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The differences between manufacturing associate engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a manufacturing associate engineer, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $74,120 average annual salary of a manufacturing associate engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing associate engineer include process control, CAD and continuous improvement. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,120 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $35.63 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 59,464 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
An associate manufacturing engineer is in charge of creating methods and strategies to optimize the design and development of manufacturing procedures, typically working alongside manufacturing engineers. Among their responsibilities include performing research and analysis, establishing guidelines and specifications, monitoring the budgets and processes, conducting maintenance checks, and keeping an active communication line with team members for a smooth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, an associate manufacturing engineer must promote and enforce the company's safety policies and regulations.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Manufacturing associate engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,120 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $90,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mahwah, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Masimo | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing associate engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing associate engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |