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The differences between manufacturing engineering technicians and senior manufacturing 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 engineering technician, becoming a senior manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior manufacturing engineer has an average salary of $93,853, which is higher than the $53,219 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineering technician.
The top three skills for a manufacturing engineering technician include continuous improvement, troubleshoot and production equipment. The most important skills for a senior manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and sigma.
| Manufacturing Engineering Technician | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $53,219 | $93,853 |
| Hourly rate | $25.59 | $45.12 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 99,347 | 97,154 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A manufacturing engineering technician is responsible for supporting the manufacturing processes of industrial operations by providing technical assistance on the design development procedures. Manufacturing engineering technicians inspect the efficiency and consistency of plans and perform multiple diagnostic tests to ensure that the product performs to its highest condition. They also recommend cost-reduction techniques while providing high-quality outputs and deliverables. A manufacturing engineering technician must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially on troubleshooting equipment and writing progress reports for reference.
A Senior Manufacturing Engineer works in a company's production operations and is responsible for developing and improving manufacturing processes. They analyze and propose solutions to engineering problems.
Manufacturing engineering technicians and senior manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Engineering Technician | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $53,219 | $93,853 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $75,000 | Between $71,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | California |
| Best paying company | Lam Research | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing engineering technician and a senior manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Engineering Technician | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Purdue University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing engineering technicians' and senior manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Engineering Technician | Senior Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |