Production Planning Manager

Central Books; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

CBS Hub Pvt. Ltd., a Hyderabad-based educational solutions group, is seeking a Production Planning Manager to translate client demand into machine-wise production schedules and contractor work orders.

You will optimize inventory, coordinate with Sales, Warehouse, Procurement, Manufacturing Contractors, and Logistics to ensure on-time delivery and SLA adherence. The ideal candidate will bridge sales forecasts with shop-floor execution, driving two-year capacity scaling while maintaining strict

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Production, Operations, Supply Chain, or related discipline.
• MBA in Operations/Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage.

Responsibilities

• Prepare annual, monthly, and weekly production plans based on sales forecasts and customer commitments.
• Release weekly production work orders to the manufacturing contractor.
• Maintain real-time inventory of raw materials and finished goods in ERP.
• Plan machine-wise capacity utilization and phase machinery additions.
• Identify new machinery requirements and ensure procurement before season starts.
• Monitor contractor productivity, quality, and delivery standards.
• Drive SOPs and SLAs for production and order execution.
• Coordinate cross-functional information flow between Sales, Warehouse, Procurement and Manufacturing.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Production/Operations

MBA in Operations/Supply Chain Management

Tools

ERP systems (inventory, production, and materials modules)

Job description

Company

CBS Hub Pvt. Ltd., is a Hyderabad-based educational solutions group with over 78 years of experience in serving schools, educators, students, and publishers across India. Central Books specializes in supplying textbooks, reference books, competitive exam books, stationery, and customized school kits to schools affiliated with CBSE, ICSE, IB, IGCSE, and State Boards across Telangana, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, with plans to expand across India. Central Books is a premier publisher and established market leader in manufacturing high-quality, customized educational materials and notebooks. Operating from our state-of-the-art 50,000 SFT Notebook Manufacturing Unit, CBMC is executing a strategic expansion plan to double its production capability from 1,500 tons to 3,000 tons per year over the next two years. Our business model is uniquely dynamic: we provide cutting-edge infrastructure (including advanced 2 Line-O-Matic automated production lines, semi-automatic binding machines, and high-speed cutting, stitching, and perfect binding equipment), while executing physical production through a strategic per-unit labor contract model. Due to the customized nature of our school partnerships, we balance high-volume seasonal output with micro-batch, quick-turnaround custom orders.

Role Objective

As CBS transitions from contractor-led scheduling to a sophisticated, data-driven in-house planning model, we are seeking a highly analytical and process-driven Production Planning Manager (PPM). The Production Planning Manager will be responsible for end-to-end production planning, capacity planning translating client demand into machine-wise production schedules and contractor work orders, inventory optimization, and supply chain coordination to ensure timely production and on-time quality delivery through to last-mile dispatch. The role will work closely with Sales, Warehouse, Procurement, Manufacturing Contractors, and Logistics teams to maximize operational efficiency and support the organization's expansion plans. The ideal candidate will bridge the gap between business sales forecasts and shop-floor execution, ensuring that our ambitious capacity scaling is met seamlessly without compromising our strict delivery service-level agreements (SLAs).

Key Responsibilities

• For Recurring clients, Use known volumes and delivery timelines from existing database as the base for the production plan.
• For New clients, build yearly growth estimates (volume and timelines) collaborating with Sales team/s and factor these into planning with an appropriate buffer before the season.
• Prepare annual, monthly, and weekly production plans based on sales forecasts and customer commitments.
• Release weekly production work orders to the manufacturing contractor.
• Maintain a 48-hour delivery commitment for repeat orders by ensuring pre-ruled raw material with 1015% extra title-printed stock is always ready for immediate supply.
• Identify and recommend new machinery requirements, ensuring procurement is completed before end of September each year to be production-ready for the season.
• Plan machine-wise capacity utilization and phase machinery additions in line with the 2-year growth roadmap.
• Maintain accurate, real-time inventory of raw materials and finished goods within the ERP system, also ensure ERP systems is maintained flawlessly.
• Calculate raw-material-to-finished-goods conversion requirements to support planning accuracy and minimize stock-outs or excess inventory.
• Manage production contractors and monitor adherence to agreed productivity, quality, and delivery standards.
• Review contractor pricing, negotiate seasonal manpower requirements, and improve operational efficiency.
• Develop and implement SOPs and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for production and order execution.
• Establish standardized information flow between Sales, Sales Operations, Warehouse, Procurement, and Manufacturing teams.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
• Monitor and manage the post-production flow: kitting, packaging, and last-mile delivery, including oversight of the team responsible for these functions.
• Analyze daily capacity/throughput of the kitting and dispatch teams and proactively resolve bottlenecks to ensure smooth end-to-end supply chain flow.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Production, Operations, Supply Chain, or related discipline. MBA in Operations/Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage.

Experience

• 812 years of experience in Production Planning, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Printing, Packaging, Paper, FMCG, or Educational Products.
• Experience in production planning using ERP systems is preferred.

Key Skills

• Strong production planning and capacity planning skills, including machine-wise scheduling.
• Knowledge of paper quality parameters (GSM, caliper, bursting/tensile strength, brightness, moisture)
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, and TPM.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems (inventory, production, and materials modules).
• Vendor/contractor negotiation and management skills.
• Strong analytical skills for demand forecasting, inventory calculation, and daily throughput analysis.
• Process orientation ability to design and implement SOPs, SLAs, and cross-functional workflows.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across Sales, Warehouse, and Sales Order teams.
• Ability to work under seasonal pressure (NovApr peak season) and manage tight, non-negotiable delivery timelines.