Capacity planner vs production scheduler

The differences between capacity planners and production schedulers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a capacity planner and a production scheduler. Additionally, a capacity planner has an average salary of $103,430, which is higher than the $49,367 average annual salary of a production scheduler.

The top three skills for a capacity planner include infrastructure, project management and SQL. The most important skills for a production scheduler are customer service, MRP, and continuous improvement.

Capacity planner vs production scheduler overview

	Capacity Planner	Production Scheduler
Yearly salary	$103,430	$49,367
Hourly rate	$49.73	$23.73
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	19,024	64,551
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a capacity planner do?

In the manufacturing industry, a capacity planner is primarily in charge of overseeing production facilities, developing detailed strategies to optimize their daily operations. They gather and review data from different departments, conduct research and analyses to determine the consumer and market demands, and assess production procedures to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems. A capacity planner utilizes their research findings to develop detailed plans and product roadmaps, including recommendations and solutions against problem areas.

What does a production scheduler do?

A production scheduler is in charge of developing manufacturing schedules to achieve short and long term production goals. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to understand the extent of all procedures, identifying the needs of clients, and devising strategies for optimal operations. They must also monitor the company's resources and workforce to ensure that everything runs smoothly in adherence to all schedules, making changes only when necessary. Furthermore, as a production scheduler, it is essential to encourage the workforce to reach goals and deadlines, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Capacity planner vs production scheduler salary

Capacity planners and production schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Capacity Planner	Production Scheduler
Average salary	$103,430	$49,367
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $144,000	Between $33,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Richmond, VA
Highest paying state	California	Virginia
Best paying company	Netflix	Amphenol
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between capacity planner and production scheduler education

There are a few differences between a capacity planner and a production scheduler in terms of educational background:

	Capacity Planner	Production Scheduler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Capacity planner vs production scheduler demographics

Here are the differences between capacity planners' and production schedulers' demographics:

	Capacity Planner	Production Scheduler
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 54.3% Female, 45.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between capacity planner and production scheduler duties and responsibilities

Capacity planner example responsibilities.

Manage bandwidth usage on copper-base colocation devices, central office switches and routers.
Manage various projects to implement MRP system correctly and cut supply cost and turn round time from supplier.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.
Develop capacity planning and performance system for all mainframe and Unix systems
Maintain WAN/LAN IP capacity for S.E.
Provide ERP training to new personnel.

Production scheduler example responsibilities.

Lead a Kaizen to improve efficiency and reduce non-value add work in the scheduling department.
Manage and purchase all MRO material inventory supplies for the production of automotive safety products.
Design, develop, and manage process of ordering and maintaining materials not migrate into ERP system.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.
Generate prioritize schedules by manufacturing work centers base on MRP requirements, material availability, and capacity constraints.
Inventory reduction, JIT, OTD ,

Capacity planner vs production scheduler skills

Common capacity planner skills

Infrastructure, 15%
Project Management, 10%
SQL, 7%
Tableau, 6%
Historical Data, 5%
Data Centers, 4%

Common production scheduler skills

Customer Service, 12%
MRP, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
ERP, 5%
Production Planning, 4%
Lean Manufacturing, 3%

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Capacity Planner
Capacity Planner vs Production Scheduler

Updated January 8, 2025

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