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Material controller vs project planner

The differences between material controllers and project 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 material controller and a project planner. Additionally, a project planner has an average salary of $86,926, 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 project planner are project management, project planning, and microsoft project.

Material controller vs project planner overview

Material ControllerProject Planner
Yearly salary$41,064$86,926
Hourly rate$19.74$41.79
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs93,57856,558
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

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 project planner do?

A project planner is responsible for determining project management procedures according to business requirements and client specifications. Project planners schedule deliverables of outputs for every milestone to ensure that the team follows the track of guidelines, adhering to the company policies and project plans. They write status reports, conduct cost expenses analysis, and strategize techniques in maximizing the team's productivity and efficiency. A project planner also identifies opportunities to improve project workloads and adjust procedures as necessary to meet the highest goals and objectives.

Material controller vs project planner salary

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

Material ControllerProject Planner
Average salary$41,064$86,926
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $68,000Between $63,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityLancaster, CADavis, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAviation Technology GroupNovo Nordisk
Best paying industryEnergyHospitality

Differences between material controller and project planner education

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

Material ControllerProject Planner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Material controller vs project planner demographics

Here are the differences between material controllers' and project planners' demographics:

Material ControllerProject Planner
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 71.8% Female, 28.2%Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between material controller and project planner 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.
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Project planner example responsibilities.

  • Utilize SharePoint and manage content to display and capture progress report information.
  • Manage logistics of all facets of the transition from housing, moving, inter-service agreements and education.
  • Manage event day logistics, including staging, set-up and strike; adherence to event schedule, and guest hospitality.
  • Follow EPC projects from the engineering office to the construction site to manage the execution and performance of the construction effort.
  • Manage retrofit projects for progressive stamping equipment.
  • Experience with CMMS (maximo), including writing job plans and pm's.
  • Show more

Material controller vs project planner skills

Common material controller skills
  • Computer System, 12%
  • Purchase Orders, 11%
  • Hazardous Materials, 10%
  • FAA, 6%
  • MSDS, 5%
  • Inventory Control, 4%
Common project planner skills
  • Project Management, 20%
  • Project Planning, 8%
  • Microsoft Project, 4%
  • Project Scope, 4%
  • Primavera P6, 4%
  • Project Controls, 3%

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