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The differences between design manufacturing engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a design manufacturing engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, a design manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $102,492, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for a design manufacturing engineer include CNC, continuous improvement and GD. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,492 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $49.27 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 127,555 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A design manufacturing engineer specializes in designing and developing manufacturing systems and equipment. They primarily conduct research and analyses, develop drafts and prototypes, set and implement test systems, troubleshoot issues, and maintain extensive records. They may also assess existing systems to identify their weaknesses and strengths, fix or repair components, perform adjustments, and provide technical support to staff as necessary. Moreover, a design manufacturing engineer empowers staff to reach goals and implements safety standards and policies for a safe and productive work environment.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Design manufacturing engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,492 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design manufacturing engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design manufacturing engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Design Manufacturing Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |