Master planner vs production planner

The differences between master planners and production planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a master planner and a production planner. Additionally, a master planner has an average salary of $80,433, which is higher than the $60,390 average annual salary of a production planner.

The top three skills for a master planner include MRP, continuous improvement and program management. The most important skills for a production planner are customer service, MRP, and ERP.

Master planner vs production planner overview

	Master Planner	Production Planner
Yearly salary	$80,433	$60,390
Hourly rate	$38.67	$29.03
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	26,869	68,717
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a master planner do?

A master planner is responsible for creating and implementing inventory and overseeing shipment master schedules. You will develop planning tools to obtain stakeholders' approval, and convey and liaise master production schedule to ensure schedule availability. Additionally, your role will require you to plan the calendar to ensure monthly updates to the master production schedule. You are also responsible for developing, executing, and maintaining the tools and techniques needed to evaluate the effect of proposed changes to the schedule.

What does a production planner do?

Production planners or schedulers are employees who take charge of the timeliness and accuracy of the production process. The planners develop production schedules which detail the tasks that need to be done to meet the set completion date. They emphasize the goods and materials necessary in the production phase. It is their job to make sure that the working space is well-maintained for optimal performance. They also manage the flow of information during production.

Master planner vs production planner salary

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

	Master Planner	Production Planner
Average salary	$80,433	$60,390
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $102,000	Between $44,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Newark, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Huntsman	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Energy

Differences between master planner and production planner education

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

	Master Planner	Production Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Master planner vs production planner demographics

Here are the differences between master planners' and production planners' demographics:

	Master Planner	Production Planner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 64.9% Female, 35.1%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between master planner and production planner duties and responsibilities

Master planner example responsibilities.

Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.
Enter sales orders into JD Edwards (MRP) system and assign work order with sales order.
Generate daily status reports for managers, create and distribute WIP report on MRB/RMA materials per department.
Decrease WIP inventory, improve response to retail demand changes, drive inventory cost reductions and decreases in returns.
Develop all turnaround lift plans, monitor / track subcontractor QA/QC, adherence to design/industry specifications and all safety performance.
Forecast DRP shipments by brand, size, source points.

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Production planner example responsibilities.

Manage large supply base consolidations for both production parts and MRO items.
Manage customer accounts from small first time customers to large OEM's.
Manage and update inventory plan base on ABC and MTO statistic data.
Provide leadership and manage production JCL analyst team supporting and recovering of production job streams.
Track managed backlog dollars, OEM, finish product, and make to order specialty products.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.

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Master planner vs production planner skills

Common master planner skills

MRP, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Program Management, 6%
On-Time Delivery, 5%
Logistics, 5%
Master Plan, 4%

Common production planner skills

Customer Service, 11%
MRP, 9%
ERP, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
On-Time Delivery, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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