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The differences between manufacturing project engineers and product design 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 project engineer, becoming a product design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product design engineer has an average salary of $94,827, which is higher than the $82,447 average annual salary of a manufacturing project engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing project engineer include project management, lean manufacturing and capital projects. The most important skills for a product design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,447 | $94,827 |
| Hourly rate | $39.64 | $45.59 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 70,267 | 170,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A manufacturing project engineer specializes in designing and developing a variety of equipment and systems, ensuring compliance with the industry's laws and standards. It is their duty to determine and identify the needs of every project, conceptualize plans, coordinate with staff and other experts, create prototypes and test structures, and develop guidelines. They may also provide technical support, assess existing systems, and implement solutions when necessary. Furthermore, they must maintain an active communication line with the workforce while implementing the facility's safety policies and regulations.
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
Manufacturing project engineers and product design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,447 | $94,827 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $113,000 | Between $69,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Cirrus Aircraft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing project engineer and a product design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing project engineers' and product design engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Project Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 12.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |