Purchasing expediter vs planner/buyer

The differences between purchasing expediters and planner/buyers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a purchasing expediter and a planner/buyer. Additionally, a planner/buyer has an average salary of $54,261, which is higher than the $38,564 average annual salary of a purchasing expediter.

The top three skills for a purchasing expediter include purchase orders, delivery dates and MRP. The most important skills for a planner/buyer are supply chain, purchase orders, and customer service.

Purchasing expediter vs planner/buyer overview

	Purchasing Expediter	Planner/Buyer
Yearly salary	$38,564	$54,261
Hourly rate	$18.54	$26.09
Growth rate	-8%	-3%
Number of jobs	7,915	33,452
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Purchasing expediter vs planner/buyer salary

Purchasing expediters and planner/buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Expediter	Planner/Buyer
Average salary	$38,564	$54,261
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Edwards Lifesciences
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between purchasing expediter and planner/buyer education

There are a few differences between a purchasing expediter and a planner/buyer in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Expediter	Planner/Buyer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing expediter vs planner/buyer demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing expediters' and planner/buyers' demographics:

	Purchasing Expediter	Planner/Buyer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%	Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 6.6% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between purchasing expediter and planner/buyer duties and responsibilities

Purchasing expediter example responsibilities.

Work extensively in ERP system to manage entire procurement process.
Purchase components for production; run daily production schedule; manage inventory of items; source alternative items for production
Assess requisitions; obtain RFI's, RFQ's and on occasion, RFP's.
Process RMA returns for reject parts.
Approve quotes that are provided from the MRO.
Prepare and send out RFQ's to vendors.

Planner/buyer example responsibilities.

Manage assign commodities by communicating MRP changes to the suppliers, minimizing obsolete inventory while achieving the optimum inventory levels.
Manage monthly and year end physical inventory audits of all raw materials, WIP, and finish goods.
Manage inventory pipelines from NPI to manufacturing and/or offshore contract manufacturers.
Utilize company ERP system for inventory management and schedule optimization.
Plan and coordinate all material requirements of assign commodities and supplier availability utilizing the MRP system.
Synchronize with packers and freight forwarders to arrange and prepare documentation shipment export.

Purchasing expediter vs planner/buyer skills

Common purchasing expediter skills

Purchase Orders, 44%
Delivery Dates, 7%
MRP, 4%
Due Dates, 4%
Production Schedules, 4%
Inventory Control, 3%

Common planner/buyer skills

Supply Chain, 14%
Purchase Orders, 14%
Customer Service, 7%
MRP, 6%
ERP, 3%
Logistics, 3%