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Industrial engineer vs development engineer

The differences between industrial engineers and development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an industrial engineer, becoming a development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a development engineer has an average salary of $93,206, which is higher than the $76,501 average annual salary of an industrial engineer.

The top three skills for an industrial engineer include continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and sigma. The most important skills for a development engineer are java, python, and software development.

Industrial engineer vs development engineer overview

Industrial EngineerDevelopment Engineer
Yearly salary$76,501$93,206
Hourly rate$36.78$44.81
Growth rate10%2%
Number of jobs46,756224,881
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4241
Years of experience46

What does an industrial engineer do?

An industrial engineer specializes in devising various systems to improve the workflow and the workforce in a manufacturing setting. One of their primary responsibilities is to understand all of the procedures in a manufacturing plant and develop strategies to resolve issues or improve production operations, such as designing a cost-efficient machine or system that will enhance the quality of goods and boost the productivity of workers. Moreover, it is also essential to adhere to all the company's policies and safety regulations to maintain a safe and productive work environment for all employees.

What does a development engineer do?

A Development Engineer is responsible for the development and validation of products, systems, and components. They are also responsible for quality control of work and continuous improvement of engineer activities.

Industrial engineer vs development engineer salary

Industrial engineers and development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Industrial EngineerDevelopment Engineer
Average salary$76,501$93,206
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $97,000Between $70,000 And $122,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaWashington
Best paying companyAppleMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between industrial engineer and development engineer education

There are a few differences between an industrial engineer and a development engineer in terms of educational background:

Industrial EngineerDevelopment Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorIndustrial EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityMichigan Technological University

Industrial engineer vs development engineer demographics

Here are the differences between industrial engineers' and development engineers' demographics:

Industrial EngineerDevelopment Engineer
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 80.2% Female, 19.8%Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 12.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage4%5%

Differences between industrial engineer and development engineer duties and responsibilities

Industrial engineer example responsibilities.

  • Plan, manage, lead and execute projects from conception to successful completion using the DMAIC methodology.
  • Manage development of equipment, which include electrical systems, PLC programming, pneumatic circuits, hydraulic systems and fixtures.
  • Lead PDCA project to reduce order sizing defects that impact customer product delivery, avoiding $230K in lose revenue.
  • Utilize AutoCad for plant layout modifications or capital projects.
  • Train new IE's in the work group in labor reporting, equipment cycle timing and labor standards.
  • Lead for manufacturing relate continuous improvement activities including Kaizen events to improve production efficiency b
  • Show more

Development engineer example responsibilities.

  • Used RS.exe from command line to automate report execution, export to PDF and archive to FTP site.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
  • Develop python code on Linux kernel (raspberry pi) for battery monitoring system.
  • Migrate an existing J2EE application to MVC framework.
  • Develop LINUX device driver for new real-time clock chip support.
  • Help in modifying shell scripts to convert from IBM AIX to Linux.
  • Show more

Industrial engineer vs development engineer skills

Common industrial engineer skills
  • Continuous Improvement, 9%
  • Lean Manufacturing, 7%
  • Sigma, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Lean Six Sigma, 4%
Common development engineer skills
  • Java, 17%
  • Python, 9%
  • Software Development, 5%
  • JavaScript, 5%
  • Lifecycle Management, 4%
  • UI, 3%

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