Thriving in Production Planning, Navigating Career Milestones and Embracing Change

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

What are the key milestones in your journey that shaped your career path?

Over the course of my 20-year career, I've navigated through diverse sectors, including textile, automotive, aluminum, and FMCG, holding key managerial roles in each. These companies, all global leaders, have significantly influenced Turkey's market, shaping my career path uniquely.

Before joining MDLZ, I served as the "Head of the Supply Chain" for a Turkish company where I lived in Varna, and the company was the market leader in Bulgaria's category.

I learned about the opportunity at MDLZ through a close friend who introduced me to the role of Production Planning and Logistics Manager. The prospect of joining MDLZ, a global leader in snacking, was very exciting to me. What attracted me was not just its top position in snacking globally but also its pioneering corporate culture and renowned work environment. I was familiar with the company’s accolades for its commitment to employees and social responsibility activities through my professional network.

Now, in my second year, I am grateful to be part of a company that has valued change and innovation and its employees since day one. I can confidently say that receiving an offer from MDLZ was a pivotal moment in my career journey.

What aspects of your role as a Production Planning and Logistics Manager do you find most fulfilling and challenging?

Allow me to use a metaphor to explain the role of a Production Planning Manager. Production facilities, much like living creatures in nature, carry out their vital activities 24/7.

Correct and effective planning can make healthy operation and efficiency of facilities possible. The rhythm pattern in the pulse and the synchronization of work in the organs are also valid for factories. Production Planning is the department that regulates the pulse in factories, or in other words, the heart of the factory.

The most important task of planning is to make production plans for all lines that will meet customer expectations on time and ensure optimum efficiency. We can imagine production lines as organs, input raw materials and packaging as nutrients, and finished products as the energy generated by the activity.

One of the biggest challenges for production planning is normalizing the pulse that rises or falls when one of the resources decreases and ensuring continuity. Sometimes, this may be a machine failure, an RPM supply shortage, or an unforeseen bottleneck.

What advice would you offer to those looking to develop a successful career in production planning or similar roles?

Since the pandemic, there have been significant changes in world trade and individual habits in the last 5 years. One notable change is the increasing importance of sustainability and agility in the supply chain. The rise in world population, resource imbalances, political crises, and migrations has reshaped the supply chain practices of countries, impacting everything from energy to basic consumer goods over decades.

To navigate these changes successfully, global companies require robust, adaptable, and efficient supply chain management. They are turning to technology-supported supply chain management to analyze complex variables rapidly and accurately using extensive data. This approach enables effective and accurate decision-making, especially amid uncertainties.

As Hard Skill: In the near future, individuals knowledgeable in new technologies such as AI, deep learning, and NLP, with the ability to apply them in information and product flow processes, will significantly impact their career development.

As Soft Skill: I believe that the growing dependence on technology in daily life diminishes social interactions, hampering people's development of emotional intelligence. Successful leaders possess effective emotional intelligence, which is crucial. The demand for leaders with high self-awareness, advanced empathy skills, and strong communication and persuasion abilities is expected to rise even further.