Description
Process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing operate multi-function process control machinery and single-function machines to process and package food and beverage products. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries, and other food and beverage processing establishments.
Job Titles
- Bakery machine operator – food and beverage processing
- Brewhouse operator
- Canning machine operator
- Chocolate refiner
- Cigarette machine tender
- Citrus juice extractor
- Control room operator – food and beverage processing
- Corn sugar refinery operator
- Dry foods mixer operator
- Dryer tender – tobacco processing
- Fermenter operator
- Fruit preserver – food and beverage processing
- Fryer operator – food and beverage processing
- Grain-processing machine operator
- Meat grinder – food and beverage processing
- Pasteurizer operator – food and beverage processing
- Tobacco blender
- Winery-press operator
Main Duties
- Operate multi-function process control machinery through control panels, computer terminals or other control systems to grind, extract, mix, blend, cook or otherwise process food products and to bag, box or otherwise package food products
- Operate multi-function process control machinery to grind, extract, mix, blend, distill, ferment or otherwise process alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and to bottle, can or otherwise package beverages
- Observe gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments to process variables such as cooking times, ingredient inputs, flow rates and temperature settings
- Maintain shift log of production and other data.
Workplaces
- Bakeries
- Brewing companies
- Dairies
- Flour mills
- Food and beverage processing establishments
- Fruit and vegetable processing plants
- Meat plants
- Sugar refineries
Skills
- Operation Monitoring of Machinery and Equipment
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Testing
- Troubleshooting
- Decision Making
Abilities
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Colour Perception
- Control of Settings
- Finger Dexterity
- Finger-Hand-Wrist Motion
Personal Attributes
- Adaptability
- Analytical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
- Collaboration
- Independence
Similar Occupations
- Meat cutters and fishmongers – retail and wholesale (65202)
- Bakers (63202)
- Supervisors, food and beverage processing (92012)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (94141)
- Fish and seafood plant workers (94142)
- Testers and graders, food and beverage processing (94143)
- Labourers in food and beverage processing (95106)
- Labourers in fish and seafood processing (94107)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be moderate for Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing (94140) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Operators in this field work mainly in food processing, beverage manufacturing, and wholesale and retail of food and beverages. Workers may now be required to use computerized systems and multi-functional process machines. In addition, training in areas of food processing, food safety, and quality control are all assets for job applicants.
Job duties can be physically demanding and may involve working rotating shifts. Therefore, those who can work flexible hours including days, evenings, weekends, and nights may fare better in the job market. In the short term, job openings may come up as new plants open or expand, and as staff move into higher positions.
Here are some key facts about Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 750 people work in this occupation.
- Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing mainly work in the following sectors:
- Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (NAICS 311, 312): 78%
- Paper manufacturing (NAICS 322): 7%
- Agriculture (NAICS 111, 112, 1151, 1152): 6%
- 70% of process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing work all year, while 30% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 79% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 21% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: 14% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 43% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 17% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 17% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occ
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $16.00 | $17.50 | $23.68 |
| Canada | $15.00 | $20.00 | $29.01 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.