Planning, production, and expediting clerks work together, facilitate, and coordinate the flow of work, information, and materials among offices. They perform the tasks as per their production, shipment, and work schedule that is set up by the supervisor. The supervisor determines completion dates and work progress.
Job Prospect
The job of production, planning, and expediting clerks is to compile reports on production problems and work progress. They estimate costs, set up work schedules, examine and assemble materials, schedule the shipment of parts, write orders for merchandise and services, and keep and record of materials. Additionally, they may move and deliver parts to make sure that production allocations are met. They also ensure that the products are delivered on the prescribed date and time.
The work of planning and production clerks is to compile reports and records on many aspects of production like parts used, materials, frequency of defects, products produced, instrument readings, and machine readings. These clerks prepare production guides and work tickets and allocate them to other workers. Planning and production clerks schedule, coordinate, chart, and monitor production and production progress electronically or manually.
Planning and production clerks collect information from customers' specifications and orders and use the information to create comprehensive production sheet. This production sheet acts as a guide in manufacturing and assembling the product.
The job of expediting clerks is to contact shippers and vendors to make sure that supplies, equipments, and merchandise are sent on the prescribed shipping dates. They have to be in contact with transportation companies to avoid delays in shipment. Expediting clerks have to arrange for the allocation of materials upon their arrival.
These clerks may visit work places of shippers and vendors to examine the status of orders. Expediting clerks places materials and allocate them to specific production regions. They may examine products for quantity and quality to make sure they are met to the specifications. These clerks have to keep a sequential list of due dates. They may make a slight change in the production schedule to execute the tasks on the time.
Work Environment
Planning, production, and expediting clerks work in clean and spacious offices. They spend ample amount of time on phone and computer. These clerks work with supervisors and approve work and production schedules. Generally, they work five days a week from Monday through Friday.
Educational Qualification
Candidates who have completed a high school diploma are able to become planning, production, and expediting clerks. Many jobs in this field require candidates to have computer knowledge. However, candidates who have completed courses in business and have ample experience in related field are preferred. Expediting, planning, and production clerks learn how to mark and count stock and keep record.
Planning, production, and expediting clerks ought to know how their establishment operates. They should know company's priorities before starting to prepare work and production schedules. These professional must be aware of business equipment, electronic office, and computers. These clerks have to carry out following responsibilities.
Responsibilities
A candidate who wishes to enter this field must have good communication skills as they have to interact with many people. Recordkeeping, filing, typing, and other clerical skills are important. Good eyesight, stamina, strength and capability to work at repetitive tasks, at times, under stress are other distinctive features that employers seek for in prospective employees. Advancement opportunities for planning, expediting, and production clerks differ with nature of work and place of employment. An additional qualification is helpful.
Employment
Clerks engaged in planning, production, and expediting activities perform work in every realm of the economy, supervising inventory control. They assure that deadlines and schedules are met. Planning, expediting, and production clerks held approximately 2, 93,000 jobs in 2006. These clerks are working in manufacturing, retail, and wholesale trade establishment. Some of them are working in telecommunications companies and advertising firms.