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The differences between industrial engineering managers and production engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial engineering manager and a production engineer. Additionally, an industrial engineering manager has an average salary of $106,039, which is higher than the $89,727 average annual salary of a production engineer.
The top three skills for an industrial engineering manager include project management, lean manufacturing and logistics. The most important skills for a production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,039 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $50.98 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 71,566 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Industrial engineering managers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,039 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $157,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an industrial engineering manager and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between industrial engineering managers' and production engineers' demographics:
| Industrial Engineering Manager | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |