Winder operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between winder operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a winder operator and a material handler/forklift operator. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, which is higher than the $33,495 average annual salary of a winder operator.

The top three skills for a winder operator include quality checks, safety procedures and safety rules. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Winder operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Winder Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$33,495	$36,453
Hourly rate	$16.10	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	59,662	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Winder operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Winder operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Winder Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$33,495	$36,453
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between winder operator and material handler/forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a winder operator and a material handler/forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Winder Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Winder operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between winder operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Winder Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.2% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between winder operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Winder operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Pack finished product so they can be put on pallets to ship out.
Change male and female slitters when needed.Splice mill rolls when need and get to start number.
Maintain production machines and other various equipment (including winders, hoists, trim puller, mixers).
Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
Install protective bracing, padding and strapping to pallet to prevent shifting and damage to items during transport.

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Winder operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common winder operator skills

Quality Checks, 18%
Safety Procedures, 15%
Safety Rules, 8%
Extrusion, 8%
Production Schedules, 6%
Production Data, 5%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

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Winder Operator
Winder Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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