Production planner vs materials planner

The differences between production planners and materials planners 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 materials planner. Additionally, a production planner has an average salary of $60,390, which is higher than the $58,467 average annual salary of a materials planner.

The top three skills for a production planner include customer service, MRP and ERP. The most important skills for a materials planner are supply chain, MRP, and purchase orders.

Production planner vs materials planner overview

	Production Planner	Materials Planner
Yearly salary	$60,390	$58,467
Hourly rate	$29.03	$28.11
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	68,717	23,019
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 materials planner do?

Usually working in a manufacturing setting, a materials planner's role is to manage the supply flow and inventory of materials. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with vendors and other external agencies, processing purchase orders, monitoring the quality of supplies to ensure it is according to the standards, and coordinating with various teams to learn their needs. Furthermore, as a planner, it is essential to devise strategies to resolve any issues, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

Production planner vs materials planner salary

Production planners and materials planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Planner	Materials Planner
Average salary	$60,390	$58,467
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $81,000	Between $45,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Newark, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Apple
Best paying industry	Energy	Automotive

Differences between production planner and materials planner education

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

	Production Planner	Materials Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Production planner vs materials planner demographics

Here are the differences between production planners' and materials planners' demographics:

	Production Planner	Materials Planner
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between production planner and materials planner 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.

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Materials planner example responsibilities.

Develop and implement purchasing and contract management, policies and procedures and manage ISO documents and improvements.
Determine material and component requirements base on the MRP system and ensure availability to support production schedules.
Monitor MRP forecasts, inventory, customer demand, production requirements, inventory transactions and reject material.
Create and maintain MRP classification codes in addition to reviewing BOM accuracy to ensure correct component identification, ordering and release.
Maintain and setup supplier pull systems (KANBAN).
Key team member in planning, training, implementation, and support of a new ERP system.

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Production planner vs materials planner skills

Common production planner skills

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

Common materials planner skills

Supply Chain, 12%
MRP, 8%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Logistics, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Material Planning, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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