Line supervisor vs materials supervisor

The differences between line supervisors and materials supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a line supervisor and a materials supervisor. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $55,107 average annual salary of a line supervisor.

The top three skills for a line supervisor include safety procedures, direct supervision and safety rules. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Line supervisor vs materials supervisor overview

	Line Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$55,107	$67,592
Hourly rate	$26.49	$32.50
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	105,473	61,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a line supervisor do?

A line supervisor is responsible for monitoring the line operations within an organization, ensuring the adequacy of line staff on production, and supervising the quality control processes. Line supervisors enforce the highest safety standards and procedures within the premises to avoid operation hazards that might cause delays in the production. They also train new employees, coordinate with the management for process improvement, and develop strategic techniques to minimize excessive costings without compromising the service quality.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Line supervisor vs materials supervisor salary

Line supervisors and materials supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Line Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$55,107	$67,592
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $83,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Ewing, NJ	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Wyoming
Best paying company	EMC Insurance	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between line supervisor and materials supervisor education

There are a few differences between a line supervisor and a materials supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Line Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Line supervisor vs materials supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between line supervisors' and materials supervisors' demographics:

	Line Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line supervisor and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

Line supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the quality control, safety, and sanitation for the second-process of poultry processing while adhering to FDA regulations.
Manage and develop associates base on organizational and developmental needs/conduct monthly one-on-ones with each employee to provide guidance and leadership.
Schedule crewing (union shop), production scheduling, MRP.
Run mechanical machinery to package FDA control medicine, build cardboard displays for different products and package them.
Operate manual and pneumatic tools and machinery used in the maintenance of vessels, HVAC and ice arena equipment.
Train maintenance personnel in diagnosing and repairing machines to minimize downtime and cost associated with the operation of all machinery.

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Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

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Line supervisor vs materials supervisor skills

Common line supervisor skills

Safety Procedures, 15%
Direct Supervision, 14%
Safety Rules, 8%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Food Safety, 5%
Assembly Line, 5%

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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