Plant buyer vs planner/buyer

The differences between plant buyers and planner/buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a plant buyer and a planner/buyer. Additionally, a plant buyer has an average salary of $59,450, which is higher than the $54,261 average annual salary of a planner/buyer.

The top three skills for a plant buyer include purchase orders, lean manufacturing and MRO. The most important skills for a planner/buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and customer service.

Plant buyer vs planner/buyer overview

	Plant Buyer	Planner/Buyer
Yearly salary	$59,450	$54,261
Hourly rate	$28.58	$26.09
Growth rate	-	-3%
Number of jobs	24,593	33,452
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Plant buyer vs planner/buyer salary

Plant buyers and planner/buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plant Buyer	Planner/Buyer
Average salary	$59,450	$54,261
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $80,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Edwards Lifesciences
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between plant buyer and planner/buyer education

There are a few differences between a plant buyer and a planner/buyer in terms of educational background:

	Plant Buyer	Planner/Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Plant buyer vs planner/buyer demographics

Here are the differences between plant buyers' and planner/buyers' demographics:

	Plant Buyer	Planner/Buyer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between plant buyer and planner/buyer duties and responsibilities

Plant buyer example responsibilities.

Manage plant ISO system for all procurement functions.
Manage MRP on all stock material to create plane orders.
Assure suppliers comply with safety and quality alignments within company standards and manage non-conformance reporting for logistics as per company policy.
Purchase production material and MRO supplies.
Maintain tool crib and all MRO materials.
Work with appropriate personnel to ensure effective and functional storage for all supplies and commodities.

Planner/buyer example responsibilities.

Manage assign commodities by communicating MRP changes to the suppliers, minimizing obsolete inventory while achieving the optimum inventory levels.
Manage monthly and year end physical inventory audits of all raw materials, WIP, and finish goods.
Manage inventory pipelines from NPI to manufacturing and/or offshore contract manufacturers.
Utilize company ERP system for inventory management and schedule optimization.
Plan and coordinate all material requirements of assign commodities and supplier availability utilizing the MRP system.
Synchronize with packers and freight forwarders to arrange and prepare documentation shipment export.

Plant buyer vs planner/buyer skills

Common plant buyer skills

Purchase Orders, 25%
Lean Manufacturing, 7%
MRO, 7%
Delivery Dates, 6%
Commodities, 5%
Indirect Materials, 5%

Common planner/buyer skills

Supply Chain, 14%
Purchase Orders, 14%
Customer Service, 7%
MRP, 6%
ERP, 3%
Logistics, 3%