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The differences between process improvement engineers and manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a process improvement engineer, becoming a manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a process improvement engineer has an average salary of $82,473, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a process improvement engineer include lean six sigma, sigma and project management. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Process Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,473 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $39.65 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 55,438 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A process improvement engineer specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop new strategies and ideas to improve the processes in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting. They prioritize efficiency and profitability. Most of the time, engineers participate in a series of meetings where they coordinate with fellow engineers to determine opportunities for product growth and development. Moreover, a process improvement engineer is also responsible for crafting new policies and regulations, upgrading systems, and developing new practices to ensure product quality and customer satisfaction.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Process improvement engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,473 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $109,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a process improvement engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Process Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between process improvement engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Process Improvement Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |