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The differences between production supervisors and production engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a production supervisor, becoming a production engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a production engineer has an average salary of $89,727, 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 production engineer are java, continuous improvement, and lean manufacturing.
| Production Supervisor | Production Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,391 | $89,727 |
| Hourly rate | $30.48 | $43.14 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 83,529 | 94,789 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Production supervisors and production engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Supervisor | Production Engineer | |
| Average salary | $63,391 | $89,727 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $91,000 | Between $64,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Intuitive Surgical | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production supervisor and a production engineer in terms of educational background:
| Production Supervisor | Production Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between production supervisors' and production engineers' demographics:
| Production Supervisor | Production Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| 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, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |