What does a packaging associate do?
Packaging associates are skilled employees who are responsible for wrapping material around consumer items. This serves to protect and clean products, making them marketable. These associates must perform maintenance on the packaging equipment to ensure that they are running efficiently with minimal downtime. They must inspect completed products for defects and abnormalities to satisfy their customers. Packaging associates must also communicate with technicians and supervisors to rectify problems and ensure that the products are with standards and following their customers' requirements.
Packaging associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real packaging associate resumes:
- Manage the receipt and tracking of control substances as well as the DEA biennial inspection.
- Assemble sterile syringes for shipping.
- Collect required samples for QA testing.
- Pack customers' groceries in a neat and orderly fashion.
- Train many employees on various lines adhering to FDA /DEA prodigal.
- Assist with cleaning and servicing operations in a DEA and FDA regulate.
- Follow GMP's and all other require guidelines for a control industry.
- Sack customer groceries, gather carts, keep registers stock, clean, do put backs
- Conduct selection of designs for all packaging to ensure stakeholders acceptance to TGA and GMP requirements.
- Demonstrate accuracy in packaging and handling medications for shipping according to DEA standards and the latest QA audit process.
- Attach identification labels to pallets.
- Organize packages by loading shipments onto pallets before delivery.
- Feed freestanding inserts efficiently into inserting or collating machinery.
- Ensure the packaging machinery run efficiently with minimal downtime.
- Maintain warehouse records in accordance with inventory accuracy and ISO certification.
Packaging associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Packaging Associates are proficient in Pallets, Defective Products, and Basic Math. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Mechanical skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Packaging Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Pallets, 8%
Organized packages by loading shipments onto pallets before delivery.
- Defective Products, 7%
Assisted with shipment of new product receiving as well as shipping out of defective product.
- Basic Math, 6%
Performed basic math calculations and used a calculator.
- Safety Standards, 6%
Followed standard work procedures; complied with safety standards; excelled at efficiency ratings.
- Quality Issues, 5%
Investigate and facilitate resolutions of quality issues and process deviations.
- Quality Products, 5%
Perform thorough and proper handling/packaging of product to ensure high quality products for consumers.
Most packaging associates use their skills in "pallets," "defective products," and "basic math" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential packaging associate responsibilities here:
Mechanical skills. Many packaging associate duties rely on mechanical skills. "quality control inspectors use tools and machinery when testing products.," so a packaging associate will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways packaging associate responsibilities rely on mechanical skills: "operated and troubleshot 14 pieces of high-speed electro-mechanical packaging equipment to ensure daily production goals and quality standards achieved. "
Technical skills. This is an important skill for packaging associates to perform their duties. For an example of how packaging associate responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "to ensure that products and parts meet quality standards, inspectors must understand the relevant blueprints, technical documents, and manuals." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a packaging associate: "worked within team environment ensuring operations followed all gmp, e3, safety, environmental and technical guidelines. ".
Math skills. packaging associate responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "knowledge of basic math is important for measuring, calibrating, and calculating specifications in quality control testing." This resume example shows what packaging associates do with math skills on a typical day: "perform mathematical calculations to determine accurate amounts of batteries per pallet, per order. "
Physical strength. A commonly-found skill in packaging associate job descriptions, "physical strength" is essential to what packaging associates do. Packaging associate responsibilities rely on this skill because "quality control inspectors may be required to lift or maneuver heavy production materials or finished products." You can also see how packaging associate duties rely on physical strength in this resume example: "performed facilities management, material management processes and procedures applicable to the protection of material from deterioration and/or physical damage. "
The three companies that hire the most packaging associates are:
- Walmart589 packaging associates jobs
- FedEx565 packaging associates jobs
- Ascend Wellness15 packaging associates jobs
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Compare different packaging associates
Packaging associate vs. Cell operator
A Cell Operator is someone who handles a production cell in a company or factory. This position ensures that a cell unit of the production functions properly and efficiently. The position also does other miscellaneous tasks related to production, such as inspection, sorting, and other assembly operations, depending on the type of company, business, or manufactured product. This person generally has strong organizational and problem-solving skills and has a knack for troubleshooting.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, packaging associate responsibilities require skills like "pallets," "defective products," "minor maintenance," and "basic math." Meanwhile a typical cell operator has skills in areas such as "hand tools," "math," "cnc," and "calipers." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Cell operators earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $41,770. On the other hand, packaging associates are paid more in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $36,252.The education levels that cell operators earn slightly differ from packaging associates. In particular, cell operators are 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a packaging associate. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Packaging associate vs. Relief operator
A relief operator job depends on the institution or organization. Their main jobs include examining, measuring, and weighing materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices such as rulers, micrometers, or scales. Their additional responsibilities include maintaining regular contact and communication with customers to resolve concerns, issues, and complaints.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that packaging associate responsibilities requires skills like "pallets," "defective products," "minor maintenance," and "quality issues." But a relief operator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "food safety," "cip," "ppe," and "cdl."
On average, relief operators earn a higher salary than packaging associates. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, relief operators earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $46,955. Whereas packaging associates have higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $36,252.relief operators earn similar levels of education than packaging associates in general. They're 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Packaging associate vs. Filler operator
A filler operator works with the packaging end of a production line. The filler's task is to fill containers with the required number of products before packaging and shipping. The filler also operates filling machines and makes the necessary adjustments to ensure consistency. They are also responsible for inventory and maintenance of filling process equipment. They must work well under pressure and be scrupulously accurate.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from packaging associate resumes include skills like "minor maintenance," "safety standards," "cleanliness," and "osha," whereas a filler operator is more likely to list skills in "food safety," "math," "restraints," and "ppe. "
Filler operators make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $41,472. On the other hand, packaging associates are paid the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry, with average annual pay of $36,252.Most filler operators achieve a similar degree level compared to packaging associates. For example, they're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Packaging associate vs. Inspector packer
An inspector packer is an employee who works in the warehouse to stack and pile goods into their correct containers and prepare them for shipment using various equipment. Inspector packers must ensure that the packing of goods follows a specific set of instructions while inspecting the boxes are damage free. They keep track of their inventory by maintaining a database of packages; however, they manually fill out forms and papers to record measurement, wealth, and products. They also are required to remove defective products or materials so that they can avoid delivery delays.
Types of packaging associate
Updated January 8, 2025
