Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. This includes cannery workers who pack food products.
Packaging machine operators' job description is to affix identification labels to finished packaged items, or stencil information such as lot numbers or shipping destinations on containers. They sort, grade, weigh and inspect products, verify and adjust product weight or measurement to meet specifications, and observe filling machine operations to ensure the quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards. They inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
The packing machine operator sort material for processing, storing, shipping, or grading, package products for storage or shipment, feed material or product into equipment, watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions, adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment, and cleans, lubricate and repair production equipment and tools.
A high school degree or training in vocational school is required to earn a decent packing machine operator salary. Skills required include production and processing, public safety and security, customer and personal service and mathematics.
To succeed as a packing operator, candidates should have knowledge of operations monitoring, coordination, operation and control, and should possess arm-hand steadiness, control precision, manual dexterity, near vision, reaction time, trunk strength, and flexibility of closure and information order. Additionally, design skills, technical skills and teamwork abilities are desirable.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- NSQF Level 4 Machining Technician
- ITI Course Machinist
Tasks
- Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.
- Adjust machine components and machine tension and pressure according to size or processing angle of product.
- Tend or operate machine that packages product.
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
- Regulate machine flow, speed, or temperature.
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
- Secure finished packaged items by hand tying, sewing, gluing, stapling, or attaching fastener.
- Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
- Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
- Clean and remove damaged or otherwise inferior materials to prepare raw products for processing.
Progression Routes
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