Managing the daily work functions of production staff is the responsibility of a Production Manager. They assess the quality of the work and the outcomes, in order to make adequate adjustments or develop the required training plans for their staff. They may oversee areas such as retail, shipping, distribution, packaging, production or testing.

They tend to work onsite monitoring the activities of their crew or production staff. Production Managers work closely with other managers in their companies, who keep them informed about market trends or development. Their jobs may include human resources functions such as hiring and firing. They handle budgets and minimize expenditure in their departments.

A Production Manager usually performs many of the following tasks:

• Supervising the production process
• Estimating production costs
• Determining quality standards
• Maintaining equipments
• Supervising product standards
• Enforcing quality-control programs
• Liaising with departments
• Supervising work teams
• Implementing Health and Safety strategies

Expertise in the following areas is an asset:

• Leadership and management
• Communication and presentation
• Time management
• Project management
• Information technology
• Professionalism and punctuality
• Being decisive and committed
• Teamwork and flexibility
• Managing budgets
• Preparing reports
• Multitasking
• Being bilingual
• Working from own initiative
• Being confident and motivational

There are many fields you can study to become a Production Manager. These include:
•    Mechanical Engineering
•    Materials Technology
•    Food Science
•    Business Management
•    Chemistry
•    Logistics
•    Industrial Engineering
•    Process Engineering
•    Industrial Technology

To prepare adequately for management positions some graduates pursue management courses that prepare them to handle the accounting, reporting, budgeting, administrative and strategic management facets to their job. Degrees in Business Management and Administration, Production Management, Industrial Management, Leadership and Supervision are very helpful in this regard. Masters Degrees are always an asset.