Operations Management is a comprehensive production-related responsibility that includes Inventory Management, Vendor Development, Purchase Management, and also areas which demand multidisciplinary skills like supply chain management and ERP, enterprise resource planning.
A typical career would see one handling a few plants/vendors initially, followed by the responsibility for an entire factory, eventually undertaking a more strategic view like global sourcing for materials and imports.
In Operations Management the two basic divisions are the Manufacturing or Production Operations and the Service Operations. The basic purpose is to increase efficiency to its optimal level. Most MBAs in this line complement their Operations specializations with a lot or credits in IT and Systems. An MBA might start off as a Manufacturing Manager, Product Supervisor and go on to Technical Product Manager of the division. Further Career growth may include General Manager of a division and finally up to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a company.
In the service sector Operations include the same overall functions of Quality Assurance and Process Improvement, with focus on capacity constraints, queuing and outsourcing processes. Production specialization is generally preferred by engineers. Generally people with very specific inclination towards Production / Shop-floor Management go in for this. Manufacturing is one of the most important areas for any product-based business. Many techniques and theories have been developed by management schools which focus on issues relevant to the area. These skills are especially useful to those who are engineering graduates.
The four types of opportunities are in:
1. Productivity Improvement
2. Quality Control
3. Inventory Control
4. Production Planning
Operations Management is a comprehensive production-related responsibility that includes Inventory Management, Vendor Development, Purchase Management, and also areas which demand multi-disciplinary skills like Supply Chain Management and ERP (enterprise resource planning). A typical career would see one handling a few plants/vendors initially, followed by the responsibility for an entire factory, eventually leading to a role requiring a more strategic view like global sourcing for materials and imports.
The focus of the production specialist is not on engineering problems, but on the managerial implications of engineering problems. The specific skills required are behavioral, technical, and statistical.
These techniques are largely applied to manufacturing organizations. MBAs with this background stand a bright chance with several consultancy firms.
Operations is a new stream that has come in the recent years and is getting popular very fast. People with this specialization are basically inter-disciplinary in nature. The responsibilities are huge and so are the returns. The market has welcomed this specialization with open arms. An operations person basically deals in the various internal and external movements and flows within an organization that affect its efficiency. These flows could be processes, relationships, vendor development, ancillary management etc. Again here, engineers are the most preferred of the lot.
The skills required for any of the above jobs are eye for detail, people management skills, ability to negotiate, calmness in tough situations, sound technical knowledge, etc. Every manufacturing and sales and distribution company needs operation generals. Just to name a few…. Larsen & Toubro, GE, Godrej & Boyce, Asian Paints, Philips, Crompton Greaves, Siemens, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Udyog, Voltas, etc.
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