Production and planning clerks keep the flow of work and materials running smoothly.
You've set your wedding date and have the officiant, caterer, ceremony site, and reception hall booked. Now come the smaller but no less important details: cake, photography, and of course, the invitations. You're inviting 100 guests and know you want ivory linen paper with crimson ribbon, and red-lined envelopes. You find the right vendor and once you settle on your wording, place your order. A few weeks later, a box arrives with your invitations and you're ready to begin stuffing envelopes!
Often, it's just as easy as that. But what's happening on the flip side? The invitation company has countless other orders that demand very different preferences, such as lilac vellum paper with ivory-lined envelopes and postcards instead of reply envelopes, and enough for 500 guests. Someone has to make sure that the orders are processed on time and correctly, and is aware of all the options that the company orders. This is the work of production and planning clerks.
The duties of production and planning clerks are mainly clerical. They review and deliver production schedules and work orders. They confer with department supervisors to determine the progress of work. They monitor work progress to be sure that the stages of production are completed on time. Clerks also compile reports on the progress of work and any problems that may have slowed down production.
Depending on the work setting, production and planning clerks may have a variety of other tasks. They may schedule workers or estimate production costs, such as for labor or materials. They may route or deliver parts to departments so that workers have the materials to meet quotas. Some clerks may keep track of the inventory in departments. They may schedule the shipment of parts so that materials are available. They may also talk to vendors to make sure that materials are shipped on time.