Belt operator vs set-up operator

The differences between belt operators and set-up operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a belt operator, becoming a set-up operator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a set-up operator has an average salary of $39,269, which is higher than the $33,004 average annual salary of a belt operator.

The top three skills for a belt operator include lean six sigma, CIP and safety procedures. The most important skills for a set-up operator are calipers, cnc machines, and hand tools.

Belt operator vs set-up operator overview

	Belt Operator	Set-Up Operator
Yearly salary	$33,004	$39,269
Hourly rate	$15.87	$18.88
Growth rate	7%	-8%
Number of jobs	53,317	55,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	2

Belt operator vs set-up operator salary

Belt operators and set-up operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Belt Operator	Set-Up Operator
Average salary	$33,004	$39,269
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $39,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Schneider Electric Industrial Services
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between belt operator and set-up operator education

There are a few differences between a belt operator and a set-up operator in terms of educational background:

	Belt Operator	Set-Up Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Belt operator vs set-up operator demographics

Here are the differences between belt operators' and set-up operators' demographics:

	Belt Operator	Set-Up Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0%	Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	6%

Differences between belt operator and set-up operator duties and responsibilities

Belt operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Manufacture ammunition from components using a power loading machine.

Set-up operator example responsibilities.

Manage daily scheduling of production workload to be setup and run on machinery.
Use and replacement of drills, taps, broaches, and reamers.
Manufacture parts according to blueprints, work with stainless steel aluminum, brass and plastics.
Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders.
Use of exact measuring instruments as CMM, optical comparators, mics, bore gauges and many other tools.
Produce parts from different materials such as cold roll steel, stainless steel, no lead brass and regular brass.

Belt operator vs set-up operator skills

Common belt operator skills

Lean Six Sigma, 32%
CIP, 28%
Safety Procedures, 15%
Production Schedules, 12%
Sigma, 6%
RAN, 5%

Common set-up operator skills

Calipers, 9%
CNC Machines, 7%
Hand Tools, 7%
Math, 6%
Quality Checks, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 6%

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Transportation Industry
Belt Operator
Belt Operator vs Set-Up Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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