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The differences between manufacturing development 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 development 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 $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 engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,888 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 105,577 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 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 development engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,888 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lumileds | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing development engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | 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 development engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |