Whey department operator vs retort operator

The differences between whey department operators and retort operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a whey department operator has an average salary of $36,959, which is higher than the $36,573 average annual salary of a retort operator.

The top three skills for a whey department operator include pallets, CIP and CDL. The most important skills for a retort operator are hazardous materials, thermal processing, and FDA.

Whey department operator vs retort operator overview

	Whey Department Operator	Retort Operator
Yearly salary	$36,959	$36,573
Hourly rate	$17.77	$17.58
Growth rate	7%	4%
Number of jobs	62,750	29,837
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Whey department operator vs retort operator salary

Whey department operators and retort operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Whey Department Operator	Retort Operator
Average salary	$36,959	$36,573
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $51,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between whey department operator and retort operator education

There are a few differences between a whey department operator and a retort operator in terms of educational background:

	Whey Department Operator	Retort Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Whey department operator vs retort operator demographics

Here are the differences between whey department operators' and retort operators' demographics:

	Whey Department Operator	Retort Operator
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 1.4% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between whey department operator and retort operator duties and responsibilities

Whey department operator example responsibilities.

Manage distillation process to determine product specification compliance, and prepare unit for shutdown or turnaround process.
Brainstorm, draft, edit, and publish/post on all U.S.
Start off running production on CNC mills and lathes.
Assist in making sure all machines run efficient continuously during shift.
Work in conjunction with production to ensure product are free from flaws in accordance with Pfizer and FDA regulations.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.

Retort operator example responsibilities.

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Whey department operator vs retort operator skills

Common whey department operator skills

Pallets, 41%
CIP, 30%
CDL, 6%
Food Safety, 6%
RAN, 5%
Computer System, 4%

Common retort operator skills

Hazardous Materials, 43%
Thermal Processing, 20%
FDA, 13%
CCP, 9%
RAN, 6%
Quality Checks, 5%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Whey Department Operator
Whey Department Operator vs Retort Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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