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The differences between manufacturing engineers and packaging engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a manufacturing engineer, becoming a packaging engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a packaging engineer has an average salary of $88,452, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer include lean manufacturing, CAD and solidworks. The most important skills for a packaging engineer are CAD, project management, and solidworks.
| Manufacturing Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,522 | $88,452 |
| Hourly rate | $37.75 | $42.52 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 115,384 | 54,028 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
Manufacturing engineers and packaging engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,522 | $88,452 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $102,000 | Between $65,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer and a packaging engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Engineering And Industrial Management |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers' and packaging engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 13.1% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |