A study on production planning in operational improvement

Production planning is important in manufacturing organizations because it helps coordinate manpower, machines, materials, inventory, production schedules, and production capacity. This study examines the role of production planning in improving operational efficiency at VB DACE Appliances Private Limited, a cookware and kitchenware manufacturer in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The study focuses on resource utilization, inventory and material planning, production scheduling, and operational improvement. A descriptive research design was used, and primary data were collected from 50 employees in production-related functions through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information and 25 statements measured using a five-point Likert scale. Convenience sampling was used to select the respondents. The data were analyzed using SPSS through percentage analysis, descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation, regression, and Chi-Square tests. The results show that employees have a positive view of production planning and operational improvement. The questionnaire showed high reliability with a Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.941. Operational Improvement had the highest mean score of 3.464. Resource Utilization had a strong positive relationship with Operational Improvement (r = 0.730), while Inventory and Material Planning also showed a strong relationship (r = 0.722). The regression results showed that the production planning factors explained 62.8% of the variation in Operational Improvement.