Plant superintendent vs production supervisor

The differences between plant superintendents and production supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a plant superintendent and a production supervisor. Additionally, a plant superintendent has an average salary of $95,149, which is higher than the $63,391 average annual salary of a production supervisor.

The top three skills for a plant superintendent include plant safety, production supervisors and OSHA. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Plant superintendent vs production supervisor overview

	Plant Superintendent	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$95,149	$63,391
Hourly rate	$45.74	$30.48
Growth rate	3%	-
Number of jobs	31,744	83,529
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	48	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a plant superintendent do?

Plant superintendents must have skills in operations, productions, and management. They also need a 4-year degree in business or industrial management. Those who choose this career will be called upon to oversee a plant's manufacturing processes and to recommend improvements to increase productivity. They also enforce all state and federal regulations for plant operations and employee safety.

What does a production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Plant superintendent vs production supervisor salary

Plant superintendents and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plant Superintendent	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$95,149	$63,391
Salary range	Between $67,000 And $134,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	West Sacramento, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Koch Industries	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between plant superintendent and production supervisor education

There are a few differences between a plant superintendent and a production supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Plant Superintendent	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Stanford University

Plant superintendent vs production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between plant superintendents' and production supervisors' demographics:

	Plant Superintendent	Production Supervisor
Average age	48	46
Gender ratio	Male, 96.9% Female, 3.1%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between plant superintendent and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Plant superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Establish safety training program and documentation to satisfy OSHA requirements.
Direct and monitor plant personnel in accordance with OSHA regulations and company safety program.
Function as plant buyer, scheduler, maintenance, and QC lab tech.
Assist machine shop employee's adherence to GMP regulations and completing all necessary paperwork.
Organize training programs for the production personnel GMP, safety compliance and S.O.P's.

Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

Plant superintendent vs production supervisor skills

Common plant superintendent skills

Plant Safety, 10%
Production Supervisors, 9%
OSHA, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Plant Operations, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Plant Superintendent
Plant Superintendent vs Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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