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The differences between materials technicians and distribution specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a distribution specialist has an average salary of $36,140, which is higher than the $35,721 average annual salary of a materials technician.
The top three skills for a materials technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a distribution specialist are work ethic, windows, and strong customer service.
| Materials Technician | Distribution Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,721 | $36,140 |
| Hourly rate | $17.17 | $17.38 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 33,176 | 45,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A materials technician is responsible for inspecting and testing tools and materials required for production operations and manufacturing processes, ensuring its stability and efficiency to support business functions and produce high-quality outputs. Materials technicians review the production process and recommend cost-reduction resources by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. They also identify the safety and reliability of materials to prevent operational delays and avoid potential hazards within the work area. A materials technician must be able to operate manufacturing equipment to develop improved techniques and write report findings.
A distribution specialist specializes in the real-time, time-bounded, secure distribution of products from factories and manufacturing plants to various stores and companies. They are also responsible for making inventories of incoming goods and machines to the factory where he/she works. They can be liable to any lost goods, erroneous inventories, malicious products, and troublesome staff sometimes. Every distribution specialist must ensure that production quotas are achieved and that any barriers to achieving these goals are resolved
Materials technicians and distribution specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Materials Technician | Distribution Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,721 | $36,140 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $24,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rahway, NJ | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Gilead Sciences |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a materials technician and a distribution specialist in terms of educational background:
| Materials Technician | Distribution Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between materials technicians' and distribution specialists' demographics:
| Materials Technician | Distribution Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |