Production planner vs master production scheduler

The differences between production planners and master production schedulers 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 planner and a master production scheduler. Additionally, a master production scheduler has an average salary of $77,455, which is higher than the $60,390 average annual salary of a production planner.

The top three skills for a production planner include customer service, MRP and ERP. The most important skills for a master production scheduler are master production schedule, logistics, and customer demand.

Production planner vs master production scheduler overview

	Production Planner	Master Production Scheduler
Yearly salary	$60,390	$77,455
Hourly rate	$29.03	$37.24
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	68,717	71,293
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a production planner do?

Production planners or schedulers are employees who take charge of the timeliness and accuracy of the production process. The planners develop production schedules which detail the tasks that need to be done to meet the set completion date. They emphasize the goods and materials necessary in the production phase. It is their job to make sure that the working space is well-maintained for optimal performance. They also manage the flow of information during production.

What does a master production scheduler do?

A master production scheduler manages company processes by ensuring they are completed on time and they meet a client's expectations. They work with a master production schedule to ensure that individual commodities are produced in line with the present demands for the product. They work with manufacturing to determine the demands set for the product in terms of quantity, the time period for production, and the products that need to be procured for the manufacturing.

Production planner vs master production scheduler salary

Production planners and master production schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Planner	Master Production Scheduler
Average salary	$60,390	$77,455
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $81,000	Between $60,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Newark, CA	Oxnard, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	GCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry	Energy	Pharmaceutical

Differences between production planner and master production scheduler education

There are a few differences between a production planner and a master production scheduler in terms of educational background:

	Production Planner	Master Production Scheduler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Production planner vs master production scheduler demographics

Here are the differences between production planners' and master production schedulers' demographics:

	Production Planner	Master Production Scheduler
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%	Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 7.2% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between production planner and master production scheduler duties and responsibilities

Production planner example responsibilities.

Manage large supply base consolidations for both production parts and MRO items.
Manage customer accounts from small first time customers to large OEM's.
Manage and update inventory plan base on ABC and MTO statistic data.
Provide leadership and manage production JCL analyst team supporting and recovering of production job streams.
Track managed backlog dollars, OEM, finish product, and make to order specialty products.
Supervise NPI chip fulfillment process - manage wafer starts to meet internal qualification and board level build plan.

Master production scheduler example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to achieve high level of schedule accuracy, enhance WIP, and improve reliability of deliveries.
Lead daily production meetings with manufacturing and site logistics and facilitate many projects.
Implement and sustain the quality system to remain compliant with ISO [] standards.
Oversee production planner activities to ensure steady flow of WIP through plant and ultimately on time delivery of finish goods.
Assist in the review of MRP integrity pertaining to lead times, lot sizes, BOM, and shrinkage factors.
Determine supply/demand and capacity and load requirements into ERP system.

Production planner vs master production scheduler skills

Common production planner skills

Customer Service, 11%
MRP, 9%
ERP, 5%
Logistics, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
On-Time Delivery, 4%

Common master production scheduler skills

Master Production Schedule, 8%
Logistics, 7%
Customer Demand, 6%
Capacity Planning, 6%
ERP, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 4%

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Production Planner vs Master Production Scheduler

Updated January 8, 2025

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