Manufacturing leader vs production supervisor

The differences between manufacturing leaders and production supervisors 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 leader and a production supervisor. Additionally, a manufacturing leader has an average salary of $89,761, which is higher than the $63,391 average annual salary of a production supervisor.

The top three skills for a manufacturing leader include lean manufacturing, continuous improvement and GMP. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Manufacturing leader vs production supervisor overview

	Manufacturing Leader	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$89,761	$63,391
Hourly rate	$43.15	$30.48
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	87,299	83,529
Job satisfaction	5	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a manufacturing leader do?

A manufacturing leader or production leader is someone who takes charge of the manufacturer's production process. Manufacturing leaders plan, organize, and establish a recommendation for manufacturing strategies. They make sure that products are successfully developed based on the specifications. They supervise the teams working in product development and operations. It is part of their job to ensure great production management. They study successes and failures and emphasize growth. Also, they inspire and engage staff at every level of the manufacturing process.

What does a production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Manufacturing leader vs production supervisor salary

Manufacturing leaders and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Manufacturing Leader	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$89,761	$63,391
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $126,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Western Digital	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Health Care	Automotive

Differences between manufacturing leader and production supervisor education

There are a few differences between a manufacturing leader and a production supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Manufacturing Leader	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Manufacturing leader vs production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between manufacturing leaders' and production supervisors' demographics:

	Manufacturing Leader	Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between manufacturing leader and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manufacturing leader example responsibilities.

Manage the non-conformance records and coordinate with QA on keeping performances metrics up to date and post in the work cell.
Manage and develop associates base on organizational and developmental needs/conduct monthly one-on-ones with each employee to provide guidance and leadership.
Create wiring schematics for custom jobs for PLC wiring.
Maintain the smooth flow of work through the shop and troubleshoot any issues.
Run, setup, troubleshoot, and maintain coil fed presses and progressive dies.
Verify and update NC programming for Allen-Bradly and Omron PLC driven high-speed conveyor systems.

Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

Manufacturing leader vs production supervisor skills

Common manufacturing leader skills

Lean Manufacturing, 11%
Continuous Improvement, 8%
GMP, 6%
Harvest, 5%
Sigma, 4%
Value Stream, 4%

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Manufacturing Leader vs Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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