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The differences between industrial engineering managers and plant managers 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 engineering manager, becoming a plant manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, which is higher than the $106,039 average annual salary of an industrial engineering manager.
The top three skills for an industrial engineering manager include project management, lean manufacturing and logistics. The most important skills for a plant manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and safety program.
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $106,039 | $113,843 |
| Hourly rate | $50.98 | $54.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 71,566 | 275,962 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Industrial Engineering Managers are responsible for supervising the production team and leading operational improvements for an organization. Their duties include managing activities relating to industrial engineering, undertaking spatial utilization and workflow studies, modifying assembly lines, managing staff performance, and creating progress reports. They are responsible for approving budgets, developing wastage reduction and labor optimization strategies, and designing tools to improve the production system. The Industrial Engineering manager also assists in staff development programs, keeps abreast with engineering processes knowledge, and ensures all work complies with safety standards.
In general, plant managers are responsible for the entire operations in a manufacturing plant. Plant managers plan, direct, organize, and run the optimum operations of the plant daily. They create and execute organizational or departmental goals procedures, and policies. They aim to increase the manufacturing production and the capacity and flexibility of its assets while keeping its current quality standards and unnecessary costs. They are expected to have a better understanding of the manufacturing industry like equipment use and mechanical aptitude.
Industrial engineering managers and plant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Average salary | $106,039 | $113,843 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $157,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an industrial engineering manager and a plant manager in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between industrial engineering managers' and plant managers' demographics:
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |