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Shop foreman vs production supervisor

The differences between shop foremen and production 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 shop foreman and a production supervisor. Additionally, a shop foreman has an average salary of $68,171, which is higher than the $63,391 average annual salary of a production supervisor.

The top three skills for a shop foreman include customer service, preventative maintenance and CDL. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Shop foreman vs production supervisor overview

Shop ForemanProduction Supervisor
Yearly salary$68,171$63,391
Hourly rate$32.77$30.48
Growth rate5%-
Number of jobs16,59983,529
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

What does a shop foreman do?

A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks. They often work in manufacturing, automotive, and warehouse industries, which require knowledge of operating equipment. A shop foreman must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially on addressing customers' inquiries and complaints and performing clerical tasks as needed.

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.

Shop foreman vs production supervisor salary

Shop foremen and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Shop ForemanProduction Supervisor
Average salary$68,171$63,391
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $97,000Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying CityGillette, WYFremont, CA
Highest paying stateWyomingCalifornia
Best paying companyFreightliner TrucksIntuitive Surgical
Best paying industryEnergyAutomotive

Differences between shop foreman and production supervisor education

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

Shop ForemanProduction Supervisor
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorAutomotive TechnologyBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY FarmingdaleStanford University

Shop foreman vs production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between shop foremen' and production supervisors' demographics:

Shop ForemanProduction Supervisor
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 97.0% Female, 3.0%Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between shop foreman and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Shop foreman example responsibilities.

  • Manage and perform all excavations.
  • Uphold company, AAR, FRA policy to ensure compliance through operation testing/auditing.
  • Certificate of completion in scaffold training, CPR and basic first aid and construction safety and health by OSHA.
  • Provide weekly property maintenance such as mowing, weeding, property cleanup, debris removal, snow removal, etc.
  • Use and supervision of heavy equipment including skid steers, backhoe, track hoe, excavators bucket truck and hydraulic cranes.
  • Install BDA's, LMA s & TMA s. install GPS for Nextel shelters.
  • Show more

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.
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Shop foreman vs production supervisor skills

Common shop foreman skills
  • Customer Service, 16%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 8%
  • CDL, 6%
  • CNC, 4%
  • Shop Equipment, 4%
  • Diesel Engines, 3%
Common production supervisor skills
  • Lean Manufacturing, 9%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • Production Schedules, 6%
  • Quality Standards, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • ISO, 4%

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