Production Planner: Capacity & Schedule Strategist

Crane Company; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Crane Company in Los Angeles seeks a skilled Production Planner to develop and maintain production schedules, align materials, labor, and equipment with customer orders, and drive continuous improvements. You will forecast demand, manage inventory with the Materials Manager, and lead capacity planning efforts to ensure on-time delivery.

Strong ERP/MRP experience and Lean knowledge are valued. You will collaborate across teams, lead daily/weekly meetings, and monitor KPI performance while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, or a technical field.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in production planning or related role.
• Strong knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (QAD preferred).
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication and cross-functional collaboration abilities.
• Experience with capacity planning, scheduling, and KPI tracking.
• Certifications such as CPIM, CSCP, or Six Sigma Green Belt are a plus.
• Proficient in ERP systems and Microsoft Office suite software (Word, Excel, Access, MS Project).

Responsibilities

• Scheduling production: develop and maintain production schedules to meet customer orders and deadlines.
• Level loading: ensure raw materials, labor, work orders and equipment are available when needed.
• Participation in WD3 planning for material, risk, pull-in opportunities.
• Forecasting demand with Product Managers using sales data and trends for capacity planning.
• Inventory management: balance stock levels with Materials Manager to avoid shortages or overproduction.
• Continuous improvement: identify bottlenecks and propose process improvements.
• Plan daily, weekly and monthly schedules by cell using capacity models.
• Provide recovery dates and escalate undercapacity constraints.
• Monitor material availability and coordinate with procurement to avoid delays.
• Track production progress and communicate status to cross-functional teams.
• Maintain records of production activities, KPIs/TTIs, inventory and resource usage.
• Collaborate with quality control to ensure products meet standards.
• Efficiently plan cells to minimize changeovers (PQPR).
• Lead production meetings and review shortage reports to meet plans.
• Distinguish between due date and required date orders for accurate fulfillment.
• Ensure ETDR processes are incorporated with backflushing.

Skills

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Scheduling

Lean manufacturing

Kanban

Capacity planning

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Supply Chain, or a technical field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems (QAD preferred)

Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Access, MS Project)

Job description

Crane Company in Los Angeles seeks a skilled Production Planner to develop and maintain production schedules, align materials, labor, and equipment with customer orders, and drive continuous improvements. You will forecast demand, manage inventory with the Materials Manager, and lead capacity planning efforts to ensure on-time delivery.

Strong ERP/MRP experience and Lean knowledge are valued. You will collaborate across teams, lead daily/weekly meetings, and monitor KPI performance while