In industrial or manufacturing plants, pack machines cut down operational costs by making the packing process much easier. But no matter how fancy pack machines can get, they still need someone to operate them, which is the role of a pack machine operator.
A pack machine operator helps ensure that each item is packed according to set company and legal standards. Their duties may also include conducting basic maintenance on the packing machine, reporting any issues to management, and keeping records of maintenance tasks done on the machine. Furthermore, they implement strategies to avoid problems like jams in the machine, which can delay productivity altogether.
The typical requirement for this job is a high school diploma or GED. However, some pack machine operators take the extra mile and go to an internship. Aside from that, pack machine operators also need to be knowledgeable about safety procedures, GMP, and FDA regulations, especially if they are packing food or beverage items.
Pack machine operators make around $30,000 per year, but some operators can earn as much as $37,000.
What is a Pack Machine Operator?
What Does a Pack Machine Operator Do
There are certain skills that many pack machine operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, coordination and mechanical skills.
How To Become a Pack Machine Operator
If you're interested in becoming a pack machine operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 8.0% of pack machine operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.7% of pack machine operators have master's degrees. Even though some pack machine operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Pack Machine Operator Job Description
Pack Machine Operator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of machine operator you might progress to a role such as technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title production supervisor.
Average Salary for a Pack Machine Operator
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Pack Machine Operator
The role of a pack machine operator includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general pack machine operator responsibilities:
- Equipment operation (40%) follow and execute machine operation according to standard operating procedures (sops)
- Operates bartelt, jones machine(s) including peripheral fillers, (may operate two machines simultaneously) keeping watch for any malfunctions. Is responsible for maintaining quality
- Basic proficient operations of packaging equipment, including little david case tapers, manual line operations, hand labeling, visual inspections, bfb bundlers, line
There are several types of pack machine operator, including:
Machine Operator
Role:
Some machine operators need training in order to operate certain machinery such as cranes and excavators. The hours you work as a machine operator can vary, but often include overtime, night shifts, and weekend shifts.
As a machine operator, you have lots of industries you could go into, from warehousing and storage to food manufacturing and construction. The list goes on and on. Depending on the industry, your work can take you outside or you may get to work inside.
- Average Salary: $32,874
- Degree: High School Diploma
Assembling Machine Operator
Role:
However, they do not usually need a college degree. In fact, most assembling machine operators only have a high school diploma.
Assembling machine operators usually learn how to operate their machines through on-the-job training. It helps if they have a few years of mechanical experience before that in order to have a basic grasp of factory work. Once they are trained, assembling machine operators can earn an average salary of $24,568 a year.
- Average Salary: $31,275
- Degree: High School Diploma
Line Operator
Role:
Working in several shifts to optimize production rates, line operators are not required to have higher education. They are usually trained on-site for the role they are hired for and take it from there.
Physical stamina and being agile and dexterous will be skills that make your day easier, as well as an ability to endure monotonous activities and a loud environment.
- Average Salary: $34,520
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Pack Machine Operator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active pack machine operator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where pack machine operators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Pack Machine Operator Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 1,256 | $35,443 |
| 2 | Ohio | 1,018 | $35,578 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 937 | $35,979 |
| 4 | California | 843 | $36,271 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 798 | $36,290 |
| 6 | Illinois | 737 | $36,539 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 730 | $32,808 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 687 | $37,735 |
| 9 | Texas | 681 | $31,497 |
| 10 | Georgia | 634 | $31,970 |
| 11 | Indiana | 615 | $37,273 |
| 12 | Minnesota | 601 | $40,182 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 472 | $29,989 |
| 14 | Michigan | 470 | $33,817 |
| 15 | Florida | 460 | $32,809 |
| 16 | New York | 459 | $33,327 |
| 17 | Missouri | 341 | $33,684 |
| 18 | Iowa | 288 | $34,666 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 276 | $31,518 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 266 | $34,582 |
| 21 | Virginia | 240 | $32,288 |
| 22 | Utah | 226 | $32,908 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 204 | $35,533 |
| 24 | Arizona | 193 | $35,458 |
| 25 | Maryland | 192 | $35,433 |
| 26 | Oregon | 189 | $36,110 |
| 27 | Alabama | 176 | $31,035 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 170 | $34,738 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | 160 | $37,565 |
| 30 | Washington | 156 | $38,602 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 153 | $33,963 |
| 32 | Kansas | 149 | $34,940 |
| 33 | Colorado | 145 | $35,938 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 114 | $33,606 |
| 35 | Mississippi | 106 | $30,901 |
| 36 | Alaska | 105 | $36,033 |
| 37 | Hawaii | 100 | $36,733 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 100 | $30,266 |
| 39 | Louisiana | 83 | $29,300 |
| 40 | Maine | 81 | $38,348 |
| 41 | Nevada | 80 | $36,518 |
| 42 | Idaho | 59 | $34,980 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 49 | $34,825 |
| 44 | Vermont | 45 | $33,678 |
| 45 | Delaware | 38 | $35,986 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 37 | $41,545 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 31 | $33,877 |
| 48 | New Mexico | 25 | $30,108 |
| 49 | Montana | 20 | $32,543 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 7 | $21,888 |
Top Skills For a Pack Machine Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.8% of pack machine operators listed basic math on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and coordination are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Pack Machine Operator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Pack Machine Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Pack Machine Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Pack Machine Operator Demographics
Pack Machine Operator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among pack machine operators, 46.4% of them are women, while 53.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among pack machine operators is White, which makes up 59.5% of all pack machine operators.
- The most common foreign language among pack machine operators is Spanish at 82.8%.
Online Courses For Pack Machine Operator That You May Like
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See More on CourseraBest States For a Pack Machine Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a pack machine operator. The best states for people in this position are North Dakota, Minnesota, Washington, and Maine. Pack machine operators make the most in North Dakota with an average salary of $41,545. Whereas in Minnesota and Washington, they would average $40,182 and $38,602, respectively. While pack machine operators would only make an average of $38,348 in Maine, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Minnesota
$40,182
Avg. Salary
2. Wisconsin
$37,735
Avg. Salary
3. Indiana
$37,273
Avg. Salary
How Do Pack Machine Operator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Pack Machine Operator Employers
Most Common Employers For Pack Machine Operator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanderson Farms | $44,081 | $21.19 | 28 |
| 2 | Shearer's Foods | $42,447 | $20.41 | 60 |
| 3 | General Mills | $42,343 | $20.36 | 42 |
| 4 | Frito-Lay | $40,751 | $19.59 | 290 |
| 5 | Smithfield Foods | $39,620 | $19.05 | 25 |
| 6 | Solo Cup | $39,424 | $18.95 | 42 |
| 7 | Kellogg | $39,417 | $18.95 | 64 |
| 8 | Tyson Foods | $39,038 | $18.77 | 38 |
| 9 | Pactiv | $38,404 | $18.46 | 115 |
| 10 | Dart Container | $38,400 | $18.46 | 31 |
Pack Machine Operator Videos
