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The differences between manufacturing technicians and equipment maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a manufacturing technician, becoming an equipment maintenance technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an equipment maintenance technician has an average salary of $45,945, which is higher than the $37,853 average annual salary of a manufacturing technician.
The top three skills for a manufacturing technician include GMP, continuous improvement and hand tools. The most important skills for an equipment maintenance technician are equipment maintenance, hand tools, and preventive maintenance.
| Manufacturing Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,853 | $45,945 |
| Hourly rate | $18.20 | $22.09 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 76,490 | 168,523 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A manufacturing technician, or often called a manufacturing production technician, is an individual who is responsible for setting and testing manufacturing machinery or equipment. To set up the machines, manufacturing technicians will use electronic, electrical, mechanical, or computer technologies. They are responsible for gathering data from their part in the manufacturing process and reporting it to their production or manufacturing engineers. When handling machines or equipment, manufacturing technicians must strictly follow their health and safety procedures and protocols.
An equipment maintenance technician is responsible for ensuring the stability and efficiency of all production tools and equipment to support smooth business functions and operations. Equipment maintenance technicians conduct regular maintenance for optimization, repair defective components, and inspect equipment parts to identify possible upgrades and replacements. They also assemble equipment and machinery, requiring them to have excellent mechanical and critical-thinking skills to analyze schematics and blueprints accurately. An equipment maintenance technician must be highly communicative and organizational, especially in adhering to the highest safety standards and protocols during operations.
Manufacturing technicians and equipment maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,853 | $45,945 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $52,000 | Between $35,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Framingham, MA | Hayward, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Qorvo | Vicor |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing technician and an equipment maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between manufacturing technicians' and equipment maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Manufacturing Technician | Equipment Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 2% |