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The differences between continuous improvement engineers and manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a continuous improvement engineer, becoming a manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a continuous improvement engineer has an average salary of $78,918, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a continuous improvement engineer include lean manufacturing, lean six sigma and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Continuous Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,918 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $37.94 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 42,411 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
The duties of a continuous improvement engineer depend on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around developing systems to improve existing products or operations, coordinating with different teams to gather data, performing research and analysis, identifying areas needing improvement, and implementing new processes and systems. They may also address inquiries and concerns, responding to issues promptly and effectively. Furthermore, as a continuous improvement engineer, it is essential to build production systems in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Continuous improvement engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Continuous Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,918 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $103,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Woodland, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a continuous improvement engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Continuous Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between continuous improvement engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Continuous Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |