Inventory planner vs supply technician

The differences between inventory planners and supply technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inventory planner has an average salary of $65,504, which is higher than the $36,280 average annual salary of a supply technician.

The top three skills for an inventory planner include supply chain, purchase orders and logistics. The most important skills for a supply technician are customer service, patients, and inventory management.

Inventory planner vs supply technician overview

	Inventory Planner	Supply Technician
Yearly salary	$65,504	$36,280
Hourly rate	$31.49	$17.44
Growth rate	-3%	1%
Number of jobs	37,034	34,106
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	38
Years of experience	2	-

What does an inventory planner do?

An inventory planner is an individual who is responsible for creating effective inventory plans and strategies to maximize profitability for an organization. Inventory planners are required to produce documents that detail the quantity specifications of the organization's product or equipment. They must maintain their files updated about the inventory by recording them into the organization's databases to avoid possible discrepancies. Inventory planners must also predict future inventory needs and producing plans for buying based on forecasts and sales data.

What does a supply technician do?

In a warehouse setting, a supply technician is responsible for handling all the incoming and outgoing products, ensuring accuracy in inventory and logistics. Most of the time, they are in charge of maintaining and keeping records, loading and unloading shipments and deliveries, verifying invoices, and processing documents. A supply technician often works under the supervision of a manager or supervisor, and it is essential to report any complicated issues that need to be resolved. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations and maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Inventory planner vs supply technician salary

Inventory planners and supply technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inventory Planner	Supply Technician
Average salary	$65,504	$36,280
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $93,000	Between $25,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	San Bruno, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Entegris	Applied Materials
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between inventory planner and supply technician education

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

	Inventory Planner	Supply Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	-

Inventory planner vs supply technician demographics

Here are the differences between inventory planners' and supply technicians' demographics:

	Inventory Planner	Supply Technician
Average age	45	38
Gender ratio	Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between inventory planner and supply technician duties and responsibilities

Inventory planner example responsibilities.

Develop process to manage import orders to manage time and inventory more effectively JDA E3 certify.
Participate in SIOP meeting and coordinate with all function teams and regional/global team to achieve corporate KPI.
Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Review stock levels, imbalances and data integrity in JDA to ensure the supply plan is generating accurate information.
Handle complex monthly reconciliations and daily/weekly journal entries to ensure AR balance accuracy.
Facilitate communication channels between the sales groups and corporate logistics to drive improve demand forecast.

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Supply technician example responsibilities.

Manage the accountability of all battalion CTA, TDA, and MTOE equipment.
Manage appropriate disposal of expire pharmaceutical products in accordance with HAZMAT regulations.
Cataloge property, maintain property records and manage inventory using PBUSE system.
Perform and record daily testing of sterility of all autoclaves and Sterrad in the hospital.
Assist with the hazardous material (HAZMAT) team with classification, segregation and documentation of hazardous materials.
Operate automatic washer/decontamination unit, all autoclaves and the Sterrad sterilizer.

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Inventory planner vs supply technician skills

Common inventory planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Logistics, 8%
Manage Inventory, 8%
Inventory Planning, 7%
Historical Data, 4%

Common supply technician skills

Customer Service, 13%
Patients, 12%
Inventory Management, 6%
Storage Management, 5%
DOD, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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