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Lean manufacturing engineer vs product development engineer

The differences between lean manufacturing engineers and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lean manufacturing engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $75,994 average annual salary of a lean manufacturing engineer.

The top three skills for a lean manufacturing engineer include lean manufacturing, kaizen events and process improvement. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.

Lean manufacturing engineer vs product development engineer overview

Lean Manufacturing EngineerProduct Development Engineer
Yearly salary$75,994$86,075
Hourly rate$36.54$41.38
Growth rate10%2%
Number of jobs59,193202,155
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4341
Years of experience26

What does a lean manufacturing engineer do?

Lean manufacturing engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for executing the lean manufacturing method, a process that reduces waste in a manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity. These engineers must utilize lean tools and train all plant personnel about using these tools to identify wastes and reduce costs. They must lead the process improvement teams to initiate activities that eliminate waste in all aspects of the operation. Lean manufacturing engineers must also perform cost or benefit analysts to determine the return of investment (ROI) of capital expenditures and project initiatives.

What does a product development engineer do?

A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.

Lean manufacturing engineer vs product development engineer salary

Lean manufacturing engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lean Manufacturing EngineerProduct Development Engineer
Average salary$75,994$86,075
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $97,000Between $64,000 And $113,000
Highest paying CityMilpitas, CASunnyvale, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyStrykerAmazon
Best paying industryFinanceTechnology

Differences between lean manufacturing engineer and product development engineer education

There are a few differences between a lean manufacturing engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:

Lean Manufacturing EngineerProduct Development Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorIndustrial EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMichigan Technological University

Lean manufacturing engineer vs product development engineer demographics

Here are the differences between lean manufacturing engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:

Lean Manufacturing EngineerProduct Development Engineer
Average age4341
Gender ratioMale, 84.4% Female, 15.6%Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between lean manufacturing engineer and product development engineer duties and responsibilities

Lean manufacturing engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
  • Develop the Kanban system base upon customer demand to reduce inventory, overproduction and increase cycle times.
  • Update and clarify processes as needed to ensure they conform to ISO, GMP and FDA standards.
  • Support implementation infrastructure of Kanban system to the production floor.
  • Compile and update documentation require by OSHA and ISO certification.
  • Champion ergonomics evaluation team, assess manufacturing projects for ergonomic risk and generate solutions to resolve or mitigate risk exposure.
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Product development engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage design control including FMEA risk analysis, surgeon clinical input documentation, design verification and validation activities.
  • Manage project from conceptual design through final debugging and animal/clinical testing resulting in a new business unit within the company.
  • Create java test template design to vary equation specs and loop pattern bursts.
  • Develop and maintain websites in HTML, CSS and JAVA script by writing, debugging, and testing.
  • Set up, troubleshot and maintain the Linux and Unix machines used in the development, build and test of ADINA.
  • Participate in engineering DFMEA activities.
  • Show more

Lean manufacturing engineer vs product development engineer skills

Common lean manufacturing engineer skills
  • Lean Manufacturing, 15%
  • Kaizen Events, 7%
  • Process Improvement, 6%
  • Sigma, 5%
  • Kanban, 5%
  • PDCA, 4%
Common product development engineer skills
  • CAD, 6%
  • Solidworks, 5%
  • Product Development, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
  • Product Design, 4%

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