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Inventory control technician vs inventory specialist

The differences between inventory control technicians and inventory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory control technician has an average salary of $37,041, which is higher than the $35,752 average annual salary of an inventory specialist.

The top three skills for an inventory control technician include purchase orders, cycle counts and data entry. The most important skills for an inventory specialist are customer service, sales floor, and reservations.

Inventory control technician vs inventory specialist overview

Inventory Control TechnicianInventory Specialist
Yearly salary$37,041$35,752
Hourly rate$17.81$17.19
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs66,559161,107
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%High School Diploma, 33%
Average age3838
Years of experience--

What does an inventory control technician do?

An Inventory Control Technician oversees the storage conditions of products at warehouses, ensuring quality and efficiency. They typically set inventory control guidelines, conduct inventory inspections and assessments, gather and analyze data to develop solutions and action plans against issues, recommend storage and maintenance practices, review documentation, maintain records of transactions, and create strategies to optimize overall operations. Inventory Control Technicians lead and encourage staff to reach their goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does an inventory specialist do?

An Inventory Specialist's responsibility is to oversee the inventory in a warehouse or establishment. Most of the tasks of an Inventory Specialist revolve around monitoring the requisition, storage, and deliveries of supplies and merchandise to ensure the quality and quantity of the products. Moreover, the Inventory Specialist also has the responsibility to coordinate with store management when issues arise, train newly hired staff to be a valuable part of the workforce, and provide inventory reports and records to the administration.

Inventory control technician vs inventory specialist salary

Inventory control technicians and inventory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Inventory Control TechnicianInventory Specialist
Average salary$37,041$35,752
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $50,000Between $25,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Ensign Energy
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between inventory control technician and inventory specialist education

There are a few differences between an inventory control technician and an inventory specialist in terms of educational background:

Inventory Control TechnicianInventory Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 37%High School Diploma, 33%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Inventory control technician vs inventory specialist demographics

Here are the differences between inventory control technicians' and inventory specialists' demographics:

Inventory Control TechnicianInventory Specialist
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 71.7% Female, 28.3%Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between inventory control technician and inventory specialist duties and responsibilities

Inventory control technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage, review, analyze, verify, and ship raw, stock, purchase, QA, and manufacture materials.
  • Repair and troubleshoot equipment, work safely, good intrapersonal skills
  • Control, disperse and troubleshoot parts and equipment for field technicians daily.
  • Communicate inventory information with inter-officials.
  • Communicate inventory information with inter-officials.

Inventory specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage assign commodities by communicating MRP changes to the suppliers, minimizing obsolete inventory while achieving the optimum inventory targets.
  • Manage JDE ERP module for service department of finish goods for sale and field support.
  • Achieve establish average per hour (APH) counting goals while ensuring accuracy and integrity of the data collect.
  • Used WIS scanners to scan stock and download scanner information to computer.
  • Strategize to balance demand and delivery schedules due to expiration date of perishables.
  • Pick and pack any shipments for the customer and ship them through WMS application.
  • Show more

Inventory control technician vs inventory specialist skills

Common inventory control technician skills
  • Purchase Orders, 21%
  • Cycle Counts, 18%
  • Data Entry, 11%
  • Computer System, 5%
  • Inventory Control Procedures, 4%
  • Inventory Management, 4%
Common inventory specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 26%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • Reservations, 7%
  • Pallet Jack, 6%
  • Safety Standards, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%

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