Production is a vital component of any manufacturing operation, which is why the role of a production controller is so important. The production controller is responsible for overseeing the operations in a manufacturing facility, aiming to ensure optimal workflow and proper adherence to company guidelines and other regulations.
It is also the responsibility of a production controller to ensure that all products meet quality standards before shipment. To do this, they conduct regular inspections, monitor the work performance of employees, and address production issues before or as they arise.
If you want to pursue the role of a production controller, you may need to have a four-year degree in a business-related field, ideally in supply chain management. However, you may still qualify for this role so long as you have adequate work experience and a proven track record in production management.
In terms of compensation, you can expect to earn around $43,000 to $74,000 a year as a production controller, depending on your experience and employer.
What is a Production Controller?
What Does a Production Controller Do
There are certain skills that many production controllers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, customer-service skills and detail oriented.
How To Become a Production Controller
If you're interested in becoming a production controller, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 49.5% of production controllers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 5.1% of production controllers have master's degrees. Even though most production controllers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Production Controller Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a production controller can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as operations manager, progress to a title such as supply chain manager and then eventually end up with the title supply chain director.
Average Salary for a Production Controller
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Production Controller Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active production controller jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where production controllers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Production Controller Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2,627 | $63,055 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,594 | $54,843 |
| 3 | Ohio | 1,347 | $49,843 |
| 4 | Illinois | 1,255 | $47,071 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1,154 | $53,619 |
| 6 | Florida | 1,021 | $43,818 |
| 7 | New York | 959 | $55,578 |
| 8 | Michigan | 903 | $57,541 |
| 9 | Indiana | 884 | $48,192 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 874 | $53,038 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 852 | $52,129 |
| 12 | Georgia | 852 | $49,065 |
| 13 | Virginia | 692 | $54,469 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 674 | $45,558 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 637 | $58,674 |
| 16 | Tennessee | 574 | $39,753 |
| 17 | Missouri | 558 | $49,538 |
| 18 | Washington | 532 | $60,065 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 511 | $50,325 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 507 | $57,186 |
| 21 | Iowa | 494 | $43,615 |
| 22 | Arizona | 478 | $46,617 |
| 23 | Colorado | 459 | $56,045 |
| 24 | Oregon | 454 | $52,061 |
| 25 | Maryland | 409 | $53,768 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 400 | $45,982 |
| 27 | Utah | 369 | $42,706 |
| 28 | Alabama | 333 | $42,574 |
| 29 | Kansas | 314 | $45,331 |
| 30 | Connecticut | 240 | $61,266 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 209 | $44,782 |
| 32 | Mississippi | 205 | $41,864 |
| 33 | Nevada | 197 | $44,702 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | 189 | $57,074 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | 182 | $47,067 |
| 36 | Arkansas | 163 | $51,815 |
| 37 | Idaho | 145 | $59,791 |
| 38 | Louisiana | 142 | $45,842 |
| 39 | Maine | 141 | $48,138 |
| 40 | New Mexico | 112 | $46,952 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 104 | $55,615 |
| 42 | Delaware | 92 | $44,667 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 79 | $45,908 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 78 | $42,076 |
| 45 | Vermont | 77 | $40,259 |
| 46 | Montana | 73 | $48,564 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 64 | $47,704 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 32 | $33,026 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 30 | $57,591 |
| 50 | Alaska | 29 | $55,396 |
Top Colleges for Production Controllers
1. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
5. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
6. Cedar Crest College
Allentown, PA • Private
7. Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD • Private
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
9. Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI • Private
10. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
Top Skills For a Production Controller
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 28.0% of production controllers listed production control on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and customer-service skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Production Controller Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Production Controller templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Production Controller resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Production Controller Demographics
Production Controller Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among production controllers, 36.0% of them are women, while 64.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among production controllers is White, which makes up 67.8% of all production controllers.
- The most common foreign language among production controllers is Spanish at 58.3%.
Work Experience Programs For Production Controllers
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: NSW Government Virtual Program
Cost: Free
Duration: 1-2 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
Company: PwC Switzerland
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-4.5 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase
Cost: Free
Duration: 8-12 hours
Company: Commonwealth Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5-6.5 hours
Online Courses For Production Controller That You May Like
Improve your personal productivity and effectiveness by applying proven strategies for focus mastery and self-discipline...
Optimize your Supply Chain Safety Stock. Simple to Advanced Methods. Reduce Costs and Risk in your Business Operations...
Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...
Best States For a Production Controller
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a production controller. The best states for people in this position are California, Connecticut, Washington, and Idaho. Production controllers make the most in California with an average salary of $63,055. Whereas in Connecticut and Washington, they would average $61,266 and $60,065, respectively. While production controllers would only make an average of $59,791 in Idaho, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Michigan
$57,541
Avg. Salary
2. New Hampshire
$57,074
Avg. Salary
3. Idaho
$59,791
Avg. Salary
How Do Production Controller Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
5.0
0 to 100 Energy levels. • June 2019What do you like the most about working as Production Controller?
Maintaining a balance of zero variances. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Kicking people off the boat when they are not productive. Show MoreTop Production Controller Employers
Most Common Employers For Production Controller
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IBM | $94,498 | $45.43 | 11 |
| 2 | Halliburton | $67,032 | $32.23 | 12 |
| 3 | Lockheed Martin | $59,300 | $28.51 | 28 |
| 4 | Northrop Grumman | $58,583 | $28.16 | 37 |
| 5 | Raytheon Technologies | $58,275 | $28.02 | 19 |
| 6 | Boeing | $58,091 | $27.93 | 11 |
| 7 | Toyota Boshoku America | $54,391 | $26.15 | 9 |
| 8 | Toyota Motor Mfg Texas | $53,406 | $25.68 | 8 |
| 9 | AAR | $52,771 | $25.37 | 37 |
| 10 | Autoliv | $52,630 | $25.30 | 15 |
Production Controller Videos
