Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between manufacturing controls 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 controls engineer and a production engineer. Additionally, a manufacturing controls engineer has an average salary of $96,327, which is higher than the $89,727 average annual salary of a production engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing controls engineer include PLC, CNC and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Manufacturing Controls Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,327 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $46.31 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,699 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A manufacturing controls engineer ensures the manufacturing process of a plant is run efficiently and complies with all safety standards. Their role is to develop equipment to monitor and control efficiency of engineering systems and machinery, implement processes that will help manufacturers increase productivity, conduct research, test and analyze designs, and monitor the strategies implemented to ensure functionality. This position requires an engineering degree.
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 controls engineers and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Controls Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,327 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $125,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | JUUL | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing controls engineer and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Controls Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing controls engineers' and production engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Controls Engineer | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 10.1% White, 69.1% 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% |