Foundry technician vs process operator

The differences between foundry technicians and process operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a foundry technician and a process operator. Additionally, a process operator has an average salary of $37,996, which is higher than the $37,106 average annual salary of a foundry technician.

The top three skills for a foundry technician include foundry, CNC and process improvement. The most important skills for a process operator are safety procedures, preventative maintenance, and team-oriented environment.

Foundry technician vs process operator overview

	Foundry Technician	Process Operator
Yearly salary	$37,106	$37,996
Hourly rate	$17.84	$18.27
Growth rate	1%	3%
Number of jobs	24,347	83,478
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Foundry technician vs process operator salary

Foundry technicians and process operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Foundry Technician	Process Operator
Average salary	$37,106	$37,996
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	-	Wyoming
Best paying company	-	BWX Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between foundry technician and process operator education

There are a few differences between a foundry technician and a process operator in terms of educational background:

	Foundry Technician	Process Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Foundry technician vs process operator demographics

Here are the differences between foundry technicians' and process operators' demographics:

	Foundry Technician	Process Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 5.0% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 4.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between foundry technician and process operator duties and responsibilities

Foundry technician example responsibilities.

Work on various types of machines including manual lathes and CNC machines.
Maintain and fabricate foundry equipment.
Work in several positions for metal foundry and engineer metal manufacturer.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Supervise and train less experience personnel in operation of laboratory standards, developing calibration procedures and OSHA safety policies.

Process operator example responsibilities.

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Climb ladders to inspect manholes, check temps, sometimes gather samples for lab analysis.
Demonstrate ability to perform basic math (add, subtract, multiply, divide, ratios, weights & measures).
Control product temperatures and monitor gauges.
Review FHA files for completeness and compliance.
Use of ladders, stairs, heavy lifting and temperature extremes.

Foundry technician vs process operator skills

Common foundry technician skills

Foundry, 32%
CNC, 31%
Process Improvement, 25%
Hoists, 5%
Disa, 3%
Aluminum Castings, 1%

Common process operator skills

Safety Procedures, 8%
Preventative Maintenance, 7%
Team-Oriented Environment, 7%
Ladders, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Data Entry, 4%