Process equipment operator vs line operator

The differences between process equipment operators and line operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line operator has an average salary of $34,520, which is higher than the $34,376 average annual salary of a process equipment operator.

The top three skills for a process equipment operator include medical equipment, loaders and CNC. The most important skills for a line operator are preventative maintenance, PPE, and basic math.

Process equipment operator vs line operator overview

	Process Equipment Operator	Line Operator
Yearly salary	$34,376	$34,520
Hourly rate	$16.53	$16.60
Growth rate	-6%	7%
Number of jobs	82,286	137,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	-

Process equipment operator vs line operator salary

Process equipment operators and line operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Equipment Operator	Line Operator
Average salary	$34,376	$34,520
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	BD
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between process equipment operator and line operator education

There are a few differences between a process equipment operator and a line operator in terms of educational background:

	Process Equipment Operator	Line Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Process equipment operator vs line operator demographics

Here are the differences between process equipment operators' and line operators' demographics:

	Process Equipment Operator	Line Operator
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.8% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	5%

Differences between process equipment operator and line operator duties and responsibilities

Process equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage production of high quality sugar make through GMP, SQF, and HACCP processes.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Assist in the ongoing development of implementation of ISO manuals.
Sanitize machines at specify intervals, record all chemical titration and protect productintegrity.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.
Overlook daily operations of single/twin screw extruders and packaging of finish product.

Line operator example responsibilities.

Follow safety procedures, including but not limit to, wearing proper PPE, lock-out/tag-out, and HAZMAT.
Weld various models of Honda car seats.
Operate foam line for assembly of Toyota Tacoma car seats.
Work the assembly line building car door frames for Chrysler.
Work in high volume production setting, sewing seat covers for Toyota vehicles.
Wear all PPE while manually draining and cleaning of all dip tanks and stations after shift or when production quality lessen.

Process equipment operator vs line operator skills

Common process equipment operator skills

Medical Equipment, 29%
Loaders, 15%
CNC, 14%
Quality Checks, 10%
Safety Policies, 9%
RF, 6%

Common line operator skills

Preventative Maintenance, 12%
PPE, 9%
Basic Math, 9%
Extrusion, 8%
Quality Checks, 7%
Assembly Line, 5%

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Process Equipment Operator
Process Equipment Operator vs Line Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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