Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between manufacturing associate engineers and production engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a manufacturing associate engineer and a production engineer. Additionally, a production engineer has an average salary of $89,727, 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 production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,120 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $35.63 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 59,464 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Manufacturing associate engineers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,120 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $90,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mahwah, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Masimo | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing associate engineer and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing associate engineers' and production engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Associate Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |