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Project production engineer vs tool engineer

The differences between project production engineers and tool engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a project production engineer, becoming a tool engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a tool engineer has an average salary of $101,135, which is higher than the $75,746 average annual salary of a project production engineer.

The top three skills for a project production engineer include production processes, capital projects and production management. The most important skills for a tool engineer are python, java, and CAD.

Project production engineer vs tool engineer overview

Project Production EngineerTool Engineer
Yearly salary$75,746$101,135
Hourly rate$36.42$48.62
Growth rate10%2%
Number of jobs95,72198,936
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4241
Years of experience46

Project production engineer vs tool engineer salary

Project production engineers and tool engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project Production EngineerTool Engineer
Average salary$75,746$101,135
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $101,000Between $75,000 And $135,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CANovato, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyNorthrop GrummanMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between project production engineer and tool engineer education

There are a few differences between a project production engineer and a tool engineer in terms of educational background:

Project Production EngineerTool Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMichigan Technological University

Project production engineer vs tool engineer demographics

Here are the differences between project production engineers' and tool engineers' demographics:

Project Production EngineerTool Engineer
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 78.2% Female, 21.8%Male, 95.3% Female, 4.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.3% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage4%5%

Differences between project production engineer and tool engineer duties and responsibilities

Project production engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead work cells to become a team; Harmonize/unite/motivate assembly personnel using Kaizen approach.
  • Coordinate materials management and inventory, personnel, OSHA standards and meeting manufacturing schedule commitments in an ISO certify facility.
  • Plan and purchase network of engineering UNIX workstations.
  • Develop UNIX shell script (batch files) to increase the productivity of the programmers.
  • Input require information to develop item master within the MRP system.
  • Assist with enclosure/packaging management while doing initial testing and overseeing PCB fabrication and assembly.

Tool engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage mold vendors in the refurbishment of existing tooling and new mold construction.
  • Lead cross-functional teams that develop several emerging technology laser and CCD barcode scanner products.
  • Lead several independent, cross-functional projects and improve manufacturing quality, reduce cost, ensure environment are supported and FDA compliant.
  • Create Perl scripts and SQL store procedures for nightly batch job streams, data loads and corporate reporting.
  • Perform product design functions using AutoCad.
  • Create custom SQL's in db2 and oracle for the reports.
  • Show more

Project production engineer vs tool engineer skills

Common project production engineer skills
  • Production Processes, 8%
  • Capital Projects, 7%
  • Production Management, 6%
  • PLC, 6%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Cost Estimates, 6%
Common tool engineer skills
  • Python, 16%
  • Java, 8%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Linux, 6%
  • Jenkins, 5%
  • Ruby, 4%

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