Material controller vs production controller

The differences between material controllers and production controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a material controller and a production controller. Additionally, a production controller has an average salary of $53,125, which is higher than the $41,064 average annual salary of a material controller.

The top three skills for a material controller include computer system, purchase orders and hazardous materials. The most important skills for a production controller are production control, production planning, and logistics.

Material controller vs production controller overview

	Material Controller	Production Controller
Yearly salary	$41,064	$53,125
Hourly rate	$19.74	$25.54
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	93,578	71,747
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a material controller do?

A material controller coordinates the movement of materials between departments. This position's duties include creating records of materials' movements in the company, negotiating with vendors, carrying out safety checks, and ensuring operations follow company and industry regulations. They must work in collaboration with other departments in the company to perform their duties effectively.

What does a production controller do?

A production controller is in charge of overseeing manufacturing operations, ensuring the workflow adheres to the quality standards, budgets, and deadlines. It is their duty to develop production and inventory control techniques, coordinate with managers to establish objectives and guidelines, review production plans and job orders, and supervise the supply chain operations. They also monitor every procedure, implement solutions in problem areas, and produce progress reports as needed. Furthermore, as a production controller, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with the production team while implementing the company's protocols and policies.

Material controller vs production controller salary

Material controllers and production controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Material Controller	Production Controller
Average salary	$41,064	$53,125
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $68,000	Between $37,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Lancaster, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Aviation Technology Group	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between material controller and production controller education

There are a few differences between a material controller and a production controller in terms of educational background:

	Material Controller	Production Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Material controller vs production controller demographics

Here are the differences between material controllers' and production controllers' demographics:

	Material Controller	Production Controller
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2%	Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between material controller and production controller duties and responsibilities

Material controller example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate customer delivery commits between production, engineering and logistics.
Assist to establish EDI with vendors.
Perform cleaning duties, range from cleaning sales floor to cleaning windows.
Provide training in SPC, wafer cleaning, final inspection and reactor operations.
Enter data into RF scanner to load and manipulate data and to produce reports.
Prepare and update weekly material report, material requirement planning (MRP) and end of life (EOL) report.

Production controller example responsibilities.

Manage multiple windows to access accurate inventory, P.O numbers and job numbers.
Schedule production and manage inventory of raw materials and finish products using the MRP inventory control system.
Manage production order releases base on space, capacity, man power and indenture BOM build schemes.
Provide management with visibility of material shortages, backlogs, manage WIP variances and other potential schedule conflicts.
Manage warehouse and shipping departments, responsible for outsourcing secondary machining of materials, purchasing MRO supplies and logistics.
Flight line expediter ensures maintenance accomplishment and sortie production by managing, controlling and directing allocate resources and personnel.

Material controller vs production controller skills

Common material controller skills

Computer System, 12%
Purchase Orders, 11%
Hazardous Materials, 10%
FAA, 6%
MSDS, 5%
Inventory Control, 4%

Common production controller skills

Production Control, 28%
Production Planning, 14%
Logistics, 6%
Control Procedures, 5%
Production Schedules, 3%
MRP, 3%

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Material Controller
Material Controller vs Production Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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