Case studies : Production manager: John

John oversees the product development, the production process and merchandising.

I work as a production manager for GIO_GOI, a fashion label. We are a small firm of 30 employees. I look after the menswear team and I manage the supply chain.

I got involved in production management accidentally when I was still at university. I did a one-year work placement in a luggage company, where I was helping with production at a more junior level. When I graduated I started working for a sports company, but there were no prospects for further progression. I finally found my current role through a recruitment agency. It looked very exciting as GIO_GOI is a very young company with amazing prospects.

I have a business degree, which equipped me with the basic skills necessary to work within any type of business. My studies gave me a good insight into different aspects of business such as supply management, marketing, sales etc. In addition to the skills I developed through my degree, the industrial placement gave me some valuable hands-on experience.

I have been with GIO_GOI for 20 months. My role has developed within this time. The business has grown significantly together with my responsibilities. There is no typical day in my job as it depends on the time and season. Work is very seasonal, but the company is doing exceptionally well and I have been extremely busy the last few months. My duties normally include negotiating orders, dealing with queries, looking at the sales, overseeing the logistics of the production and managing supply chain.

I really enjoy my job at the moment. GIO_GOI is a great company to work for, the sales are going well and the company has quart tripled within the last 12 months. Seeing somebody wearing what you have produced gives you a great feeling of self-accomplishment. The less favourable part is definitely the long hours.

I definitely want to stay in the company and develop more. I would like to get involved in womenswear and build a bigger portfolio. We are currently working towards starting some new brands, so I’d love to get involved in something new and manage the production across a number of brands.

There is lots of travel involved in my role. I go to Hong Kong twice a year and I will be travelling within Europe soon as we have just signed some new agreements. I could very easily relocate to Hong Kong if I wanted to.

If you want a career in production management, I would advise you not to be afraid of hard work, train yourself to pay attention to minor details and keep an open mind.