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The differences between supply chain planners and purchasers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a supply chain planner and a purchaser. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $50,031 average annual salary of a purchaser.
The top three skills for a supply chain planner include supply chain, customer service and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a purchaser are purchase orders, FDA, and POS.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchaser | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $50,031 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $24.05 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 6,852 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The job of supply chain planners, or logisticians, is to plan, develop, and schedule project management tools in support of an organization's operations. They are responsible for managing and monitoring inventories, forecasting production and sales levels, and tracking response time and delivery performance. Other duties include analyzing the levels of finished products, developing and monitoring production plans, and generating reports. Supply chain planners are also responsible for supervising other team members and ensuring that customer service best practices are followed.
A Purchaser is responsible for buying goods and services from distribution centers to sell to customers or other companies. They conduct data analysis and research current market trends to identify public demands and generate resources that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. They also ensure the adequacy of supply inventories for deliveries, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and recommend products according to their needs and budget requirements. A Purchaser must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in documenting purchase transactions and negotiating contracts with suppliers and vendors.
Supply chain planners and purchasers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchaser | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $50,031 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $36,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Atlantic City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Barnes Group |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a purchaser in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchaser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and purchasers' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchaser | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |