Millions of packages move around the country by a variety of means every day. The secure shipping and storing of goods relies on the workers who wrap them, label them, and box them up. Packaging and filling machine workers handle the machines that prepare industrial and consumer products for the marketplace and for transport, such as cannery workers who pack food products into cans that are then packaged together and shipped for sale. Paper goods machine operators set up and run equipment that cuts, corrugates, forms or seals paper or paperboard sheets into, or onto, products. These workers focus on the proper operation of the machines they tend to, they load materials into machines, operate machine controls, and monitor the production line for problems. They also prepare products for storage, shipment, or the next step in the production process. Machine operators may also keep records of production, malfunctions, and scrapped material. They keep equipment clean and well-maintained. Work schedules are typically 40 hours or more per week. Positions typically require a high school diploma or equivalent.
What they do:
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.
On the job, you would:
Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
manufacture and distribution of products
Engineering and Technology
mechanical
Safety and Government
public safety and security
Arts and Humanities
English language
Basic Skills
keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Hand and Finger Use
keep your arm or hand steady
hold or move items with your hands
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Self Control
Independence
Cooperation
Integrity
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Label making software
Label printing software
high school diploma/GED or no high school diploma/GED usually needed
In the military:
see titles from the Army, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps.
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