Manufacturing planner vs production clerk

The differences between manufacturing planners and production clerks 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 planner and a production clerk. Additionally, a manufacturing planner has an average salary of $65,109, which is higher than the $32,281 average annual salary of a production clerk.

The top three skills for a manufacturing planner include BOM, shop floor and engineering drawings. The most important skills for a production clerk are basic math, data entry, and safety procedures.

Manufacturing planner vs production clerk overview

	Manufacturing Planner	Production Clerk
Yearly salary	$65,109	$32,281
Hourly rate	$31.30	$15.52
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	46,577	241,271
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a manufacturing planner do?

It is the responsibility of a manufacturing planner to keep track of the production schedule. The duties of manufacturing planners involve the development of a master schedule with management consultation. They oversee the workflow of the production hub or facility. Their job includes the coordination of the production of one or more products. They ensure the promptness and accuracy of the production process. Also, they plan and prioritize the overall process for efficiency.

What does a production clerk do?

Production clerks are involved with parts, warehousing, and inventory management operations. Those who choose this career path will be required to review and distribute production, work, and shipment schedules, as well as confer with department supervisors in order to determine the progress of work and completion dates. Production clerks also compile reports on things like work progress, inventory levels, cost, and production issues.

Manufacturing planner vs production clerk salary

Manufacturing planners and production clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Manufacturing Planner	Production Clerk
Average salary	$65,109	$32,281
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $89,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Micron Technology	Rich Products
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between manufacturing planner and production clerk education

There are a few differences between a manufacturing planner and a production clerk in terms of educational background:

	Manufacturing Planner	Production Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Manufacturing planner vs production clerk demographics

Here are the differences between manufacturing planners' and production clerks' demographics:

	Manufacturing Planner	Production Clerk
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.2% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between manufacturing planner and production clerk duties and responsibilities

Manufacturing planner example responsibilities.

Manage the kanban system for the entire plant, consisting of rubber, nylon, and metal compounds.
Manage inventory levels for commodities of raw materials.
Monitor WIP ensuring products are complete in order to meet require customer due dates.
Reduce WIP costs and negative inventory by eliminating errors in BOMs and material transactions.
Update BOM for existing test plans, and create and populate BOM for new (production) planning.
Document all BOM requirements such as raw material, hardware and any other supplies necessary to produce the product.

Production clerk example responsibilities.

Flight line expediter ensures maintenance accomplishment and sortie production by managing, controlling and directing allocate resources and personnel.
Clean windows, glass partitions, and mirrors with water and other cleaners with sponges and squeegees.
Coordinate with multiple sewing facilities to expedite late customer orders.
Ship via fed ex and ups.
Observe and follow GMP guidelines ensuring product quality.
Perform cycle counting of WIP and complete inventories.

Manufacturing planner vs production clerk skills

Common manufacturing planner skills

BOM, 10%
Shop Floor, 8%
Engineering Drawings, 7%
Lean Manufacturing, 7%
Production Schedules, 6%
Production Planning, 5%

Common production clerk skills

Basic Math, 16%
Data Entry, 16%
Safety Procedures, 8%
Math, 8%
Production Reports, 4%
GMP, 4%

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Manufacturing Planner
Manufacturing Planner vs Production Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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