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The differences between lean manufacturing engineers and quality control 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 quality control engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lean manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $75,994, which is higher than the $70,845 average annual salary of a quality control engineer.
The top three skills for a lean manufacturing engineer include lean manufacturing, kaizen events and process improvement. The most important skills for a quality control engineer are product quality, quality standards, and corrective action.
| Lean Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,994 | $70,845 |
| Hourly rate | $36.54 | $34.06 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 59,193 | 109,745 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A quality control engineer is responsible for conducting quality assessments for the company's products and services to ensure adherence to federal regulations and quality standards. Quality control engineers recommend strategic methods by analyzing processes and writing test results. They also identify opportunities for more services that meet public demands and market trends, helping the business generate more resources for revenues. A quality control engineer utilizes various software tools and applications to document findings, requiring them to have excellent communication and technical skills.
Lean manufacturing engineers and quality control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lean Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,994 | $70,845 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $97,000 | Between $53,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Milpitas, CA | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Stryker | Intuitive Surgical |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lean manufacturing engineer and a quality control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lean Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between lean manufacturing engineers' and quality control engineers' demographics:
| Lean Manufacturing Engineer | Quality Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |