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The differences between production engineers and planning engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a production engineer and a planning engineer. Additionally, a production engineer has an average salary of $89,727, which is higher than the $82,521 average annual salary of a planning engineer.
The top three skills for a production engineer include java, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a planning engineer are project management, infrastructure, and transmission planning.
| Production Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,727 | $82,521 |
| Hourly rate | $43.14 | $39.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 94,789 | 56,792 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
A planning engineer is in charge of developing plans and systems to organize and schedule project procedures, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities revolve around learning and understanding the extent of all operations, setting schedules and objectives, liaising with external parties such as vendors or distributors, and maintaining an active communication line with other departments. Furthermore, a planning engineer must monitor the progress of the workflow and the performance of the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Production engineers and planning engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,727 | $82,521 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $125,000 | Between $61,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a production engineer and a planning engineer in terms of educational background:
| Production Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between production engineers' and planning engineers' demographics:
| Production Engineer | Planning Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |