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Supply technician vs inventory specialist

The differences between supply technicians and inventory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a supply technician has an average salary of $36,280, which is higher than the $35,752 average annual salary of an inventory specialist.

The top three skills for a supply technician include customer service, patients and inventory management. The most important skills for an inventory specialist are customer service, sales floor, and reservations.

Supply technician vs inventory specialist overview

Supply TechnicianInventory Specialist
Yearly salary$36,280$35,752
Hourly rate$17.44$17.19
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs34,106161,107
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 33%
Average age3838
Years of experience--

What does a supply technician do?

In a warehouse setting, a supply technician is responsible for handling all the incoming and outgoing products, ensuring accuracy in inventory and logistics. Most of the time, they are in charge of maintaining and keeping records, loading and unloading shipments and deliveries, verifying invoices, and processing documents. A supply technician often works under the supervision of a manager or supervisor, and it is essential to report any complicated issues that need to be resolved. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations and maintain a safe environment for everyone.

What does an inventory specialist do?

An Inventory Specialist's responsibility is to oversee the inventory in a warehouse or establishment. Most of the tasks of an Inventory Specialist revolve around monitoring the requisition, storage, and deliveries of supplies and merchandise to ensure the quality and quantity of the products. Moreover, the Inventory Specialist also has the responsibility to coordinate with store management when issues arise, train newly hired staff to be a valuable part of the workforce, and provide inventory reports and records to the administration.

Supply technician vs inventory specialist salary

Supply technicians and inventory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Supply TechnicianInventory Specialist
Average salary$36,280$35,752
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $51,000Between $25,000 And $49,000
Highest paying CityLos Angeles, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyApplied MaterialsEnsign Energy
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between supply technician and inventory specialist education

There are a few differences between a supply technician and an inventory specialist in terms of educational background:

Supply TechnicianInventory Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 33%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Supply technician vs inventory specialist demographics

Here are the differences between supply technicians' and inventory specialists' demographics:

Supply TechnicianInventory Specialist
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 61.3% Female, 38.7%Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between supply technician and inventory specialist duties and responsibilities

Supply technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the accountability of all battalion CTA, TDA, and MTOE equipment.
  • Manage appropriate disposal of expire pharmaceutical products in accordance with HAZMAT regulations.
  • Cataloge property, maintain property records and manage inventory using PBUSE system.
  • Perform and record daily testing of sterility of all autoclaves and Sterrad in the hospital.
  • Assist with the hazardous material (HAZMAT) team with classification, segregation and documentation of hazardous materials.
  • Operate automatic washer/decontamination unit, all autoclaves and the Sterrad sterilizer.
  • Show more

Inventory specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage assign commodities by communicating MRP changes to the suppliers, minimizing obsolete inventory while achieving the optimum inventory targets.
  • Manage JDE ERP module for service department of finish goods for sale and field support.
  • Achieve establish average per hour (APH) counting goals while ensuring accuracy and integrity of the data collect.
  • Used WIS scanners to scan stock and download scanner information to computer.
  • Strategize to balance demand and delivery schedules due to expiration date of perishables.
  • Pick and pack any shipments for the customer and ship them through WMS application.
  • Show more

Supply technician vs inventory specialist skills

Common supply technician skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Inventory Management, 6%
  • Storage Management, 5%
  • DOD, 4%
  • Data Entry, 3%
Common inventory specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 26%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • Reservations, 7%
  • Pallet Jack, 6%
  • Safety Standards, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%

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