1.

Tell us about yourself

Educational Back ground:
Thank you for inviting me to be interviewed in the production manager position today.
I am Getachew Zinabie Belay. I hold an MSc degree in Industrial Engineering and BSc degree in Wood
Processing and Engineering from Bahir Dar University in 2024 and ASTU in 2013 respectively.
I have pursued 65 credit hours of courses out of BSc degree chr of courses from EEE program in Mekelle
MU from April 2016- Jul 2018.
I HAVE EXCELLENT UNDERSTANDING in implementing lean manufacturing principles
I have a proven track record of successfully managing large scale production operations, ensuring timely
delivery of high-quality products and exceeding customer expectations.
Along with the skills & knowledge stated above;
 I am enough familiar with design soft wares and quality analysis tools

I am strategy driven, commercially focused, team mentor, cooperative, and quick learner.
2. What are the components of business plan?
2.1. Mission and Vision: States the company's purpose and future goals.
2.2. Core values: honest and integrity with customers
2.3. SWOT analysis: assess their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
2.4. Business goals:
2.5. Objective, strategy and Operational tactics
3. Strategic business plan
1. Marketing plan: a strategic guide that outlines how a company will promote and sell
its products/services to generate revenue.
2. Financial plan: is a projection of a business's income and expenses over a period of
time.
3. Production plan: A production plan describes in detail how a company's products
and services will be manufactured. It spells out the production targets, required
resources, processes and overall schedule
4. Engineering plan: Technology, Equipment, design & the engineering skills and
knowledge that can be applied to the business firm.
The key objectives of strategic business plan:
1. Market development
2. Process development
3. People development
4. Product development
 4. How do you explain “KAIZEN” in business concept?
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy focused on a small and continuous improvement and waste
reduction (Good Change). Therefore; the Kaizen principle uses the 5S tools to avoid the seven
wastes (MUDAs)
 The ultimate goal of Kaizen is to exceed customers’ expectation and to sustain the firm
in the competitive global market.
5. The difference between policies and objectives
Basics Policies Objectives
Meaning Statements of understanding/course of The end results which a firm aims to
action which is called a direction reach.
Aim To determine how the work is to be To determine what is to be done.
done.
Scope It is narrower than objectives It is wider than policies
Have no any particular time period Have time period [ short term, medium
Period
term and long-term objectives].
Formulation Formulated by managers at all levels Formulated by managers at the top level
Source They are derived from objectives. They are derived from goals.
Example Employees of a company can be to retire The bakery can be increased its customer
at the age of 60. base by 10% in 6 months.
6. Goal vs Objective:
A goal is a broad, long-term outcome, while an objective is a specific, measurable action that
helps to achieve the goal
7. What is Industrial planning and its importance?
7.1. Industrial planning
 Planning is a roadmap for making arrangements of resources and facilities to achieve the
desired goal.

7.2. Importance of Planning:

 7.3. The 7 Key Components of Planning
a) Mission: Basically, dictates firms’ fundamental purposes and what it wants to achieve.
b) Objective: The end results which an organization aims to reach.
c) Policy: Statements of understanding or course of action. They guide the decision-making
process for all activities of the organization.
d) Procedure: It describes the exact manner in which something has to be done (SOP)

e) Programs: A program is nothing but the outline of a broad objective. It contains a series
of methods, procedures, and policies that the organization needs to implement
f) Budget: express expected results in numerical terms. Most activities, targets, and
decisions require budgeting. For example, an income budget shows expected financial
results and profits.
g) Strategy: refers to a plans of action that aim to achieve specific requirements.
7.4. Planning Process:

Data collection Decision Application &

and analysis Making Evaluation
 8. Detailed Level of planning

Demand
Company Forecast
strategy
Business Establishh
budget &
plan guideline

Establish the rate

Production for which
production must
plan prepare to
produce

Master Establish the

specific
production products to be
Schedule produced

9. What is production process documentation?

 Production process documentation is a collection of detailed instructions on how to
perform a business process, including the tools, materials, procedures, and steps required
to achieve the desired outcome.
Process documentation can help organizations by:
 Preventing knowledge loss when employees leave
 Transferring knowledge between employees and departments
 Maintaining consistency in processes and results
 Improving efficiency
 Improving overall quality
 Increasing customer and employee satisfaction.
MRP: is Useful for production scheduling and materials purchasing
 The files serve as an input to the MRP processor are the MPS, BOM files, inventory
record files.
1. MPS: specifies the period-by-period list of final products required
2. BOM: defines what material and components are needed for each product
 3. Inventory record files: contain data on current & future inventory status of each
product, component, and material. And which is divided in to three segments:
3.1. Item master data: it provided the item’s identification (part number)
3.2. Inventory status: it gives time phased record of inventory status (to know the
current level and future changes).
3.3. Subsidiary data: provides purchase, order, scrap or rejects, and Engineering
changes
Capacity planning: is the process of determining the resources required to meet the priority plan
Available capacity is affected by:
 Product specification
 Product mix
 Work effort
 Plant & Equipment
The three levels the capacity needs to be measured:
 Machine or individual worker
 Work center
 plant
Capacity Planning Procedures:
1. Availability
2. Utilization
3. Efficiency
4. Rated capacity
5. Demonstrated capacity: measured/demonstrated from historical data
6. Required Capacity
Capacity Requirement Planning: occurs at the level of MRP
The inputs for CRP are:
1. Open order files: it is a released order for quantity of parts to be manufactured and
delivery date
2. Planned order releases: are inputs for CRP process in the future time periods.
3. Routing files: the path that work follows from work center to work center
4. Work center: a particular production facility of one or more machines and/or people
to perform the same work.
 5. Shop calendar: information about the number of working days available
Technical Questions:
1. How do you understand the Saw milling Technology and can you tell us the familiar
machine types used for breaking down the logs into lumber?
3. The Saw milling technology is the process of changing harvested logs into end product called
lumber.
4. The machines used in saw milling process:
1.1. Band saw
1.2. Frame saw
1.3. Chiper canter
1.4. Circular saw
1.5. Edger
1.6. Trimer etc
2. Why we are drying wood in sawmill operations and how many drying methods are
familiar to you?
A newly felled tree contains large amounts of moisture and wood is a hygroscopic material
which gains MC as a result of changes in humidity. Therefore; Drying is a vital part of wood
processing activity which helps to reduce the MC for suitable processing, protection and
utilization
Protection: for avoiding microbial growth such as mould, blue stain and discoloration happens if
the wood is undried.
Utilization: for impregnation, better gluing and surface treatment and to reduce the weight (MC)
which can lower shipping costs,
Processing: To increase the strength properties (fixing and nailing) and easier to work with (like
cutting).
Boiler -Temperature -steam 8 days for dryer
There are several types of dryers
1) KILN DRYER (Conventional and Dehumidification kilns)
2) AIR DRYER AND
3) VACUUM DRYER
4) SOLAR DRYER
Conventional Kilns: uses steam flow into the kiln through pipes and radiates heat into the kiln’s
atmosphere.
Dehumidification Kilns: use electricity and more expensive than gas, more economical and
more environmentally friendly than conventional kilns because they recycle heat.
Vacuum Kilns: is 3 to 4 times more expensive than either conventional/dehumidification kilns
and very high-drying speed.
3. How many veneers peeling processes are familiar to you and tell us the importance of
heating in a hot water pond?
There are two types of veneer peeling methods
3.1. Rotary Method: for constriction plywood is used for structural support and
heavy-duty applications:
 It's commonly used for beams, hoardings, crates, bins, internal
structures, outdoor furniture, and boxes
3.2. Slicing Method: for decorative plywood which is used for aesthetic purposes
 used for high-quality furniture, interior paneling, or wall finishing
3.3. The importance of heating: is to soften/plasticize the log for processing which is
used to reduce the production cost and price of finished products and resultantly to
maximize the profit.