush and toothpaste. What kinds of jobs are needed to make those?
〉 If you’ve ever visited or toured an industrial plant, what types of things did you see or experience there?
〉 What types of responsibilities do you think an Industrial Production Manager would handle on a daily basis?
〉 What are some of the problems a Production Manager may encounter on a daily basis that would affect production?
Activities Overview: This lesson plan includes two student activities. Activity #1 demonstrates an understanding of the daily duties of an Industrial Production Manager by having students review and create a response to a Request for Quote (RFQ). Activity #2 challenges students to examine company resources and develop a production plan that will meet the RFQ job
Read and familiarize yourself with the student worksheet for each activity.
Activity #1: Respond to Request for Quote (RFQ)
Students will learn how to analyze raw materials, equipment, production time, workforce, and logistics to respond to an RFQ.
Activity Instructions:
〉 Hand out the activity worksheet.
〉 Facilitate introduction of activity.
〉 After completion, facilitate discussion questions for this activity.
Activity Results: Students will record their findings for this activity where indicated.
〉 How many tanks are made in an hour? 60 (20 tanks per assembly line)
〉 How many tanks are made in a day? 1,440 (60 tanks X 24 hrs.)
〉 How many tanks are made in a week? 10,080 (1,440 X 7 days)
〉 How many more tanks need to be produced per week to meet the customer’s request? 170 (1,000 / 4 = 250 week – 80 (extra tanks made each week) = 170 per week)
〉 How much will you charge the customer for the extra 1,000 tanks? $47,000 (based on information given - per tank fee of $47 per unit)
Activity #2: Create a Production Plan
Activity Instructions:
You may decide to extend this project over several class periods in order to let students work in depth to develop their own solutions to problems. Students may select from the suggested scenarios in the activity, or come up with their own ideas to improve business processes and grow the business
〉 Hand out the activity worksheet
〉 Assign students into groups and make sure they have access to a computer.
〉 After completion, facilitate discussion questions for this activity.
Activity Results: In teams, review the Request for Quote from Activity 1 and create a Production Plan to implement the request to increase production and profitability.
Next, create a presentation for your Production Plan to present to the class to include either a demonstration of a procedure, create a poster display, a PowerPoint presentation, or other form of presentation.
CAREER INSIGHT
Career Highlight: This lesson plan highlights some of the skills an Industrial Production Manager uses on a daily basis to manage the production process. See the Employers in My Area section to contact businesses and organizations in your area about classroom demonstrations, on-site visits, or other additional career exposure opportunities
Featured Career:
Industrial Production Manager
Career Descriptions: 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 typically do the following:
〉 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
Other Names for this Career: General Production Manager, Product Line Manager, Manufacturing Coordinator, Production Control Manager, Area Plant Manager, Plant Senior Manager, Plant Manager, Sub Plant Manager, Manufacturing Manager, Production Manager
EDUCATOR RUBRIC
ACTIVITY #1 WRITTEN RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUOTE
ITEM Does Not Meet Expectations Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Writing with Focus and Organization
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing: contains no or an irrelevant introduction, demonstrates an unclear organizational structure; ideas are hard to follow most of the time and fail to clarify relationships among ideas and concepts.
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing contains a relevant introduction, utilizes adequate organizational strategies to create a mostly unified whole and to aid in comprehension, and clarifies most relationships among ideas and concepts.
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing contains an effective and relevant introduction, utilizes effective organizational strategies to create a unified whole and to aid in comprehension, and effectively clarifies relationships among ideas and concepts to create cohesion. Contains an effective and relevant concluding statement.
Language
Development
The writing illustrates little to no use of precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and literary techniques, illustrates little to no syntactic variety, and utilizes no or few transitional words and phrases. The writer does not establish or maintain a formal style and an objective tone
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing inadequately or inaccurately explains the evidence provided, demonstrating little understanding of the topic, task, and stimuli
The writing illustrates consistent command of syntactic variety for meaning, utilizes appropriate and varied transitional words and phrases, and establishes and maintains a formal style and an objective tone.
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing utilizes relevant and sufficient evidence from the stimuli to adequately develop the topic.
The writing illustrates consistent and sophisticated command of precise language, domain specific vocabulary, illustrates sophisticated command of syntactic variety for meaning and reader interest, effectively establishing and maintaining a formal style and an objective tone.
In response to the task and the stimuli, the writing thoroughly and accurately explains and elaborates on the evidence provided, demonstrating a clear, insightful understanding of the topic, task, and stimuli.
ACTIVITY #2 CREATING A PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
ITEM
Career Connection
Design/Create a Production Schedule
Does Not Meet Expectations
Student is not able to talk about the career of industrial production manager in detail. Student lacks specific examples.
Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Student understands the career and responsibilities of an industrial production manager and can reference specifics about the career.
Student understands the career and responsibilities of an industrial production manager and can reference specifics about the career as well as provide deeper level insight into the varying roles industrial production managers play in their company.
Presenting the Production Plan
Student is unable to create a detailed plan for their production schedule.
Strategic Planning
Student’s presentation lacked preparation and supporting materials.
Student designed and created a clear and detailed presentation of their production schedule.
Students designed and created a clear and detailed production schedule and had creative solutions for addressing possible problems in their production schedule.
Career Connection
Student lacks evidence that strategic planning took place
Student presentation of their production plan was clear. Presentation was of a high quality.
Student has evidence he/she used strategic planning in order to complete the assignment.
Student is not able to talk about the career of industrial production manager in detail. Student lacks specific examples.
Student understands the career and responsibilities of an industrial production manager and can reference specifics about the career.
Student demonstrated originality and creativity in their presentation of their production plan.
Student has evidence he/she used strategic planning in order to complete the assignment. Their strategic plan is organized and thorough.
Student understands the career and responsibilities of an industrial production manager and can reference specifics about the career as well as provide deeper level insight into the varying roles industrial production managers play in their company.
ACTIVITY #1: RESPOND TO REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ)
Introduction: It is the responsibility of the Production Manager to review all request for quotes or proposals for new or increased business from current or potential customers. A Request for Quote (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that outlines what the customer wants. In order to respond to the request, the Production Manager must prepare a reply to the request and outline what the company can provide and a dollar amount to complete the request.
The Production Manager must determine what cost factors the company would incur in materials required and storage if needed, production time, employee time, and delivery expenses. In some cases, taking on the new business might negatively affect the current delivery schedule for existing orders and customers.
Activity Description: You are an Industrial Production Manager for a company that manufactures plastic gas tanks for several automotive manufacturers. One of your current customers wants to increase their gas tank order for a period of time. Review the Request for Quote and your current production schedule and then prepare a response to the customer.
ABC International Auto
〉 500 S. Boston Street
〉 Dallas, TX 75001
〉 469-555-1010
Request for Quote
Please provide us with a written quote to produce 1,000 more tanks in the month of October.
Your Plant’s Information
Manufacture automobile gas tanks using High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) using blow molding process
Hours of Operation:
52 weeks per year
24 hours per day
Three 8-hour shifts:
〉 1st 8A-4P 〉 2nd 4P-12A
3rd 12A-8A
Price Per Tank: $47
Assembly Lines:
4 assembly lines with 3 currently running full-time.
Production:
20 containers per hour per line.
Employees:
12 employees per shift; 4 employees on each line
Current Demand: 10,000 tanks per week
Activity Procedure: Review the RFQ and analyze the production information given and determine whether or not the company has the resources to meet the requirements of the RFQ. Create a response to the customer with your decision.
When you write your response to the RFQ, you may want to briefly explain your company’s history and experience handling these types of orders and then describe your production capabilities. It’s also typical to mention if your company is able to handle order changes and special requests in areas like special materials, custom finishes, delivery options, etc.
Begin your response by calculating your company’s production capabilities and then write your response to the RFQ below:
How many tanks are made in an hour?
How many tanks are made in a day?
How many tanks are made in a week?
How many more tanks need to be produced per week to meet the customer’s request?
How much will you charge the customer for the extra 1,000 tanks?
Write your response to the RFQ here:
Activity Discussion:
〉 As a Production Manager, what other factors might need to be considered when adding to the workload?
〉 In determining the unit price of each gas tank, what factors do you need to consider?
〉 If you were a Production Manager, how would you find the necessary information to respond to an RFQ?
ACTIVITY #2: CREATE A PRODUCTION PLAN
Introduction: Today, we are going to analyze the data from Activity #1. Your customer, ABC International Auto has accepted your quote. You now need to determine how you are going to add the extra 1,000 gas tanks to your existing production schedule.
Activity Description: You are an Industrial Production Manager for a company that manufactures plastic gas tanks for several automotive manufacturers. Using your response to Activity #1, create a Production Plan to increase production to meet the needs of your customer.
Activity Procedure: In teams, compare your results from Activity #1 and then analyze the information to determine how to best increase your productivity to meet the needs of your customer, while still being profitable.
ANALYZE AND DISCUSS DATA TO DETERMINE NEEDS
Separate into groups and complete the following tasks:
〉 List out the resources you need to complete the customer’s request.
〉 Identify any issues or problems that might interfere with modifying the production schedule, i.e., production line capacity, overtime, etc.
Discuss these issues in your group and assign a team member to take notes below:
RESEARCH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRODUCTION PLANNING
Next, to learn more about production planning and factors that may affect an increase in production, search for information on the internet.
Here are some links to get you started:
〉 Operational Efficiency
〉 Production Planning
Consider these questions:
〉 What resources are required to increase production?
〉 What costs will the company incur with the increase in production?
Discuss what you found in your group and assign a team member to take notes below:
CREATE A PRODUCTION PLAN TO MEET THE RFQ REQUIREMENTS
Using the response to the RFQ from Activity #1 and your group discussion and research, develop a production plan to increase production to meet the requirements of the RFQ.
Create a presentation of your Production Plan to present to the class Include a description of how your group developed your plan. Th e presentation could include a graphic showing the main elements of the plan or a PowerPoint presentation of your plan.
Select a team member to document your Production Plan below:
Select a team member to present your solutions to the class.
Activity Results: In this activity, students created a solution to a problem using Strategic Planning.
In this process, they:
〉 identified the problem
〉 explored the elements of the problem
〉 created ideas to solve the problem
〉 tested the solution by presenting the plan to others
Activity Discussion:
〉 What was your recommended solution to producing the extra 1,000 tanks in the month of October?
〉 During your research and analysis, which resources were affected by the increase in production?
〉 Bases on your analysis of the resources required, do you think you should have charged a different price per tank? If so, why?
