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Production technician vs assembly technician

The differences between production technicians and assembly technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production technician has an average salary of $37,550, which is higher than the $34,952 average annual salary of an assembly technician.

The top three skills for a production technician include hand tools, preventative maintenance and quality checks. The most important skills for an assembly technician are customer service, hand tools, and lean manufacturing.

Production technician vs assembly technician overview

Production TechnicianAssembly Technician
Yearly salary$37,550$34,952
Hourly rate$18.05$16.80
Growth rate3%2%
Number of jobs135,26652,385
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 34%
Average age4549
Years of experience2-

What does a production technician do?

A production technician is an individual who is responsible for assembling and testing manufactured goods before they are marketed to the general public. Production technicians usually work with manufacturing and quality assurance personnel to ensure that high-quality work standards are implemented by workers. By maintaining high-quality work, production technicians must implement up-to-date, efficient methods of production as well as production equipment maintenance procedures. They also schedule training for workers and educate them regularly on health and safety regulations.

What does an assembly technician do?

Assembly technicians are responsible for constructing small parts and components to create a new product according to the specifications of a client or a supervisor. An assembly technician performs diagnostic tests on the assembled product to ensure efficiency and conduct adjustments as needed. An assembly technician also provides manual instructional guides for product use and troubleshooting procedures. Assembly technicians must be knowledgeable about the technology and mechanical industry, as well as have the ability to analyze designs as a guide for creating high-quality products.

Production technician vs assembly technician salary

Production technicians and assembly technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Production TechnicianAssembly Technician
Average salary$37,550$34,952
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $49,000Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying CityFrederick, MDSunnyvale, CA
Highest paying stateMarylandWashington
Best paying companyCornerstone ResearchJefferson Lab
Best paying industryHealth CareFinance

Differences between production technician and assembly technician education

There are a few differences between a production technician and an assembly technician in terms of educational background:

Production TechnicianAssembly Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 34%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford University-

Production technician vs assembly technician demographics

Here are the differences between production technicians' and assembly technicians' demographics:

Production TechnicianAssembly Technician
Average age4549
Gender ratioMale, 71.4% Female, 28.6%Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 9.8% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between production technician and assembly technician duties and responsibilities

Production technician example responsibilities.

  • Relay to the oncoming shift everything accomplish and the projected workload through use of PowerPoint and excel.
  • Implement and develop safety standards and operations exceeding those require by OSHA.
  • Can demonstrate good manual dexterity.
  • Analyze QC test samples using multisizer machine.
  • Implement and oversee plant's safety program including LOTO program.
  • Test and repair rf system compponents of cellular test set.
  • Show more

Assembly technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the flow of each pallet to ensure the group is able to produce the quality product.
  • Perform in microscope SMT hand soldering to IPC standards and rework BTC components.
  • Use proper electrical discharge PPE (personal protection equipment) in ESD zone properly to prevent unexpect incident or damage device.
  • Perform electro-mechanical tasks using a wide range of electronic equipment.
  • Install switches, gfi's.
  • Rework (complex wiring) to CCA's according to ECO's.
  • Show more

Production technician vs assembly technician skills

Common production technician skills
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 6%
  • Quality Checks, 5%
  • Production Equipment, 5%
  • Basic Math, 5%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
Common assembly technician skills
  • Customer Service, 26%
  • Hand Tools, 12%
  • Lean Manufacturing, 4%
  • Safety Procedures, 4%
  • Basic Math, 3%
  • Sub Assemblies, 3%

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