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The differences between sustaining engineers and packaging engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a sustaining engineer and a packaging engineer. Additionally, a packaging engineer has an average salary of $88,452, which is higher than the $88,351 average annual salary of a sustaining engineer.
The top three skills for a sustaining engineer include troubleshoot, lean six sigma and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a packaging engineer are CAD, project management, and solidworks.
| Sustaining Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,351 | $88,452 |
| Hourly rate | $42.48 | $42.52 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 57,402 | 54,028 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
Sustaining engineers and packaging engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sustaining Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,351 | $88,452 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $114,000 | Between $65,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sustaining engineer and a packaging engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sustaining Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Engineering And Industrial Management |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between sustaining engineers' and packaging engineers' demographics:
| Sustaining Engineer | Packaging Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 13.1% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |