Cell Production Planning Supervisor

Department: Production Planning / Operations Location: Manteno, Illinois, USA Employment Type: Full-time

Job Summary

The Cell Production Planning Supervisor is responsible for developing, coordinating, executing, and monitoring Cell production plans based on annual business objectives, customer demand, production requirements, inventory targets, and available production capacity.

This position will lead the Cell production planning team and work closely with Cell Production, Process Engineering, Equipment Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Warehouse, R&D, and Pack Production Planning to ensure stable Cell production, effective capacity utilization, material readiness, and timely supply to downstream Pack production.

Key Responsibilities

1. Annual and Long-Term Production Planning

• Assist in developing the annual Cell production plan based on annual sales forecasts, customer demand, production capacity, inventory targets, and downstream Pack requirements.
• Support annual Cell capacity planning and analyze requirements for equipment, manpower, production lines, and shifts.
• Support the breakdown of annual production targets into quarterly and monthly Cell production objectives and drive plan execution.
• Adjust medium- and long-term production plans based on changes in customer demand, orders, production capacity, and inventory levels.
• Coordinate Cell production output requirements with Pack production plans to ensure effective upstream and downstream alignment.

1. Cell Production Planning and Scheduling

• Develop daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term Cell production plans based on customer demand, orders, production requirements, and inventory targets.
• Develop and maintain detailed production schedules across Cell manufacturing processes.
• Coordinate production schedules based on the capacity and cycle time of each manufacturing process.
• Ensure Cell production plans are aligned with downstream Pack production requirements and customer delivery schedules.
• Monitor production plan achievement and adjust schedules based on actual production performance.

1. Capacity Planning

• Analyze equipment, manpower, shifts, production lines, and process capacity across Cell manufacturing operations.
• Develop capacity plans based on customer demand and order forecasts.
• Identify production bottlenecks and drive cross-functional improvement actions.
• Support new line commissioning, new product introduction, production ramp-up, and capacity expansion projects.
• Allocate production capacity based on product, customer, and order priorities.

1. Material Planning and Inventory Management

• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Procurement, and Warehouse to ensure required raw materials are available according to the production plan.
• Monitor critical materials including cathode materials, anode materials, separators, electrolyte, foils, packaging materials, and other production materials.
• Develop material requirements based on production plans and BOM/MRP data.
• Identify potential material shortages, excess inventory, aging inventory, and supply risks in advance.
• Ensure material supply is aligned with production plans and inventory targets.

1. Production Execution Management

• Monitor daily Cell production performance against the approved production plan.
• Track production output, WIP, inventory, yield, equipment downtime, and production constraints.
• Analyze production deviations and drive recovery actions with relevant functions.
• Coordinate production priorities with Production and Engineering teams based on actual line conditions.
• Escalate significant capacity, material, quality, and equipment risks to management in a timely manner.

1. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with Cell Production, Process Engineering, Equipment Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Warehouse, R&D, and Pack Production Planning.
• Organize Cell production planning meetings and follow up on action items.
• Coordinate cross-functional resolution of issues affecting production plan execution.
• Drive recovery and improvement actions across relevant functions.
• Ensure Cell production plans can effectively support Pack production and customer delivery requirements.

1. Inventory and WIP Management

• Monitor raw materials, WIP, semi-finished goods, and finished Cell inventory.
• Establish appropriate inventory targets based on production and customer requirements.
• Identify shortages, excess inventory, aging inventory, and other inventory risks.
• Drive inventory optimization and reduction initiatives.
• Ensure consistency between physical inventory and ERP/MES system data.

1. Data Analysis and Reporting

• Prepare daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term Cell production planning reports.
• Track production plan achievement, capacity utilization, inventory, WIP, yield, and supply performance.
• Develop production planning dashboards and analytical reports to support management decision-making.
• Analyze production planning trends and provide improvement recommendations.

1. Team Management and Continuous Improvement

• Manage and develop the Cell production planning team.
• Assign responsibilities and monitor team performance.
• Establish standardized Cell production planning processes and work instructions.
• Improve planning accuracy, response time, and cross-functional coordination.
• Promote Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators

• Annual Cell Production Plan Achievement
• Monthly / Weekly Cell Production Plan Achievement
• Capacity Utilization
• Production Schedule Accuracy
• Material Readiness Rate
• Raw Material Inventory Level
• WIP Level
• Inventory Accuracy
• Inventory Turnover
• Cell Supply Fulfillment Rate
• Pack Production Requirement Fulfillment Rate

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in production planning, manufacturing operations, supply chain, or a related field.
• 2+ years of supervisory or team leadership experience preferred.
• Experience in lithium-ion battery Cell manufacturing is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of battery manufacturing and production planning processes.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems; SAP or similar systems preferred.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills.
• Strong understanding of BOM, MRP, capacity planning, inventory management, and production scheduling.
• Strong communication, cross-functional coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Bilingual Chinese/English skills are a plus.