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The differences between manufacturing development engineers and product development 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 development engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $77,888 average annual salary of a manufacturing development engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing development engineer include R, medical devices and sigma. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,888 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 105,577 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing development engineer works to improve the process of making products. The responsibilities of this position are repairing equipment used in manufacturing, purchasing and installing manufacturing equipment, designing new procedures and systems, diagnosing problems with machinery, supervising other engineering and technical staff, and managing the budget for the development engineering staff. They are also responsible for designing, creating, and testing new products. This position requires a mechanical engineering or bioengineering degree.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Manufacturing development engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,888 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lumileds | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing development engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing development engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |