Production Planner

Company Description

A world-class manufacturer of model railway products, and leading publisher of magazines and books, PECO was established in 1946 and is a forward-looking family company with a long tradition of innovative thinking. Located in the picturesque village of Beer in East Devon, we produce high specification, technically superior model railway track, plastic kits, and accessories for the model railway hobby at our two manufacturing sites at Beer and Buckfastleigh. We also publish the UK’s best-selling model railway magazine, the Railway Modeller. PECO has been proud to develop our manufacturing skills ‘in-house’ and our market-leading products and publications are distributed to businesses and retailers throughout the UK and in more than 30 countries around the world. Alongside the factory and head office in Beer is our tourism site Pecorama. Opened in the summer of 1974, Pecorama is one of Devon’s leading tourist attractions, welcoming over 25,000 visitors a season. Pecorama has award winning gardens, stunning sea views and the Beer Heights Light Railway, one of the country’s finest 7.25-inch gauge railways, opened in July 1975. As a company we have experienced good growth over recent years enabling us to expand production, and we now have a team of 160 people. This is an exciting opportunity to join PECO and be part of our amazing journey

Role Description

New for PECO, this role has been created following our decision to make a significant investment in an ERP system. Our Production Planner will manage the scheduling and timeliness of the production process to ensure the company meets all deadlines. This person will be responsible for planning multiple weekly production schedules, extracting data to analyse, collect, organise and interpret statistical information which help teams make decisions, ensuring our goods are produced on time and on budget. Reporting directly to the Head of Manufacturing, you will be required to drive continuous improvements in production processes using our systems including MRP, ERP and Excel. You will support our core ERP team to create and implement a new ERP system using your own ERP experiences, helping to enhance this challenging implementation phase. Once ERP is up and running at PECO, you will support us to maximise our investment, conducting data analysis to identify trends and anomalies, and monitoring the effectiveness of overall production, as well as proposing and implementing actions to improve performance as appropriate. ERP is a significant shift from the norm for PECO, so you will need to be comfortable with change and be able to support others to change too.

Qualifications

 Reviewing all production metrics, while providing insight and analysis on trends to drive 

informed business decisions.

• Collect, review, and analyse department reports to ensure strategic goals and objectives 

are achieved and report accordingly.

• Provide department leaders with production information and analysis data as requested.

• Work closely with the production teams, reporting with Epicor developers to understand 

system requirements and execute solutions to meet business needs.

• Work on project teams and provide data and metrics as necessary for review and evaluation to include ROI analysis.

• Identification and reporting of Key Performance Indicators.

• Plan and prioritise operations to ensure maximum performance and minimum delays.

• Determine manpower, equipment and raw materials needed to cover production 

demands.

• Using operational equipment effectiveness (OEE), monitor jobs to ensure they will finish 

on time and within budget.

• Liaise with managers and supervisors to address issues when they arise aiming for 

minimum disruption.

• Being comfortable handling conflicting opinions and influencing others. 

• • Collaborate other internal and external stakeholders to reduced bottlenecks

A bit about you

 Proven track record of ERP / MRP technologies and implementation in manufacturing 

settings.

• Experience in data-driven production planning and scheduling.

• Excellent command of all MS office apps, including Excel.

• Project management skills. 

• Strong analytical skills.

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to articulate complex data with 

clarity.

• Agile problem solver.

• Knowledge of LEAN manufacturing principles.

• A team player, able to build good rapport and strong relationships.

• An ability to manage and support change for yourself and others.

What we can offer

PECO is based in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK on the Devon coastline. This is a key 

role in supporting business growth for the future and we are offering a competitive starting 

salary.

We also offer:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, increasing with length of service 

• Company pension, increasing to 10.6% employer contributions with length of service 

• Life assurance at 2 times salary 

• Cycle to Work scheme 

• Subsidised canteen on-site

• Free car parking on-site 

• A staff ‘friends and family’ pass is provided to allow you to visit the attraction of 

Pecorama. Staff are also welcome to use the Pecorama grounds during break and 

lunch times

• A staff discount is available within our model and souvenir shop.