Arbeitsvorbereiter/Arbeitsvorbereiterin

ARBEIT. Journal for Labor Research, Work Design and Labor Policy. Initiative New Quality of Work (INQA). præview - Journal for Innovative Work Design and Prevention. Produktion - Technology and Economy for German Industry. ZWF Journal for Economic Factory Operations.

Work planners usually work in offices, workshops, factory or production halls. They may also work from home or remotely if needed.

Core competencies generally required in this profession include: Work preparation, planning of operational resource deployment, production and order control, manufacturing technology, personnel planning, quality inspection and assurance, rationalization, REFA. Other competencies that may be significant for practicing this profession are: Workplace analysis, workplace design, demand-side management, ergonomics, industrial engineering, calculation, cost and performance accounting, logistics, MTM (Methods Time Measurement), project management, quality management, time studies.

Work planners spend most of their working hours in offices at computers, using both general and specialized software. Depending on their tasks, they may also work in meeting rooms, service areas, or in workshops and production halls. Work planners typically complete their assigned tasks independently, but they collaborate with their superiors and specialists from various departments. They plan and monitor production and work processes with great care. In addition to often technical expertise, they require knowledge in project management, production control, and the disposition of production resources; they also need to be well-organized.

Example monthly gross basic salary (tariff-based): 4,437 € to 5,475 €. Source: Tariff collection of the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs. Note: This information is for orientation purposes only. No claims can be derived from it.

Construction, Architecture; Chemistry, Pharmacy, Plastics; Electrical Engineering, Electronics; Vehicle Manufacturing and Maintenance; Glass, Ceramics, Raw Material Processing; Wood, Furniture; IT, Software, Telecommunications; Metal, Mechanical Engineering, Precision Mechanics, Optics; Food, Luxury Food Production; Textiles, Clothing, Leather.

Employers often expect a commercial or technical vocational training (Ausbildung) or further training (Weiterbildung), or a technical or economic university degree (Studium). For example, education in areas such as production economics, business organization, process organization, or REFA technique may be required.

Relevant undergraduate (grundständig) and postgraduate (weiterführend) study fields include: Waste and Disposal Technology, Ophthalmic Optics and Optometry, Automation Technology, Battery Technology, Civil Engineering, Building Materials Engineering (postgraduate), Biomechanics, Biotechnology, Brewery and Beverage Technology, Chemical Engineering, Printing and Media Technology, Electrical Engineering, Energy Technology, Renewable Energies, Vehicle Informatics and Electronics (undergraduate).

Work planners can find employment in companies across all economic sectors.

Work planner. Also common job titles/synonyms: Production planner, manufacturing planner.

Arbeitsvorbereiter (Work Planners) plan and organize production and work processes.

Job and applicant portals such as Hollabrunner Technik Leistungszentrum, IndustryArena, ingenieur.de, ingenieur1.de, Ingenieurcenter Deutschland, ingenieurweb, JustEngineersNet.

Associations and organizations such as Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V. (BDI - Federation of German Industries), Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB - German Trade Union Confederation), Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK e.V. - Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce), Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA - Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation), REFA Fachverband e. V.

This profession involves screen work, working in office environments (e.g., planning, controlling, and optimizing production processes), and working in workshops, factory/production halls. It entails responsibility for material assets (for rational production flow and thus production costs). Tasks and work situations frequently change, alternating between various planning tasks in the office and control tasks in storage and production areas.

Work items and tools include documents such as time and work studies, scheduling and personnel deployment plans, process and fault cause documents, and business analyses. Office equipment like PCs and telephones are also used.

Arbeitsvorbereiter (Work Planners) analyze and determine all manufacturing or assembly steps necessary for production. They develop special time and work studies, based on which they plan personnel deployment. They ensure that operating resources and materials are available. During production processes, they monitor compliance with calculated or specified parameters and quality. Work planners identify and resolve the causes of problems in workflows and propose ways to optimize processes. They also document processes and causes of disruptions.

Some entry-level professions or activities include: Assistant for Mechanical Engineering, Master Optician/Bachelor Professional in Opticianry, Expansion Manager (dual-qualified Ausbildung (vocational training)), Master Baker/Bachelor Professional in Bakery, Master Container and Apparatus Builder/Bachelor Professional in Container and Apparatus Building, State-Certified Clothing Technology Assistant, Certified Professional Specialist for Industrial Parts Cleaning, Certified Professional Specialist for Industrial Transformation (commercial-technical), Certified Professional Specialist for Industrial Transformation (commercial), Certified Technical Merchant.

Continuing vocational training helps keep professional knowledge current and adapt it to new developments (e.g., in areas such as operational organization, workplace design, or production and manufacturing technology).

Further career opportunities open up – depending on professional background – through advanced vocational training (e.g., as an Industriefachwirt/in - Industrial Business Administrator), or an undergraduate or postgraduate Studium (university study) (e.g., in production engineering). Under certain conditions, university study is also possible without a general higher education entrance qualification. For more information: Access to higher education in the individual Bundesländer (federal states) of Germany.

Plan and monitor production and work processes. Develop time and work studies, calculate target times or quantities. Plan personnel deployment. Ensure that operating resources and materials are ready for use or available. Monitor compliance with specified parameters during the production and manufacturing process. Conduct quality controls. Document workflows and disruptions. Optimize production and work processes. Identify and eliminate problems in workflows. Develop suggestions for improving workflows and workplace design. Prepare economic analyses. Participate in scheduling coordination, calculations, and controlling.

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the original profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants. Furthermore, employers can consider professionals from these fields as alternatives for filling a position in the original profession. Some alternative professions only cover partial activities of the original profession, while others may require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of work preparer: For the overall activity (usually without an induction period): Head of Work Preparation. For the overall activity (usually with a short induction period): Work Planning Engineer; Business Administrator (Technical College) for Production Management / Bachelor Professional in Business; REFA Engineer (Industrial Engineering); REFA Operations Manager.