Lean manufacturing is the process of making businesses more efficient and effective by getting employees to work smarter. This process includes keeping workplaces orderly, maximizing the quality in which products are built, eliminating unnecessary inventory, and simplifying, according to LeanTransformation.com. The ultimate goal of lean manufacturing is to increase worker productivity and also increase worker happiness by reducing the amount of work that employees have to do. Businesses hire lean managers to oversee the lean transformation process.

Manufacturing Makeover

Industrial production managers often implement systems such as lean management. The lean manager examines the everyday processes of a given company. He then provides employees with consultation and training, implementing certain principles. This is done through brainstorming with upper management. The lean manager then makes sure that the employees follow the lean system, and he continues to educate employees whenever necessary.

Office and Factory

Time is divided between the office and production facility. Lean managers must spend time planning ways to effectively implement principles of lean manufacturing and also must spend time brainstorming with other managers. However, crucial time is also spent within the industrial production facility, where the lean manager observes industrial processes and also provides training. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a third of industrial production managers work 50 hours or more per week.

Manufacturing Experience

Most lean managers need experience in manufacturing. Companies that use management processes such as lean management will also likely use systems such as Six Sigma, Just-in-Time, Demand Flow and Visual Management. So, those managers who have previous experience successfully implementing these systems will be the most likely to be hired. Communication skills and presentation skills are also important when the lean manager is training and mentoring employees.

Declining Production

According to the BLS, the need for industrial production managers is expected to decline by 2 percent through 2022. This decline is driven by the overall decline in the manufacturing industry due to outsourcing and international competition. However, the need for industrial production managers will not decline as much because managerial skills are not easy to automate.

Earnings

The median annual salary for industrial production managers in 2020 was $108,790, according to the BLS. The highest 10 percent earned more than $181,220, while the lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,100. The highest paid industrial production managers were in the chemical industry.

Industrial Production Managers salary

• Top 10% Annual Salary: More than $181,220 ($87.13/hour)
• Median Annual Salary: $108,790 ($52.30/hour)
• Bottom 10% Annual Salary: Less than $67,100 ($32.26/hour)