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What do QC inspectors get paid?

qc_tech

Plastic
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
Location
USA
...translation.... am I underpaid?

is this area of the forum an appropriate place to discuss salaries for QC inspectors?

I've only worked in this field in one town, and I don't have much information on what I might be worth elsewhere.

I'll hold off on details until I get an affirmative response if this an appropriate topic or not...

thanks...
 
Salary dot com can help give you an idea. Input your location and search a job description sounds similar to what you do (there are a lot of different types of QC). You can also input your location, years of experience, education, etc to see what makes a difference. Change locations to another city and see what happens.

I would say, in general, there are places that value QC less than production: QC requires less skill to check the work than to do the work. And then there's the opposite, where QC takes more skill than production. So keep that in mind. I've worked at both kinds of places and have had to adjust my attitude. Sometimes its the wrong attitude for the company, but it can be hard to change culture concerning pay.
 
There is not a quick or easy answer. It depends on experience and skills and what niche (type of industry) you are in. The web sites that compare are a good start for a general overview, but....
In my area there is a manufacturers association which tries ( and sometimes succeeds) to control wage levels. If I go out of the county wages might rise by 15%, 25% if I cross the state line.
Back to skills and experience: an aerospace firm I worked for had a QA staff of ten or twelve; the youngest in our group was 43.
 
I have been QC manager at several companies. On Arrival the inspecters were either people the Company did NOT want to fire or the Best people WHO know what they were doping. Obviosly a Big wage difference.
 
When I did inspection at the Navistar engine plant in Melrose Park every one on the shop floor was (and still is) a member of the UAW, United Auto Workers. The prevailing wage was set by the bargaining unit and included health insurance and vacation.
Your wage is likely based on what other employers are paying.
John
 
Automotive field, SW Ohio, non union, large factory 750+ employees: QC Tech $18 to $26 per hour. Tech's do engineering's grunt work and program and operate CMM's and all other test and measuring equipment etc. QC auditors $15 to $18 per hour. Auditors mostly do floor/production inspections. $1/hour night shift premium. New injection molding plant going in up the street is advertising $18 to $28 per hour for techs. I figure they are dangling the extra couple of dollars to try to get experienced techs to jump ship and go with them. Almost everything in this area is the same, the companies all talk to each other.
 
Much like how much do machinists get paid.
$10-$50 per hour. Depends on what you do and how much you can do.
Some inspectors use calipers and go-nogo gauges, others program million dollar cmms on very expensive complex parts that take 4-10 hours to check and know the inside of quality systems and documentation, trace-ability, etc. like the back of their hand.
ASQ certification is a plus if you want a career in this field.

Basic inspection is the same as or maybe below machine operator (part loader / button pusher).
There are so many levels above in this world.
I always start newbies out in inspection before they get to make parts so bottom of the totem pole.
(you don't get to make parts until you understand how to check them well)

If feeling underpaid or underappreciated look for a better ship to sail on.
I think it's an appropriate post and needing more details if you want a good answer
Bob
(I do sense a bit of whining that I not happy with my paycheck .... welcome to the club on that) :)
 
thanks all for the input so far. I am very wary of falling into the "grass is always greener" trap. Lots to like about where I'm working now. so I'm trying to be reasonable.

so here's my situation in a nutshell.

6+ years in QC (almost 7). I've worked in a few small, family-owned machine shops machine shops, all ISO certified environments.

4-year college degree (in a unrelated field. I took the ASQ test a couple or three years ago, so I'm a "certified" quality inspector.

I've worked on everything from fasteners, medical device, stuff that make things go boom for the DOD, to aerospace stuff. Competent with the usual handheld instruments as well as arm-style CMM.

The town I work and live in is between 100,000 less population I think, with a completely overpriced housing market.

I make less than $20/hr.

Like I said, there's lots to like about where I'm at...but I just don't have much of an idea about income potential if I entertain moving to where the work is.

thanks for the advice so far.
 
thanks all for the input so far. I am very wary of falling into the "grass is always greener" trap. Lots to like about where I'm working now. so I'm trying to be reasonable.

so here's my situation in a nutshell.

6+ years in QC (almost 7). I've worked in a few small, family-owned machine shops machine shops, all ISO certified environments.

4-year college degree (in a unrelated field. I took the ASQ test a couple or three years ago, so I'm a "certified" quality inspector.

I've worked on everything from fasteners, medical device, stuff that make things go boom for the DOD, to aerospace stuff. Competent with the usual handheld instruments as well as arm-style CMM.

The town I work and live in is between 100,000 less population I think, with a completely overpriced housing market.

I make less than $20/hr.

Like I said, there's lots to like about where I'm at...but I just don't have much of an idea about income potential if I entertain moving to where the work is.

thanks for the advice so far.

Next time negotiabel your wage BEFORE you start.
 
ALL QC people think they are underpaid, overworked, and under appreciated.

As an owner, I can assure yo that they are all Overpaid, lazy, and shiftless hacks.:D
 
ALL QC people think they are underpaid, overworked, and under appreciated.

As an owner, I can assure yo that they are all Overpaid, lazy, and shiftless hacks.:D

In an effort to give this some credibility there are basically 2 types of inspektion.

1, The type a machine operator should be expected to be able to do himself.

2.The type that requires special skill and/or knowledge.

Type 2 is the type where a fault or failure is critical. This will often be imposed by either the manufacturer or the customer.This should never be where a low wage person makes the decision.

This is where many could learn from Japan.

Quality can not be inspected into a produkt. It must be designed in.
 
If you like where you work and what you are working on, then keep at it. If you think you are worth more, then talk to management. From your description it sounds like what you do requires a certain level of skill and experience that isn’t necessarily found in everyone that walks in off the street (doesn’t mean you aren’t replaceable). If you are good at it and the boss recognizes it, they may be willing to up your salary. You just have to try and negotiate that with your boss. Depends a lot on the health of the business and sometimes you need to be willing to take on a little more to justify that increase in wage
 
The town I work and live in is between 100,000 less population I think, with a completely overpriced housing market.

Thats the basic issue of were i am in the uk, Add in either tourist locations and high value holiday homes or a few top employers paying mega bucks and its hard for the common joe, most common jobs don't pay enough to buy a home around here. Most employers think you should be licking there ring pieces just to earn enough to eat. My solution was go it alone and build my own empire, so far the empire is small but its kinda proving the idea, i very much can earn more myself than i can working for some one else at least doing something involving some kinda level of moral conscience.
 
Where i worked the QA inspectors sole responsibility was to maintain the 9Ticks,and pass the 3 monthly audit.......otherwise he had to do what he was told to get the product out the door and paid for......he was old,an alky,but had the correct quals for the certification...the boss would often swipe a roll of the green stickers and apply them himself........in short..Q/A was a joke,an expensive one tho.....the audits cost something like $50,000 a year.....they also had envirnmental audits done for a similar cost......and used the results to intimidate EPA inspectors.
 
calm down, Gordo. What are you wooden shoes pinching you? Sit back with a nice bowl of ice cream, and maybe dunk a butter cookie or two into a nice glass of Drambuie. It'll be OK.

I am calm Dick. Wooden shoes are Holland. I love Drambuie but you obviosly have no idea how it should be taken. BTW I am in Thailand on vacation at the moment and just about to enjoy a Drambuie with my evening coffee.
 








 
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