Fabrication supervisor vs materials supervisor

The differences between fabrication supervisors and materials supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a fabrication supervisor and a materials supervisor. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $60,478 average annual salary of a fabrication supervisor.

The top three skills for a fabrication supervisor include continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and employee development. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Fabrication supervisor vs materials supervisor overview

	Fabrication Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$60,478	$67,592
Hourly rate	$29.08	$32.50
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	41,404	61,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a fabrication supervisor do?

A fabrication supervisor coordinates a team that fabricates materials such as structural steel. They oversee workflow, supervise employees, assign duties, order materials, ensure a safe workplace, improve employee efficiency, and provide leadership. Having production experience, good written and oral communication, decisiveness, computer literacy, time management skills, compassion, negotiation abilities, and an industrial degree are all needed to become a fabrication supervisor.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Fabrication supervisor vs materials supervisor salary

Fabrication supervisors and materials supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fabrication Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$60,478	$67,592
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $90,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	-	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between fabrication supervisor and materials supervisor education

There are a few differences between a fabrication supervisor and a materials supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Fabrication Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Fabrication supervisor vs materials supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between fabrication supervisors' and materials supervisors' demographics:

	Fabrication Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between fabrication supervisor and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

Fabrication supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.
Lead fabric team to update and prepare FDS, BOM, PLM.
Implement adopt fabrications each season into PLM system.
Create drawings in both AutoCAD 2004 and Solidworks 2002.
Train each welder to obtain various AWS and ASME welding certifications.
Utilize MIG and FCAW welding processes to fabricate roofs for mobile classrooms.

Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

Fabrication supervisor vs materials supervisor skills

Common fabrication supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 10%
Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Employee Development, 8%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Quality Standards, 6%
Safety Standards, 4%

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Fabrication Supervisor
Fabrication Supervisor vs Materials Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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