Progressing in Manufacturing Assistant Jobs toward a Better Career

Most of the items that we use are bought from our preferred grocery stores, malls, stalls or shopping centers. From toys, makeup, cell phones, and soap to other necessities, almost everything that we use is provided by manufacturing companies. Virtually all items in the world are manufactured. They all came from manufacturing plants that are owned by the big companies that happen to hold the brand of daily commodities. All these items undergo various processing stages which are facilitated inside a manufacturing plant. After the items are created, they pass through other quality–assurance stations for verifications and any other operations prior to packaging. Once the items are canned (if necessary), sealed, and boxed, they either go directly to be delivered to retail stores or to the warehouse for storage. This is a common scenario in a manufacturing plant. Just imagine how many people are involved in such a big operation. Aside from the plant management, there is still administrative office work also included in the jobs for manufacturing. The score of jobs for the manufacturing industry is so vast they usually require assistant positions for every supervisory and managerial job.

Most of the world’s business empires are built on manufacturing enterprises. That is why jobs related to manufacturing are very lucrative and competitive. They have great opportunities for career growth. By securing assistant positions in the corporate and manufacturing areas of these enterprises, you actually put yourself at the bottom ladder of your career path. To do well in working with the industry, one must be a hard worker, particularly when becoming assistant to head technicians, managers, supervisors, engineers, and any other positions that the manufacturing segment of an enterprise command. Being an assistant to these positions is similar to being an executive secretary. You may do paperwork as the boss does fieldwork or vice versa. The boss may delegate some of his light responsibilities and give new tasks depending on the work assignment. Hence, an assistant may be given a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities which are required by the industrial manufacturing setting.

When it comes to a manufacturing job description, an assistant should be knowledgeable about the plant and should be able to do almost everything that the boss requires. The position demands diligence, efficiency, resourcefulness, reliability, and the ability to work effectively amidst the big and noisy manufacturing machines and workers which usually make up the work environment of manufacturing assistant jobs.



Jobs in Manufacturing

The manufacturing segment of a business enterprise actually takes the bulk of the work force of any country. From engineers and technicians to other skilled workers, the industry is in constant need for maintenance crews, industrial supervisors, machinists, design technicians, and many other positions. In the management side of the manufacturing segment, leadership positions include managers, supervisors, department heads, and many others. Due to the immense responsibilities that the major manufacturing plant position commands, there is also a need for assistantships. Manufacturing assistant jobs are of almost equal importance to the position that precedes them, since they are responsible for ensuring that their boss’s responsibilities are covered.

Many of the manufacturing assistant jobs are assistants to the leaders and heads that hold the lean manufacturing, plant operations, production planning and control, total quality management, statistical process control, energy management and efficiency, process engineering, re-engineering, machine design, and prototype and maintenance divisions. That is why it is crucial for all assistants to have great leadership, communication, delegation, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to do well on the job. Since he or she will be second in command to the major or minor divisions of the manufacturing business segment, the responsibility of the job is almost similar to the head positions. An assistant is usually responsible for doing product-, process-, resource- and plant-data management, manufacturing configuration, and workflow management, resource management and open-application and systems-integration tasks.

Qualification

The qualifications for manufacturing assistant jobs vary. For the engineering department, the preferred head assistant will also be a licensed engineer that specializes in managing and handling plant operations. For industrial technicians, assistants to the head of the department will follow the qualifications of a professional machine technician. Assistant positions to office jobs may require secretarial qualifications; work experience will be an advantage. To the managing supervisor and plant managers, a management-related college degree will be of great advantage. The qualification for assistant jobs usually follows that of the qualification for the head position. And just like in other industrial business segments, work experience is definitely an advantage when it comes to applications.

Future in this Career

Through the years, the manufacturing industry has survived numerous economic problems. The industry still stands as one of the oldest industries in the world of business. While all industries are facing the pressure of performing effectively and taking leverage on the global marketplace, they need to have efficient workers to fully capture their target market as well as the full value of their product investments. Similarly, there will be an increase in the demand for manufacturing assistant jobs. Given that more and more companies are tapping the international market scene, the manufacturing segment of businesses enjoys great possibility for expansion, both locally and internationally.