Planner 3 (Mixing/Lab)

Rubbercraft is seeking aPlanner III – Mixing/Labwho is responsible for planning and scheduling all Mixing and Lab activities required to support production across the entire Rubbercraft site. Reporting to the Planning Manager, this position owns the development and execution of the Mixing/Lab production plan and serves as the primary coordination point between site demand, production capacity, material availability, inventory requirements, quality requirements, and downstream manufacturing needs.

As a Planner III, this role operates with a high degree of independence and is expected to proactively identify and resolve complex planning, capacity, material, and scheduling constraints. The Planner III translates site requirements into an executable production plan that ensures compounds and related materials are available when required while optimizing capacity, inventory, production flow, and customer service.

About Rubbercraft:Rubbercraft is a leading manufacturer of precision-engineered elastomeric components and assemblies for the aerospace and defense industry. With decades of experience supporting mission-critical applications, Rubbercraft specializes in seals, gaskets, molded components, and other highly engineered solutions designed to perform in demanding environments.

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Own the daily, weekly, and forward-looking production plan for the Mixing/Lab department supporting the entire Rubbercraft site.

• Translate production demand, work orders, forecasts, inventory requirements, and business priorities into an executable Mixing/Lab schedule.

• Ensure compounds and materials are planned and available to support downstream manufacturing at the required time and quantity.

• Establish production priorities and sequence work based on demand, equipment capacity, labor availability, material availability, batch requirements, changeovers, processing constraints, and customer priorities.

• Balance competing requirements across manufacturing departments while maintaining alignment with overall site and customer requirements.

• Adjust production plans in response to demand changes, equipment downtime, material shortages, quality issues, capacity constraints, and other operational disruptions.

• Maintain appropriate short-, medium-, and longer-term planning horizons to identify capacity, inventory, and material requirements before they become production constraints.

• Communicate schedule priorities, changes, constraints, and recovery plans to affected stakeholders.

Material & Inventory Planning

• Validate material availability and planning requirements before scheduling and releasing production.

• Identify current and potential raw material, compound, and inventory shortages that could affect production.

• Coordinate with Purchasing, Materials, Warehouse, and Operations to resolve shortages and ensure material availability.

• Establish and maintain appropriate planning parameters, including safety stock and replenishment requirements, for assigned materials and compounds.

• Incorporate Kanban and other replenishment signals into the production plan where applicable.

• Monitor inventory consumption, demand patterns, and inventory health to identify risks and opportunities.

• Consider compound shelf life, expiration, aging, and obsolescence when determining production requirements and priorities.

• Support inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining appropriate service levels for downstream operations.

Capacity & Constraint Management

• Evaluate Mixing/Lab capacity against current and future site requirements.

• Identify equipment, labor, material, batch-size, changeover, and other capacity constraints.

• Perform capacity analysis and identify potential gaps before they impact production.

• Escalate significant capacity, material, or schedule risks to the Planning Manager and appropriate operational leadership.

• Develop and coordinate recovery plans when production falls behind schedule or unexpected constraints occur.

• Recommend schedule adjustments, alternate sequencing, overtime requirements, inventory strategies, or other actions necessary to maintain production continuity.

• Optimize production sequencing, batch sizes, and campaign opportunities to improve utilization and reduce unnecessary changeovers.

Cross-Functional Planning & Coordination

• Serve as the primary Supply Chain planning interface between Mixing/Lab and downstream manufacturing departments.

• Participate in daily production, scheduling, and supply chain meetings.

• Provide clear visibility to production priorities, shortages, constraints, and recovery plans.

• Partner with Production Supervisors and Operations leadership to ensure production plans are achievable and executed.

• Coordinate with Quality/Lab personnel to incorporate testing, approvals, releases, holds, and other quality requirements into the production plan.

• Work with Engineering and Operations to incorporate new products, process changes, and special manufacturing requirements into capacity and production plans.

• Provide the Planning Manager with timely visibility to significant planning risks and recommended actions.

Schedule Execution & Performance

• Monitor actual production performance against the established plan.

&bu