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The differences between manufacturing engineers lead and lean manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a manufacturing engineer lead and a lean manufacturing engineer. Additionally, a manufacturing engineer lead has an average salary of $88,937, which is higher than the $75,994 average annual salary of a lean manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineer lead include lean manufacturing, sigma and CAD. The most important skills for a lean manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, kaizen events, and process improvement.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Lean Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,937 | $75,994 |
| Hourly rate | $42.76 | $36.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,287 | 59,193 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Lead manufacturing engineers are responsible for assisting with new product expansion, product introduction, and pricing out planning for existing product lines alongside the implementation of engineering processes and principles. They help with the technical coordination between division and group leading manufacturing locations beyond the present site. Their duties include implementing manufacturing engineering to provide superior technical output promptly. Also, they fulfill technical subject matter competence, assist with the growth of organizational engineering or technical skills to reach the division and site strategies, as well as aid in the training for receiving and sending sites.
Lean manufacturing engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for executing the lean manufacturing method, a process that reduces waste in a manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity. These engineers must utilize lean tools and train all plant personnel about using these tools to identify wastes and reduce costs. They must lead the process improvement teams to initiate activities that eliminate waste in all aspects of the operation. Lean manufacturing engineers must also perform cost or benefit analysts to determine the return of investment (ROI) of capital expenditures and project initiatives.
Manufacturing engineers lead and lean manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Lean Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,937 | $75,994 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $112,000 | Between $59,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Milpitas, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Stryker | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineer lead and a lean manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Lean Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Industrial Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineers lead' and lean manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineer Lead | Lean Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 84.4% Female, 15.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |