Production control planner vs production clerk

The differences between production control planners and production clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production control planner and a production clerk. Additionally, a production control planner has an average salary of $68,783, which is higher than the $32,281 average annual salary of a production clerk.

The top three skills for a production control planner include MRP, production control and on-time delivery. The most important skills for a production clerk are basic math, data entry, and safety procedures.

Production control planner vs production clerk overview

	Production Control Planner	Production Clerk
Yearly salary	$68,783	$32,281
Hourly rate	$33.07	$15.52
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	98,958	241,271
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a production control planner do?

Production control planners have the ability to work well with others, analytical thinking, verbal communication, persistence, determination, ambition, and, of course, business management skills. Those who choose this career path will plan production control activities in order to improve runtime while maintaining high quality, cost-effectiveness, and timely delivery. Also, they will work on material planning and analysis for the purposes of reducing the inventory level.

What does a production clerk do?

Production clerks are involved with parts, warehousing, and inventory management operations. Those who choose this career path will be required to review and distribute production, work, and shipment schedules, as well as confer with department supervisors in order to determine the progress of work and completion dates. Production clerks also compile reports on things like work progress, inventory levels, cost, and production issues.

Production control planner vs production clerk salary

Production control planners and production clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Control Planner	Production Clerk
Average salary	$68,783	$32,281
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $90,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Rich Products
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between production control planner and production clerk education

There are a few differences between a production control planner and a production clerk in terms of educational background:

	Production Control Planner	Production Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Production control planner vs production clerk demographics

Here are the differences between production control planners' and production clerks' demographics:

	Production Control Planner	Production Clerk
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0%	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 7.2% White, 61.0% 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 Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between production control planner and production clerk duties and responsibilities

Production control planner example responsibilities.

Coordinate daily materials supply concerns and recommend continuous improvement in the logistics system to achieve optimum materials support to aircraft maintenance.
Plan inventory management techniques (KANBAN) to avoid any shortages and excesses.
Maintain MRP, establish production schedules and staffing base on material availability and analysis of capacity.
Issue KANBAN cards: for the reorder of materials.
Prepare work orders for production and follow work in progress (WIP) through to completion.
Train users on new ERP system, documenting new procedures for users as applicable to their jobs.

Production clerk example responsibilities.

Flight line expediter ensures maintenance accomplishment and sortie production by managing, controlling and directing allocate resources and personnel.
Clean windows, glass partitions, and mirrors with water and other cleaners with sponges and squeegees.
Coordinate with multiple sewing facilities to expedite late customer orders.
Ship via fed ex and ups.
Observe and follow GMP guidelines ensuring product quality.
Perform cycle counting of WIP and complete inventories.

Production control planner vs production clerk skills

Common production control planner skills

MRP, 10%
Production Control, 9%
On-Time Delivery, 5%
Logistics, 5%
Production Planning, 5%
ERP, 4%

Common production clerk skills

Basic Math, 16%
Data Entry, 16%
Safety Procedures, 8%
Math, 8%
Production Reports, 4%
GMP, 4%

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Production Control Planner
Production Control Planner vs Production Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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