Production supervisor vs materials supervisor

The differences between production supervisors and materials 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 supervisor and a materials supervisor. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $63,391 average annual salary of a production supervisor.

The top three skills for a production supervisor include lean manufacturing, safety procedures and production schedules. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Production supervisor vs materials supervisor overview

	Production Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$63,391	$67,592
Hourly rate	$30.48	$32.50
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	83,529	61,634
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Production supervisor vs materials supervisor salary

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

	Production Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$63,391	$67,592
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $91,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	California	Wyoming
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between production supervisor and materials supervisor education

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

	Production Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production supervisor vs materials supervisor demographics

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

	Production Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production supervisor and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

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.

Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

Production supervisor vs materials supervisor skills

Common production supervisor skills

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

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Production Supervisor vs Materials Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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