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The differences between finishing technicians and production technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a finishing technician and a production technician. Additionally, a production technician has an average salary of $37,550, which is higher than the $35,050 average annual salary of a finishing technician.
The top three skills for a finishing technician include hand tools, grinders and pallets. The most important skills for a production technician are hand tools, preventative maintenance, and quality checks.
| Finishing Technician | Production Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,050 | $37,550 |
| Hourly rate | $16.85 | $18.05 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 43,972 | 135,266 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
With great attention to detail, a finishing technician must have the ability to use all the machinery provided to finish a job. Finishing technicians must work long hours on sketches, blueprints, and other specifications. They must execute quality work to deadlines and adapt to changes that might occur between process implementations. They are responsible for training staff on machines and troubleshooting when issues arise. They are also responsible for quality control on finished products.
A production technician is an individual who is responsible for assembling and testing manufactured goods before they are marketed to the general public. Production technicians usually work with manufacturing and quality assurance personnel to ensure that high-quality work standards are implemented by workers. By maintaining high-quality work, production technicians must implement up-to-date, efficient methods of production as well as production equipment maintenance procedures. They also schedule training for workers and educate them regularly on health and safety regulations.
Finishing technicians and production technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finishing Technician | Production Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,050 | $37,550 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baton Rouge, LA | Frederick, MD |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Promega | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a finishing technician and a production technician in terms of educational background:
| Finishing Technician | Production Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between finishing technicians' and production technicians' demographics:
| Finishing Technician | Production Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |