Production superintendent vs shift production supervisor

The differences between production superintendents and shift 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 superintendent and a shift production supervisor. Additionally, a production superintendent has an average salary of $88,703, which is higher than the $35,127 average annual salary of a shift production supervisor.

The top three skills for a production superintendent include continuous improvement, OSHA and production supervisors. The most important skills for a shift production supervisor are continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and production schedules.

Production superintendent vs shift production supervisor overview

	Production Superintendent	Shift Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$88,703	$35,127
Hourly rate	$42.65	$16.89
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	101,534	132,563
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a production superintendent do?

A production superintendent oversees the production operations of manufacturing plants to ensure their efficiency and adherence to guidelines, budgets, and timelines. They have the authority to coordinate meetings with managers and teams to set objectives and schedules, supervise the use of funds, address issues and concerns, conduct assessments and evaluations, and develop strategies to meet production goals. Moreover, as a production superintendent, it is essential to lead staff while implementing the company's safety policies and regulations for a smooth and safe workflow.

What does a shift production supervisor do?

A shift production supervisor is in charge of overseeing business operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach production standards and production targets, supervising and assessing staff performance, delegating tasks, managing schedules, and prioritizing customer satisfaction. They may also produce progress reports and presentations, address and resolve any issues or concerns, and train new workforce members. Furthermore, as a supervisor, it is essential to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Production superintendent vs shift production supervisor salary

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

	Production Superintendent	Shift Production Supervisor
Average salary	$88,703	$35,127
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $125,000	Between $22,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	East Windsor, NJ	Greeley, CO
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Wyoming
Best paying company	Bunge	Vicor
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between production superintendent and shift production supervisor education

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

	Production Superintendent	Shift Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production superintendent vs shift production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between production superintendents' and shift production supervisors' demographics:

	Production Superintendent	Shift Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 4.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.6% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production superintendent and shift production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Production superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage day-to-day operation and maintenance activities in a high volume, OSHA, PSM cover specialty chemical manufacturing facility.
Participate in kaizen events and lean projects.
Script SQL commands for data mining and ad-hoc reports.
Analyze vendor data and debug production databases (SQL).
Introduce Kaizen and SPC to facility and develop metrics for operating unit.
Train employees in hazard analysis of critical control points (HACCP).

Shift production supervisor example responsibilities.

Set and ensure production rates, troubleshoot process issues, and manage downtime in a safe and effective manner.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.
Involve in daily USDA inspections, FDA audits, monitoring HACCP program and maintaining OSHA standards within the plant.
Train on FDA and GMP practices require for the pharmaceutical industry.
Maintain and set-up RF equipment.
Inspect product for quality issues to ISO standards.

Production superintendent vs shift production supervisor skills

Common production superintendent skills

Continuous Improvement, 10%
OSHA, 10%
Production Supervisors, 9%
Safety Standards, 9%
Product Quality, 7%
Equipment Maintenance, 5%

Common shift production supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 13%
Lean Manufacturing, 12%
Production Schedules, 4%
OSHA, 4%
Lean Six Sigma, 4%
Quality Standards, 3%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Production Superintendent
Production Superintendent vs Shift Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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