In this situation, there is little difference in the information given. The guy will be here on Friday, and that's all you need to know.
However, there is a big difference between the prepositions of time 'by' and 'on'.
For example, let's say you have an IT problem at work, and your maintenance department tells you this:
1. The problem will be fixed by Friday.
2. The problem will be fixed on Friday.
The first sentence means that they are going to fix it during the week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, and that the system will be already fixed and good to use when you come to work on Friday.
The second means that the maintenance people will be busy fixing the system on Friday- probably meaning that it'll be out of use that day.
So, as you can see, the difference can be very important indeed.