What Does A Factory Manager Do?

WHAT DOES A FACTORY MANAGER DO?

Updated: Jun 12, 2025 - The Factory Manager oversees the coordination and development of food manufacturing and engineering teams to align production, engineering, quality, and supply chain efforts with corporate strategic objectives, ensuring cohesive operational progress. This position manages factory operations, including budgeting and cost control, while implementing continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, quality, and safety standards. This role delivers regular updates and comprehensive reports on factory performance, operational budgets, and productivity to management, supporting strategic decision-making and adherence to established OKRs.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Factory Manager

1. Factory Manager Duties

Staff Management: Management across the whole site comprising 26+ staff and 4 senior managers
Workload Management: Allocating, organising, and managing workloads
KPI Management: Managing KPIs such as waste, with weekly reporting to the MD
Production Coordination: Working with the Production Manager to ensure production is kept running and any maintenance issues are dealt with
Health and Safety Oversight: Taking responsibility for Health and Safety matters
HR Management: Managing HR issues covering recruitment, disciplinaries, appraisals, training, and more
Project Management: Improvement/growth projects (including the procurement of capital equipment)
Logistics Coordination: Liaising with the warehouse facility to ensure products are shipped out the door
Strategic Planning: Playing a key part in strategy planning with regards to the growth of the company
Process Improvement: Creating and maintaining best practice processes
Team Leadership: Overseeing the factory and keeping staff motivated and exceeding customer expectations

2. Factory Manager Details

Plant Operations Management: Lead and direct day-to-day Plant operations in accordance with company policies and procedures
Business and Quality Assurance: Assure achievement of business objectives and product schedules while ensuring product standards and quality
Manufacturing and Maintenance Management: Plan, organize, and direct the manufacturing and maintenance operations in such a manner as to ensure the most effective return on assets
Cost Reduction Planning: Initiate plans and processes that minimize manufacturing costs through cost-effective utilization of manpower, equipment, facilities, materials, and capital
Process Improvement: Promote, develop, and implement systems to improve manufacturing technology and plan processes that increase productivity
Warehouse and Logistics Management: Ensure that all warehouse and logistics are well managed
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with all legal and statutory requirements
License Management: Responsible for the renewal of all Plant and factory-related licenses
Team Development: Develop and strengthen the Production, Warehouse, Logistic, QSHE, and other related teams and members in terms of production knowledge, operational know-how, communication, and motivation
Regulatory Liaison: Liaise with regulatory agencies to have up-to-date information in Production and QSHE regulation

3. Factory Manager Responsibilities

KPI Optimization: Optimize the Key Performance Indicators of the local BU to achieve the results defined by the Group
Marketing and Sales Strategy: Define and execute the Marketing and Sales strategies for products and services in allocated countries, with the objective of achieving the order volumes established by the Group
Recruitment and Talent Development: Supervise and approve the recruitment, selection, and development process of employees
Human Resource Development: Develop human talent required to obtain factory results
Engineering and Technology Implementation: Supervise and implement through the engineering department the technologies defined by the group to manufacture and develop products and services
Logistics Management: Control and optimize through the Logistics Department the optimization of the required supply of raw materials, products, and accessories for the manufacturing of products (planning, supply, management, purchasing, order handling, foreign trade)
Production Efficiency: Achieve through the production area, the productivity and efficiency levels in the manufacturing of products in the factory
Customer Support and Market Share Growth: Guarantee the correct support to the different customers in relation to the supply of equipment and services, with the aim to increase the Market Share of Hitachi in this market
Cross-Unit Support: Support other local business units within the organization, with the objective of generating added value for the Company
Employee Development: Improve the personal and professional level of workers

4. Factory Manager Job Summary

Collaboration: Collaborate with the company owners and other members of the management team
Team Leadership: Responsible for all departments and come with strong team leadership experience
Production Target Achievement: The achievement of daily production targets whilst continually striving for greater efficiency
Leadership and Development: Proactive Leadership, Development and Motivation, improving competency, teamwork, and empowerment skills of individuals through training and coaching
Compliance Management: Compliance with Food Safety, Health and Safety, and Environmental Law and Policy
Stock Control: Stock control of raw materials, ingredients, and packaging
Machinery Management: Food manufacturing machinery management in conjunction with the Production team
HACCP and ISO Compliance: Ensure operational implementation of all HACCP and ISO 22000 procedures and that they are properly implemented, monitored, and recorded (critical points in the production line)
Raw Material Inspection: Continuing to confirm the examination of the received raw materials, and to ensure conformity with the specifications
Equipment and Capacity Management: Conducting inspection visits to ensure that equipment and devices are constantly supervised to work on raising the production capacity of the factory, and to develop advanced plans to increase production in accordance with quality standards
Shift Scheduling: Review shift schedules and assign employees to cover work needs
Cost and Waste Monitoring: Monitoring the cost of production and the percentage of waste (waste) and providing periodic analysis to senior management
Cleanliness and Safety Oversight: Carry out inspection visits to ensure that the production area is left clean, tidy, and safe at the end of each working day

5. Factory Manager Accountabilities

Production Planning: Planning production meetings, worker schedules, production activities, machine maintenance plans, and maintaining product quality and budgets
Production Management: Planning, formulating, organizing, controlling, and directing production activities
Safety Oversight: Observing the effective maintenance of safety rules and standards in the division by the workers of various functions/departments
Resource Management: Managing timelines and work priorities and allocating resources to meet the assigned production timelines and goals
Quality Assurance: Ensuring that the product effectively satisfies the quality level planned by the product management team/management
Program and Policy Implementation: Ensuring the effective adoption of new programs and policies and providing training in order to meet improved requirements to satisfy market needs
Strategic Plan Execution: Executing production manufacturing strategic plan and aligning it with general plant strategy
Quality Standards Supervision: Supervising quality standards and enforcing quality-assurance programs
Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring the legal and statutory requirements (FSSAI, weight under measurement act, etc.)
Hygiene Management: Maintaining hygienic practices for the entire factory
Policy and Procedure Enforcement: Ensuring policies and procedures are followed
Food Safety Certification: Ensuring food safety certification
Training Implementation: Implementing the training activities
Statutory Requirement Compliance: Ensuring statutory requirements are met
Cross-Department Collaboration: Working with various departments to fulfill the need of markets and exports on matters concerning the product, from release to final shipment/dispatch

6. Factory Manager Functions

Stock Management: Ensure that the level of safety stock is periodically met for all products according to the approved policies and procedures in this field
Production Capacity Management: Ensuring the application of the production capacity that meets the strategic plans and the short- and long-term plans related to production and production safety
Waste Reduction and Cost Optimization: Work periodically to raise the culture of waste reduction during production processes and strive to reduce costs as much as possible and optimize the use of available resources
Machine Operations Supervision: The inspection visit and supervision of the operations of the production machines and to ensure the implementation of the operational plans of the machines with the best practices
Safety Procedure Monitoring: Follow up on the implementation of safety procedures and standards and avoid any breach of the conditions that may cause any violations related to factories
Budget Management: Follow up on the factory's annual budget and ensure compliance with the company's strategies and policies
Production Monitoring: Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly plans for production in line with budgeting and strategic objectives
Resource Utilization: Follow up on the effective use of manpower, equipment, facilities, and materials, in order to achieve the planned return
Occupational Safety and Health: Emphasis on the application and development of occupational safety and health procedures, securing requirements, and approving rescue, evacuation, and first-aid plans in cooperation with the Quality, Safety, and Occupational Health Department
Production Planning and Inventory Management: Effective production planning, inventory management, and innovative development of systems and processes using all available technologies
Production Strategy Implementation: Planning and supervising the implementation of strategies to increase production quantities while controlling cost and quality within the assigned area
Project Operations Monitoring: Follow up the operational plans for all new projects in the factory
Production Line Rehabilitation: Ensure the supervision of the rehabilitation of the production line, and ensure the stability of the specifications of the finished product

7. Factory Manager Job Description

Production Management: Managing the smooth running of the production department, ensuring products are manufactured efficiently and meet the company's high standards in quality
Team Development: Develop the manufacturing team (50-70) structure and employees to continuously improve the business
Process Improvement: Inspiring manufacturing teams to challenge existing processes and implementing solutions that enhance the overall effectiveness of the production systems/processes
Communication Management: Maintaining effective communication with other business areas to ensure smooth running in all areas of manufacturing operations
ERP/MRP Systems Implementation: Supporting and implementing ERP or MRP systems and harnessing it to aid traceability, predictions, and workflow management
Resource Availability Management: Ensuring that all equipment, materials, and supplies are readily and continuously available to carry out production processes
Supplier Coordination: Speaking with suppliers to ensure deliveries arrive on time and to order
KPI Reporting: KPI and efficiency reporting
Continuous Improvement: Responsible for driving continuous and significant improvements in the areas of safety, quality, delivery, cost, and working capital
Financial Performance Management: Achieve required financial performance – understand, set, meet, and exceed yearly sales goals and budgets, profit/margins, inventory turns, product needs, and production challenges
Cost Control: Manage and control costs – materials and inventory costs, labor/OT costs, supplies, etc.
Maintenance Coordination: Assumes leadership role in identifying and coordinating maintenance activity on plant and equipment, identification of plant needs for safety/security, and any risk mitigation needs
Quality Control: Ensures all equipment, materials, tools, and processes used are of the highest quality and all production standards are followed
Safety and Environmental Compliance: Responsible for safety and environmental compliance of the facility and surrounding grounds

8. Factory Manager Overview

Team Leadership: Lead food manufacturing production and engineering team
Cross-Department Collaboration: Be the point of contact for factory-related matters and lead the collaboration between production, engineering, quality, and supply chain functions to ensure all members work towards the same goals and directions
Factory Operations Management: Lead and develop the factory operations in accordance with corporate business strategy to achieve short and long-term financial and operations objectives
Strategic Planning: Accountable for the performance of the factory operations, develop strategy plan for the production together with collaboration with Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering department
Performance Reporting: Ensure the Management are kept updated and informed of the factory operations performance through constant updates and management reports
Budget Management: Accountable for the overall factory operational budget and costing with direct significant impact on the company’s financial status
Problem Resolution and Coordination: Liaise and work closely with relevant departments to resolve outstanding problems and establish better coordination to work effectively
OKR Achievement: Establish and work towards the achievement of OKRs set by the Management
Business Performance Support: Provide advice and information to the Management to facilitate business performance review, evaluation, and budgeting
Forecasting and Reporting: Prompt submission of forecasting, budgeting, and OKR reports for the Management’s reviews
Production Oversight: Lead overall production activities to ensure daily productivity outputs are met in a timely manner through effective use of manpower, material, machine, method, and ensure a safe environment in the factory
Manufacturing System Planning: Plan and implement the highest standard of manufacturing system
Continuous Improvement: Lead continuous improvement projects to increase productivity, quality, and reduce cycle time and cost
SOP Compliance: Lead factory operations through SOP compliance, establish production SOPs together with the Quality Department

9. Factory Manager Details and Accountabilities

Maintenance Management: Lead and ensure factory facility and production equipment are well maintained
Machinery Optimization: Lead the optimization of machinery and strategize contingency plans in order to meet productivity target
Technology Implementation: Lead the effective implementation and use of the appropriate technology/automation in all sections of the food processing to enhance quality and improve productivity
Quality Management: Dotted manage the Quality Department to ensure the enforcement of food quality and food security, ensure absolute food safety and hygiene levels above industry standards
Production Quality Control: Ensure the production output is met without compromising the quality of the product
Customer Complaint Resolution: Support and work closely with Quality Department by investigating the root cause of the customer complaint, thus propose appropriate resolution
SOP Testing and Endorsement: Constantly update each other when there is a change of production planning and work processes so to ensure each SOPs are being tested and endorsed
Supplier Quality Management: Dotted manage the Supplier Quality Department to ensure the enforcement of raw material quality from suppliers, ensure absolute food safety and hygiene levels
Raw Material Quality Control: Flag out the quality of raw material to Quality Department for further investigation with suppliers
Warehouse and Material Planning: Dotted manage the factory warehouse and material planning activities to ensure the resources are used effectively and the daily work schedules and targets are met
Supply Chain Collaboration: Work closely with Supply Chain Department to ensure sufficient raw materials supply to production as per work order
Raw Material Storage Management: Constantly update each other when there is a change of production planning to ensure the raw material is being stored and managed properly
Safety Committee Leadership: Assume the role as Management Representative for the Factory Safety Committee Team
HSE Compliance: Ensure HSE compliance, ensure all works carried out is in compliance with regulatory requirements

10. Factory Manager Tasks

Team Leadership: Build and provide leadership to a growing team, and establish business processes to get this brand new facility up and running and established for long-term rapid growth
Standards Compliance: Ensure site standards are upheld, including Health and Safety
Factory Representation: Represent and champion Factory activities within tails
Cost Management: Use experience to manage and improve Factory COGS
Product Design and Programming: Perform product design, prepare production drawing and CNC programming works
Production Operations Management: Organize the day-to-day production operations and all related production administration of the Department
Production Line Organization: Organize the machine & assembly production lines and team activities to achieve optimum output yield, on-time delivery and meeting the quality required
Production Scheduling: Schedule and plan all the production orders including doors, locks and other products to meet the project delivery schedule stipulated by the Projects and Sales Dept
Resource Planning: Plan, forecast, optimize and organize various resources such as materials, tools, equipment, and manpower to work within the approved budget for each order for the Department
Quality Control: Maintain quality assurance processes from in-process till finished product quality control
Process Improvement: Constantly review and make improvements to the process flows and operational procedures, line layout and configuration, and material flow system to achieve maximum efficiency
Total Quality System Management: Oversee and manage the Total Quality System to ensure that production is complying with the company quality standard

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