WHAT DOES A PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR DO?

Published: Dec 15, 2025 - The Production Supervisor manages shop-floor activities to ensure smooth production flow, consistent quality, and adherence to safety standards. This role leads and motivates production staff, schedules work assignments, and tracks performance to achieve operational goals. The supervisor also works closely with cross-functional teams to improve efficiency, control costs, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Production Supervisor

1. Production Supervisor Duties

  • Team Management: Manage craftsmen and coordinate daily work activities of the workshop
  • Policy Communication: Communicate and enforce company rules and policies
  • Productivity Tracking: Track productivity goals for the department and continuously motivate the team to meet assigned objectives
  • Staff Development: Develop and motivate staff through goal setting
  • Meeting Facilitation: Conduct individual and/or department meetings
  • Training Assessment: Identify individual and team training needs, including the development of new hires and continual training for associates
  • Daily Briefing: Conduct daily briefs with the team to communicate KPIs, announcements, and other necessary information
  • Performance Review: Perform annual reviews for team members
  • Capacity Management: Ensure service rate is above the target of 80% (under 14 days turnover) by managing capacity and performance
  • Quality Control: Achieve the quality goal of 95% good repairs at first inspection and less than 0.5% store returns after repair (warranty repairs to be managed with customer service)
  • Resource Planning: Manage weekly capacity (available hours based on vacation/people skills) and assess material/equipment needs

2. Production Supervisor Details

  • Flow Monitoring: Monitor production flows to identify obstacles or technical problems
  • Layout Optimization: Propose and implement an optimal layout for visible flows
  • Product Mix: Define product mix to ensure service rate over 80%
  • Rush Management: Manage rush repairs with customer service to ensure same-day or 2-day shipment
  • Time Benchmarking: Partner with the Central technical team to challenge the standard times of best sellers
  • Spec Compliance: Ensure that LV repair/production specifications are applied, working closely with the Central technical team
  • Machine Safety: Ensure all machines are safe to operate
  • Machine Maintenance: Manage the maintenance of the machine with the workshop mechanic
  • Process Oversight: Manage the monthly shredding process with San Dimas and the Supply Chain Manager
  • Material Procurement: Procure materials/tools for the workshop
  • KPI Reporting: Provide daily, weekly, and monthly KPIs to the team and management on workshop performance and main highlights

3. Production Supervisor Responsibilities

  • Area Operations: Execute routine operations of the assigned area, ensuring direct reports are following policies and procedures related to employee, food and feed safety and environmental compliance
  • Outcome Monitoring: Monitor production outcomes, quantity, and quality to ensure customer and food safety requirements are within specifications
  • Supervisor Partnership: Partner with production supervisors to meet customer specifications and timeline
  • Budget Administration: Administer production budget for a department, process, or shift and execute purchase orders and ensure timely payment of invoices
  • Operational Planning: Develop operational plans and monitor routine operations for all production processes for multiple departments, processes and shifts
  • Staff Coaching: Develop, supervise and provide coaching to direct reports including coaching the company's core values and guiding principles for assigned facilities or region
  • Personnel Management: Responsible for personnel decisions related to hiring, performance and disciplinary actions for direct reports
  • Production Scheduling: Scheduling the daily production based on demand to ensure production needs are met
  • Crew Management: Maintain established crew levels through recruitment, scheduling and assignment of hourly stakeholders
  • Safety Promotion: Promote a culture of people safety and food safety by championing best practices in these areas and ensuring accountability and adherence to company programs
  • Employee Motivation: Train and motivate employees to drive maximum efficiency, productivity, food safety and quality, and engagement
  • Line Operation: Directly operate or supervise the operation of the whole production line
  • Shift Leadership: Lead all staff in the shift, including contract workers
  • Safety Monitoring: Monitor and maintain proper safety requirements during the change to ensure the safety of the staff
  • Quality Assurance: Monitor and maintain the quality to ensure the products meet the required standards
  • Safety Training: Provide training to the staff on relevant environmental health and safety requirements
  • Regulation Compliance: Ensure that all staff are trained in accordance with regulations

4. Production Supervisor Accountabilities

  • Startup Support: Lead and provide support to the start-up, including run-off, PPAP runs, and eventual production
  • Team Leadership: Provide leadership direction to technicians, operators and engineers
  • Hiring Support: Support the hiring of new employees (operators, technicians, etc.)
  • Process Setup: Lead and provide support to the setup of new processes/equipment, documentation, and employees for the new Aguascalientes manufacturing site
  • CI Implementation: Lead and provide support to the implementation of the Continuous Improvement Framework Building Blocks
  • Daily Management: Conduct a Daily Visual Management stand-up meeting with all department personnel in the area of responsibility, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, cost/productivity, and inventory
  • ELSS Application: Utilize ELSS methodologies to reduce operational costs, inventory and lead-times as well as ensure alignment with long-term manufacturing strategies
  • Production Planning: Develop and establish manufacturing priorities based on the production schedule, to create the production plan to meet customer deadlines
  • Control Compliance: Assure the accomplishment of the control plans at the production line under supervision to ensure manufactured products meet or exceed established quality requirements

5. Production Supervisor Functions

  • Safety Integrity: Responsible for promoting and ensuring the integrity of employees through safety tools implemented in the organization (e.g., Proactive safety, risk place assessment, process confirmation, LOTO)
  • Standards Compliance: Ensure compliance with quality and safety standards (Product safety, QA Handbook, IMS)
  • Plan Fulfillment: Ensure and maintain production plan fulfillment, enhancing and optimizing resources and producing in sequence
  • Training Execution: Training plan execution and fulfillment
  • KPI Compliance: Follow up and compliance with the area Key Performance Indicators
  • Root Analysis: Problem-solving through root cause analysis and implementation of improvements

6. Production Supervisor Overview

  • System Enforcement: Accomplishes manufacturing results by coordinating and enforcing systems, policies, and procedures
  • People Development: Focus on delivering changes through people development and management
  • Team Participation: Participate in daily Core Team and quality meetings to meet and exceed business unit goals and metrics
  • Plan Scheduling: Complete production plan by scheduling and assigning personnel
  • Progress Monitoring: Monitoring progress, revising schedules, and resolving problems
  • Flow Reporting: Reporting results of processing flow on shift production summaries
  • Data Maintenance: Maintains manufacturing information updated
  • Safety Culture: Maintains a safe culture and clean work in compliance with established policies, procedures, 5’s culture and PBS
  • Knowledge Development: Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops
  • Professional Networking: Reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and internal benchmarking
  • Status Participation: Participate with status and improvement plans in weekly meetings and Performance Review of Operations meetings
  • Program Coordination: Supervise and coordinate the various company programs, 5’s, cost reduction, etc.
  • Training Assurance: Assurance of the certification and training of all personnel assigned
  • Inventory Coordination: Coordinate monthly PSA inventory activities, keeping track of the discrepancies of PSA inventories (SAP)

7. Production Supervisor Details and Accountabilities

  • Team Supervision: Supervise, mentor and coach the team on how to operate and carry out first-line Production Operations activities as directed by the relevant Discipline Supervisor on the FPSO process
  • Safe Operation: Utilities plant safely and efficiently, being aware of the safety of others, effective utilisation of FPSO systems and processes related to FPSO operations
  • Standards Compliance: Ensuring compliance with company and statutory requirements and in line with the 35 x Performance standards/associated assurance tasks
  • Activity Supervision: Supervise the team in carrying out first-line Production activities for Topsides and Utilities as directed by the relevant Discipline Superintendent on the FPSO, as outlined in PD below
  • Activity Coaching: Supervise, mentor and coach the team on how to carry out first-line Production activities for Topsides and Utilities as directed by the relevant Discipline Superintendent on the FPSO
  • Preventive Production: Carry out Preventive Production and repair work, shutdowns, isolations and planned Production in accordance with the CMMS, ensuring all Production maintenance-related activities are carried out to the highest standards
  • Documentation Management: Completing and maintaining all documentation associated with Production engineering for all Production operational work activities
  • Job Review: Review and update Job descriptions for planned Production

8. Production Supervisor Tasks

  • Process Leadership: Leads the production of several processes/lines in a highly technical environment and is responsible for the line's success
  • Performance Evaluation: Evaluates daily/regularly plant operating performance and advises on changes in operating conditions that will improve efficiencies and quality
  • Team Guidance: Lead a team of individual professionals (e.g., engineers/officers) to meet quality, cost, delivery and responsiveness requirements
  • Problem Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and analyze operational problems and advise on their resolution
  • Operator Coaching: Guide regular discussions with operators to coach performance and improve operational understanding and capability
  • Improvement Solicitation: Solicits and evaluates ideas for plant improvements and collaborates with qualified engineers to develop project proposals
  • Technical Advisory: Provides technical and operational advice to project teams
  • Maintenance Interface: Act as the principal interface between the operations team and the maintenance function
  • Operator Training: Engage in training and coaching of junior operators
  • Schedule Prioritization: Prioritizes production schedules based on product introduction, equipment efficiency, and materials supply to meet customer requirements
  • Process Development: Initiate and participate in process development and cost improvement projects
  • Budget Assistance: Assist in department budget planning and management of department expenses
  • Safety Maintenance: Maintains a safe and clean work environment by educating and directing individuals on the use of all control points, equipment, and resources
  • Policy Compliance: Maintaining compliance with established policies and procedures
  • Standards Compliance: Ensures compliance with manufacturing standards

9. Production Supervisor Roles

  • Safety Culture: Build a safety culture through daily/weekly communications and proactively coordinate with the team to eliminate the hazards on the shop floor to ensure an injury-free workplace
  • Yield Assurance: Collaborate with the Quality Engineer to implement the corrective actions to ensure the first-pass yield of the product lines is maintained at 96% or more daily
  • CI Execution: Collaborating with the Manufacturing Engineer to execute the continuous improvement activities and projects to ensure on-time delivery to achieve targets of 96% or more daily
  • Performance Management: Manage the performance of direct reports through yearly performance reviews, frequent discussions, coaching and career development action plans
  • Capability Building: Builds people capability through effective employee relations, hiring, training and communication for front-line hourly personnel
  • Policy Implementation: Ensuring the implementation of Siemens' Standard of Conduct and attendance policies
  • Cross Collaboration: Working with cross-functional teams, including Engineering, Material planning, Customer services, SPS group and Finance team, to achieve plant goals

10. Production Supervisor Additional Details

  • Feedback Management: Providing timely feedback and review, and ensuring all performance issues are dealt with in a constructive and prompt manner
  • Policy Application: Consistently applying BSC policies
  • Fair Treatment: Ensuring that all employees are treated with the fairness and respect due to them
  • Team Communication: Facilitating open two-way communications regarding individual, team and company performance through weekly team meetings, daily interaction on the line and updating of the online notice-board
  • Training Coordination: Liaising with the line trainer to develop a training program to ensure smooth operation of the department, development of product builders, and health and safety of personnel
  • Employee Hiring: Employee selection and hiring
  • Plan Development: Planning, including developing/maintaining a viable plan incorporating hiring, training, capacity-modelling, efficiency/yield assumptions, ramp-rate, learning-curve, etc.
  • Shipment Coordination: Liaising with warehousing, quality assurance, bulk-packaging and other relevant parties to ensure prompt shipment of product
  • GMP Maintenance: Maintaining GMP/Housekeeping at a high level within the department through the involvement of all team members
  • Backorder Prioritization: Interacting and liaising with the other manufacturing teams and Logistics to prioritise backorders
  • Flow Management: Managing process and material flows, space management, and working with the Engineering group to maximise utilisation of space designated for specific operations areas
  • Lean Leadership: Provide leadership and direction for the advancement of Lean Manufacturing
  • CI Environment: Establish and support a work environment of continuous improvement that supports BSC’s Quality Policy, Quality System and the appropriate regulations for the area they support
  • Training Assurance: Ensure employees are trained to do their work and their training is documented

11. Production Supervisor Essential Functions

  • Shift Coordination: Assist management and shift team in allocating, coordinating, and overseeing shift orders and work plan execution within production lines during the shift
  • Line Feedback: Provide regular feedback and make recommendations to management regarding issues within the production line, including production line organization, shifting priorities and possible critical situations
  • Staff Movement: Help management implement staff movements in case of vacations, illnesses, machine outages or shifting priorities
  • Shift Leadership: Serve as a leader during shifts to oversee cooperation and the resolution of technical/quality problems and logistic issues
  • Efficiency Focus: Reinforce focus on volume, efficiency and on-time delivery
  • Safety Compliance: Ensure the shift operation is run in compliance with health and safety policies and guidelines

12. Production Supervisor Role Purpose

  • Line Monitoring: Monitor production lines' operations to ensure that they comply with the quality and safety standards
  • Process Oversight: Head responsibility for every facet of production processes
  • KPI Delivery: Delivers against plant performance KPIs, budget and projects
  • Target Enforcement: Ensure each staff member meets the assigned production targets daily
  • Shift Meetings: Conduct shift meetings to ensure that staff understand daily objectives and output requirements
  • Team Support: Identify all issues in the team and provide continuous support to all members according to operating standards on an everyday basis
  • Process Control: Monitor and control processes using visual observation and process data
  • Policy Compliance: Supervise the effective working of production and ensure compliance with all company and local policies to achieve all production objectives and provide appropriate feedback to all employees
  • Method Enhancement: Develop, analyze and enhance manufacturing methods to assist production requirements
  • Instruction Preparation: Prepare work instructions and plan/provide proper training to staff
  • Floor Maintenance: Ensure equipment and the work floor are clean, safe and well-maintained
  • Development Planning: Sets up and executes development plans for plant personnel
  • Staffing Analysis: Analyze staffing requirements and ensure efficient compliance with production schedules and budget for all production processes
  • Positive Environment: Builds a safe, clean and positive working atmosphere
  • Process Expertise: Become a technical expert for a designated process

13. Packaging Production Supervisor General Responsibilities

  • Shift Handover: Meet with the packaging and/or production supervisor from the prior shift to establish any production problems, schedule changes, personnel shortages, product counts, etc.
  • Issue Reporting: Immediately report to maintenance any malfunctioning equipment
  • Guard Inspection: Report to maintenance any machine guards that are not properly secured or are missing
  • Supply Availability: Availability of proper supplies (bags, boxes, quick locks, etc.) throughout the shift
  • Staff Allocation: Assign the availability of personnel throughout the shift to meet the production schedule
  • Personnel Discipline: Assist in the discipline of personnel
  • Staff Development: Training and recommendation or advancement of immediate subordinates within the company
  • Meeting Participation: Attend and participate in posted company meetings
  • Review Assistance: Assist in performance reviews of subordinates
  • Chart Recommendation: Review and recommend to Quality Assurance any changes to procedural charts, which are posted
  • Procedure Monitoring: Monitor subordinates to maintain posted company procedures and policies, which meet the company’s quality standards
  • HAACP Enforcement: Enforce and maintain the HAACP policy
  • Accident Assistance: Assist in the subordinate’s accident investigation
  • Accident Reporting: Fill out a supervisor’s accident report for a subordinate’s accident within 24 hours of the reported accident
  • OSHA Compliance: Adhere and maintain OSHA standards
  • Sanitation Compliance: Adhere to company sanitation procedures throughout the shift
  • Rule Maintenance: Maintain and promote all pertinent company and union rules
  • Confidential Handling: Maintain in strict confidence any medical records or information of subordinates
  • Attendance Control: Properly maintain the company's attendance control policy

14. Production Supervisor Key Accountabilities

  • Resource Allocation: Organizes and allocates resources to effectively and efficiently meet production targets
  • Issue Response: Responds to resource issues
  • Capacity Planning: Leads capacity planning and resource optimization for the assigned unit or line
  • Facility Improvement: Identifies and recommends technical equipment and facility improvements
  • Target Execution: Ensures execution of volume, conforming product, and on-time delivery targets for the assigned production lines
  • Performance Improvement: Identifies deficiencies in the production area, proposes improvement activities, and oversees implementation of actions to improve production performance
  • Issue Resolution: Manages the resolution of critical product or equipment issues together with relevant internal teams
  • Team Leadership: Provides leadership and development to the team to create a skilled work group
  • Team Motivation: Guides and motivates the team
  • Effective Communication: Communicates effectively with all levels of the organization on a regular cadence
  • Change Management: Manages changes through effective change management techniques

15. Production Supervisor Roles and Details

  • Safety Assurance: Ensures safe work practices that comply with all OSHA and Entergy Safety Processes
  • Compliance Oversight: Provides compliance oversight relating to NERC and Environmental requirements
  • Shift Supervision: Provides direct supervision to hourly multi-craft employees during a rotating 12-hour shift
  • Directive Execution: Ensures that all dispatch directives are met within operational guidelines during a 12-hour rotating shift
  • Maintenance Scheduling: Ensures all required maintenance is performed according to the assigned shift schedule
  • Budget Support: Provides and supports budget/project development and cost control
  • Contract Oversight: Provides contract management/contractor oversight

16. Production Supervisor Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Warehouse Operations: Administer and oversee the daily operation of the warehouse including processing, packaging and storage of supplies, materials and equipment
  • Overtime Control: Ensure overtime is maintained within the budget allotted
  • Material Handling: Oversee receipt, storage and shipment of materials and related reporting in accordance with established procedures
  • Inventory Accuracy: Ensure the accuracy of the inventory
  • Material Accounting: Account for all materials and supplies in the store's facilities
  • Goods Auditing: Audit goods received into the warehouse
  • Team Coaching: Coach and mentor team members in the areas of productivity, quality, and safety
  • Paperwork Completion: Ensure all routine paperwork is completed on time and is filled out accurately
  • Safety Assistance: Assist the warehouse manager in maintaining a safe work environment for all team members
  • Daily Leadership: Lead the day-to-day activities of employees
  • Work Assignment: Assign, monitor and review progress and accuracy of work, direct efforts and provide technical guidance on more complex issues

17. Production Supervisor Duties and Roles

  • Performance Input: Provide input into hiring, firing and performance reviews
  • Issue Resolution: Work with customer service to resolve warehouse-related issues
  • Excellence Culture: Achieve a Culture of Excellence through training, coaching and mentoring of associates
  • Value Instillation: Instill behaviors relevant to Fiserv values, policies, procedures and performance standards
  • Schedule Analysis: Analyze production schedules and labor requirements and establish or adjust work procedures to meet production commitments
  • Optimal Utilization: Assure optimal utilization of people, skills, and equipment
  • Output Improvement: Work to continually improve quality and production output
  • Schedule Coordination: Coordinate with the team to meet projected schedules
  • Progress Monitoring: Monitor progress and updates management
  • Conflict Resolution: Resolve day-to-day conflicts in a professional and timely manner
  • Operational Responsibility: Responsible for appropriate headcount, expenses, and overall operation in areas of assignment

18. Production Supervisor Roles and Responsibilities

  • Resource Scheduling: Create, manage and revise the global resource schedule
  • Plan Coordination: Coordinate multiple plans, departments, teams and resources and work in accordance with the overall studio and client schedule
  • Meeting Facilitation: Run weekly resource meetings and align with all departments and show teams on current and upcoming resource requests
  • Budget Collaboration: Work with the Head of Central Production, Head of Production and Finance Team to establish the working production budget
  • Talent Acquisition: Work with the HR team to ensure all artist positions are filled with qualified candidates
  • Resource Allocation: Work closely with the Production team, CG Supervisor, Talent team and other key creative stakeholders to internally allocate resources to ensure the best fit on production(s)
  • Stakeholder Relations: Foster and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders such as clients, crew, partners, outsource studios, broadcasters, and corporate departments
  • Progress Reporting: Report progress data to company directors and the leadership team
  • Team Alignment: Establish regular team meetings, involving Department Managers and Production Managers, to discuss production schedule and resource projections

19. Production Supervisor Duties

  • Goal Monitoring: Monitors progress of non-exempt employees toward departmental goals
  • Cost Monitoring: Monitors costs of projects and human and material resources within a department or unit
  • Process Development: Develops and/or identifies new work processes and the improved utilisation of human and material resources within the assigned area or related departments
  • CI Facilitation: Facilitates others’ participation in the continuous improvement programme
  • Problem Investigation: Investigates and solves basic problems that impact work processes and personnel within a unit or department
  • Staff Promotion: Promotes department goals by selecting, motivating, and training capable staff
  • Staff Leadership: Leads the activities of assigned staff by communicating and providing guidance towards achieving department objectives
  • Resource Scheduling: Schedules human and material resources within a department or section in conjunction with near-term plans to ensure their availability
  • Budget Operation: Carries out operations within an established budget
  • General Supervision: Works under general supervision
  • Issue Guidance: Receives limited supervision on standard issues and detailed instructions on new assignments
  • Team Direction: Provides direction and guidance to predominantly non-exempt and entry-level exempt personnel
  • Career Development: Evaluates the performance of and assists in career development planning for subordinates
  • Process Responsibility: Responsible for a local functional or process activity

20. Production Supervisor Details

  • Process Production: Responsible for producing several processes/lines in a highly technical environment
  • Team Leadership: Leads a team comprising individual professionals (e.g., engineers/officers) to meet quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness requirements
  • Performance Review: Reviews daily/regularly plant operating performance, evaluates areas that may be impacting performance, and advises on changes in operating conditions that will improve efficiencies/quality
  • Problem Analysis: Troubleshot/analyzed operational problems and advised on their resolution
  • Operator Coaching: Holds regular discussions with operators to coach performance and improve operational understanding/capability
  • Idea Evaluation: Listen to and evaluate ideas for plant improvements and work with qualified engineers to develop project proposals to encourage improvements and changes
  • Technical Advisory: Provides technical/operational advice to project teams
  • Maintenance Interface: Act as the principal interface between the operations team and the maintenance function
  • Staff Training: Train and coach junior operators and junior team leaders
  • Schedule Prioritization: Prioritizes production schedules based on product introduction, equipment efficiency, and materials supply to meet customer requirements
  • Process Development: Initiates and participates in process development and cost improvement projects
  • Budget Management: Assists in department budget planning and manages department expenses
  • Workplace Safety: Maintains a safe and clean work environment by educating and directing personnel on the use of all control points, equipment, and resources, maintaining compliance with established policies and procedures
  • Standards Compliance: Ensures compliance with standards
  • Training Management: Ensure that all manufacturing area personnel are trained and certified in their specific functions, and that no task is performed by untrained
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