Production planner vs production supervisor

The differences between production planners and production supervisors 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 production supervisor. Additionally, a production supervisor has an average salary of $63,391, 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 production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Production planner vs production supervisor overview

	Production Planner	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$60,390	$63,391
Hourly rate	$29.03	$30.48
Growth rate	-3%	-
Number of jobs	68,717	83,529
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	45	46
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 production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Production planner vs production supervisor salary

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

	Production Planner	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$60,390	$63,391
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $81,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Newark, CA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Energy	Automotive

Differences between production planner and production supervisor education

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

	Production Planner	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Stanford University

Production planner vs production supervisor demographics

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

	Production Planner	Production Supervisor
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between production planner and production supervisor 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.

Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

Production planner vs production supervisor skills

Common production planner skills

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

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Production Planner vs Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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