What does a Production Employee do?
In a manufacturing setting, a production employee is in charge of assembling and processing products, ensuring efficiency and timelines. Their responsibilities include adhering to guidelines and blueprints, monitoring the products for any defects or inconsistencies, operating machines and equipment, keeping an eye on the assembly line, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Furthermore, as a production employee, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with co-workers, coordinating every step of the way, and alerting managers should there be any problems.
Production employee responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real production employee resumes:
- Accomplish collating training for revisions and charts.
- Handle set up and operation of CNC mills and lathes for production.
- Machine (CNC) axle shafts from a raw forging state to a finish product ready for final assembly.
- Execute production activities as directed by supervisor, including performing GMP cell culture of biologic products using closed-system device.
- Coordinate and participate in Kaizen cost improvement activities.
Production employee skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Production Employees are proficient in Production Floor, Quality Standards, and Safety Standards.
We break down the percentage of Production Employees that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Production Floor, 25%
Learned several positions on production floorSupervised hourly employeesTrained for general supervisor position
- Quality Standards, 16%
Maintained quality standards throughout production.
- Safety Standards, 13%
Ensured all food packed was of the highest quality and met ConAgra's food safety standards.
- Work Ethic, 8%
Acquired knife handling and sharpening skills to accomplish a more efficient work ethic.
- Production Process, 6%
Ensured proper health and cleaning procedures were followed throughout the production process each day.
- HACCP, 4%
Monitor quality control, SQF, expenditures and maintain pertinent chemical inventory in compliance with HACCP and microbiological controls.
Common skills that a production employee uses to do their job include "production floor," "quality standards," and "safety standards." You can find details on the most important production employee responsibilities below.
The three companies that hire the most production employees are:
- AAramark48 production employees jobs
- AAmeriPride Services40 production employees jobs
- TTPI25 production employees jobs
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Compare different production employees
Production employee vs. Mill work
A finisher operator finalizes a product. They put on the final layer of paint, stitching, engraving or cloth on the product to complete it. They may also restore furniture by fixing dents or discoloration. They are responsible for making sure that their equipment does not malfunction and making minor repairs. They assist in trimming, molding, packing, and transporting the final product, and they are also responsible for final quality control.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a production employee are more likely to require skills like "production floor," "quality standards," "safety standards," and "work ethic." On the other hand, a job as a mill work requires skills like "load trucks," "augers," "shovels," and "mill equipment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Mill works tend to reach similar levels of education than production employees. In fact, mill works are 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Production employee vs. Technical machine operator
A line operator is responsible for assisting in warehouse and factory operations, usually assigned on doing heavy works for the production. Line operators' duties include operating manufacturing machines and equipment, placing products on the appropriate shelves, checking supplies and inventories, loading orders for shipments, inspecting products for any defects, labeling products accurately, adhering to the safety procedures to prevent product contamination, and observing sanitary regulations. A line operator must have comprehensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, as well as the ability to multi-task, especially on meeting deadlines and processing customers' orders.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, production employee responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "work ethic," "production standards," "delivery truck," and "windows." Meanwhile, a technical machine operator has duties that require skills in areas such as "basic math," "math," "preventative maintenance," and "machine operation." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Technical machine operators earn a higher average salary than production employees. But technical machine operators earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $35,834. Additionally, production employees earn the highest salaries in the automotive with average pay of $35,336 annually.In general, technical machine operators achieve similar levels of education than production employees. They're 0.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production employee vs. Finisher operator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, production employees are more likely to have skills like "production floor," "safety standards," "work ethic," and "production process." But a finisher operator is more likely to have skills like "math," "product quality," "machine operation," and "routine maintenance."
Finisher operators earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $38,157. Production employees earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $35,336.Most finisher operators achieve a similar degree level compared to production employees. For example, they're 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production employee vs. Line operator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between production employees and line operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a production employee might have more use for skills like "production floor," "work ethic," "haccp," and "production standards." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of line operators require skills like "mechanical troubleshooting," "preventative maintenance," "ppe," and "basic math. "
In general, line operators earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $37,379. The highest-paying industry for a production employee is the automotive industry.line operators reach similar levels of education compared to production employees, in general. The difference is that they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of production employee
Updated January 8, 2025
