Position Overview
The designation of a production coordinator is somewhat challenging. Production coordinators may work in either manufacturing or media industries.
While people working in the latter are usually referred to as film production coordinators, many are simply known as production coordinators. Hence, the confusion in what industry the person belongs to.
The work of a production coordinator in the manufacturing industry is different from one in the media. While both will be coordinating schedules and resources to ensure that a project takes off and finishes on time, they work on different tangents. So their work cannot really be compared.
A production coordinator working in the media industry will be required to communicate activities to different staff members according to what role they have in the project.
One working in the manufacturing industry may spend his day talking to vendors and procurement officers to ensure that all equipment, machinery, and supplies are available so that the manufacturing process does not stop. See? They do the same things but on different planes!
To understand both types of production coordinators’ roles, let us look at the job duties that each performs:
Production Coordinator Responsibilities, Tasks, and Duties
Manufacturing Production Coordinator Job Duties
• Schedule workflow between departments to expedite production of items.
• Review master production schedules and work orders to determine order priorities.
• Schedule manufacturing processes and reschedule identical processes to eliminate redundancies.
• Create and distribute work orders to staff members in different departments.
• Maintain liaison with department supervisors to determine work progress.
• Provide information on changes in manufacturing methods.
• Coordinate efforts with procurement managers to provide them with information on low inventories.
• Create and maintain effective liaison with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of materials.
Media / Film Production Coordinator Job Duties
• Comprehend the need for scheduling and procurement for each media project.
• Create and maintain team schedules and establish priorities for each ongoing project.
• Communicate with different staff members in the media production department to ensure timely delivery of the end product.
• Revise schedules according to clients’ requests, production needs, and availability of resources.
• Recommend measures to improve production methods and equipment performance.
• Ensure that the quality of the end product is in sync with the clients’ demands and the overall reputation of the company.
• Analyze work problems that may affect production schedules and ensure that they are resolved immediately.