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The differences between supply chain planners and purchasing 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 supply chain planner and a purchasing buyer. Additionally, a supply chain planner has an average salary of $80,668, which is higher than the $47,471 average annual salary of a purchasing buyer.
The top three skills for a supply chain planner include supply chain, customer service and supply chain planning. The most important skills for a purchasing buyer are purchase orders, logistics, and cost savings.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,668 | $47,471 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $22.82 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 36,145 | 21,158 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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.
In a retail setting, a purchasing buyer is primarily responsible for devising strategies for procuring supplies, ensuring that it aligns with the company's needs and standards. They are also responsible for conducting thorough marketing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather and process documentation, liaising and negotiating with vendors and suppliers, and keeping track of all purchasing orders to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Furthermore, as a purchasing buyer, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and submit regular reports to supervisors.
Supply chain planners and purchasing buyers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Average salary | $80,668 | $47,471 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $110,000 | Between $35,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Goleta, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Aramco Services Company |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a supply chain planner and a purchasing buyer in terms of educational background:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supply chain planners' and purchasing buyers' demographics:
| Supply Chain Planner | Purchasing Buyer | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1% |
| 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, 9.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |