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The differences between sustaining engineers and manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sustaining engineer, becoming a manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sustaining engineer has an average salary of $88,351, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a sustaining engineer include troubleshoot, lean six sigma and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Sustaining Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,351 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $42.48 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 57,402 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A sustaining engineer is responsible for monitoring industrial operations, including the efficiency of processes and the performance of tools and equipment, ensuring high-quality deliverables for business objectives. Sustaining engineers evaluate the safety and security of the operations, strategizing techniques to manage potential hazards that may cause delays in the production. They also work with the management to identify opportunities to maximize productivity and maintain cost-reduction procedures, especially on materials and equipment. A sustaining engineer handles operational issues, as well as assessing incident reports for immediate resolution.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Sustaining engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sustaining Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,351 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $114,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sustaining engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sustaining Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between sustaining engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Sustaining Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |