Plastic products are everywhere. From toys to food containers, plastic has become indispensable in our daily lives. Owing to its increased usage, the demand for the plastic industry is one of the largest industries in the world.
There are several job opportunities available in the plastic products industry and this article contains a list of the 15 best-paying jobs in the plastic product industry, carefully read through and make your choice.
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Is Plastic Product Industry A Good Career Path?
Many individuals wonder if working in Plastic Products is a solid career path. Yes, it is an excellent job choice because it is the only one that can pay you up to $3 million in less than a year.
It is a rapidly expanding industry that offers numerous financial rewards to its workers. Additionally, it is also one of the most stable businesses that will never go out of style, therefore you will never be out of work in the Plastic Products industry.
Plastic items are utilized everywhere, from automobiles to phones to the clothes we wear, and they are not going away anytime soon. It implies that professions in plastic products will only become more relevant in the future – and with the necessary training and preparation, it’s an industry you can get started in right now if you’re interested.
A career in plastic products can be inspiring and beneficial, with many different prospects to explore. Let’s take a look at the 15 best-paying jobs in the plastic product industry.
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15 Best Paying Jobs In Plastic Product Industry
Here is a list of the best-paying jobs in the plastics product industry:
- Project Engineer & Manager
- Plastics Tooling Engineer
- Quality Assurance Manager
- Materials Engineer
- Maintenance Manager
- Plastics Engineer
- Assembler
- Injection Mold Operator
- Plant Manager
- Extrusion Manager
- Extrusion Engineer
- Patternmaker
- Plastic Manufacturer
- Quality Control Technician
- Production Supervisor
- Moldmaker
1. Project Engineer & Manager
National Average Salary: $148,886
An engineering project manager directs and evaluates the everyday activities of an engineering team in the plastic industry. They supervise the process where engineers, designers, and manufacturers collaborate to develop and produce a project.
They are in charge of manufacturing projects. It might entail everything from arranging project plans and budgets to maintaining quality control and meeting or exceeding client expectations.
Highly qualified workers may get extra bonuses and rewards from their employer, client, company, or government agency overseeing multiple projects.
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2. Plastics Tooling Engineer
National Average Salary: $130,000
A plastics tooling engineer is in charge of designing and developing plastic molds or other materials. They frequently work as part of a team from the conception of new polymers through testing and implementation.
To become a plastics tooling engineer you need at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field. An additional experience with processes such as injection molding will be an advantage, and many employers prefer candidates proficient in CAM and CAD modeling software.
3. Quality Assurance Manager
National Average Salary: $76,754
Quality assurance manager is one the best paying jobs in the plastic product industry.
The Quality Assurance Manager ensures that items meet standards and are of high quality before they are distributed. It necessitates considerable knowledge of how to evaluate plastic products as well as a keen eye for detail. Quality Assurance Manager assures that customers obtain high-quality goods when they buy from your firm.
It is the duty of a quality assurance manager to ensure standard products are distributed to the market. To excel in this position, you need to have considerable knowledge of how to evaluate plastic products as well as a keen eye for detail.
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4. Materials Engineer
National Average Salary: $91,904
Materials engineers manufacture, process, and test materials for a wide range of goods, including computer chips and aircraft wings, as well as golf clubs and biomedical devices.
They investigate the properties and architectures of metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, nanomaterials (very small particles), and other substances in order to develop novel materials that meet mechanical, electrical, and chemical specifications. They also assist with the selection of materials for specific goods and the development of new applications for current materials.
Materials engineering is a specialist field that many engineers can use to advance into other areas of plastic product design, such as mechanical or chemical engineering. The engineer creates plastic molds and machinery.
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5. Maintenance Manager
National average salary: $70,148
Maintenance Managers supervise and lead a company’s maintenance procedures. They oversee tasks like expense tracking and reporting status updates to owners or higher-ups. They also deal with specific jobs that are assigned to them along the road.
Maintenance managers in the plastics industry are in charge of repairing production equipment, enhancing injection molding, and supervising other maintenance workers.
They assist in the movement of plastic molds to and from manufacturing plants, track expenditures and labor expenses to assure budget compliance, and create programs to minimize costs and enhance production processes.
6. Plastics Engineer
National average salary: $82,018
Plastics engineers are in charge of designing and producing plastic materials, molds, tools, and other goods. They design and build new injection molding equipment, manage plastics projects, support other engineers during the plastics production process, and verify that other engineers adhere to any necessary safety regulations.
They also seek to reduce manufacturing costs and assess customer needs to ensure that all molded goods are of excellent quality. Plastics engineers can also test finished items and create specifications for new product designs.
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7. Assembler
National average salary: $75,129
Assemblers in the plastics sector are in charge of assembling a wide range of plastic items, as well as tools and machinery. They manufacture, decorate, and package completed goods in accordance with specifications and work instructions.
Assemblers frequently verify and test finished goods for flaws before packing them and tell a production manager if any are discovered. They may also label the product in accordance with the instructions provided, and they may meet with supervisors and other plastics personnel to discuss the adoption of new safety requirements and work standards.
8. Injection Mold Operator
National average salary: $86,361
Injection mold operators are in charge of assembling and running plastic-shaping devices. They apply quality control methods to guarantee that each mold meets the specified specifications, manage any difficulties that may develop during the molding process, repair machines and perform routine maintenance and order new parts as needed.
Injection mold operators contribute to a safe working environment by ensuring that all employees obey all applicable health and safety laws. It is their duty to assemble various molding equipment according to design instructions or building blueprints, and then clean the equipment after use.
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9. Plant Manager
National average salary: $92,745
Plastics plant managers are in charge of the day-to-day operations of a plastics department or manufacturing facility. They assist in the supervision of plastics staff and give them ongoing operational and developmental training.
Plant managers create and implement strategic plans to increase production and improve quality. They examine production processes for chances to innovate, cut costs, and improve finished goods quality.
10. Extrusion Manager
National Average Salary: $75,000
An extrusion manager works in the manufacturing industry and is in charge of running an extrusion department and die shop in a safe, efficient, and productive manner.
As an extrusion manager, your duty is to maintain product safety, work in accordance with the plan, and schedule, and draft a budget for the manufacturing of a product or components. You may hold meetings for members of the extrusion department and, if necessary, build new procedures and processes for each project.
11. Extrusion Engineer
National Average Salary: $82,291
An extrusion engineer is one of the best-paying jobs in plastic products. It is their duty to develop and evaluate the extrusion process of a plastic company.
Your responsibilities in this job will be to support production and engineering demands by setting up and operating extrusion equipment and procedures. Other duties may include designing, installing, and troubleshooting new equipment and methods for development. You must document the details of the activities and experiments you carry out.
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12. Patternmaker
National average salary: $46,565
Patternmakers are in charge of producing plastic foundry patterns and ensuring that they meet the required specifications. They measure plastic goods with measuring devices such as scales and micrometers and run machinery such as drill presses to make more distinct designs.
They may also adapt or fix a broken pattern or template and create new patterns using computer-aided design tools.
13. Plastic Manufacturer
National average salary: $46,832
Plastic producers are in charge of molding, casting, and assembling plastic products such as combs, dishes, toys, automotive parts, and a variety of other items. They verify that the machines that aid in the construction of things work properly.
Furthermore, they engage in quality control operations during blow molding, injection molding, and compression molding to guarantee the products fit the stipulated standards. They may employ blenders or color mixers to create colored plastic products and to combine multiple colors.
14. Quality Control Technician
National average salary: $48,899
Quality control technicians define, document, and manage a set of quality-assurance procedures for manufacturing companies. They conduct tests prior to, during, and after production to ensure that items match the company’s requirements.
They check the dimensions of goods to ensure they’re compliant with desired specifications, monitor for various defects, and establish a system to report and repair defects.
Technicians frequently assist in training plastic product workers who develop and assemble plastic goods on how to effectively exceed client expectations and generate high-quality goods. They develop and apply a set of quality control standards and notify production managers and supervisors of any quality issues.
15. Production supervisor
National average salary: $59,683
Production supervisors are in charge of supervising and leading staff in the plastics and manufacturing industries. They work with suppliers to coordinate production activities in order to optimize machines, workers, and procedures.
Production supervisors develop production schedules for employees to adhere to in order to ensure the timely shipment of goods. They may also help prepare new moldings, equipment, and supplies, as well as train and educate new plastics personnel on manufacturing methods.
16. Moldmaker
National average salary: $61,046
A moldmaker in the plastics industry is responsible for making precision moldings and guaranteeing that each molding can be mass-produced with great accuracy. Precision moldings are plastic moldings that are eventually transformed into high-quality consumer goods.
Moldmakers build molds by combining modeling materials with other components. A moldmaker may employ measuring and gauging instruments prior to the molding process to do an examination before a large-scale molding operation. During the injection molding process, they may also aid millwrights and machinists.
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Educational Requirements Needed To Work In A Plastic Product Industry
Though there are no specific education requirements for unskilled and semiskilled production jobs in the aplastic products industry, most firms prefer to employ high school graduates or candidates that have any of the following academic requirements:
- B. Tech or B.E degree in plastic technology
- M. Tech or ME in plastic technology
- Diploma in Plastic Technology
- B.E or M.E in Plastic Engineering
- Certification programs in Plastic Technology
Candidates with a diploma, graduation, or post-graduate degree in plastic technology might look for work in a variety of industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, consumer goods, telecommunication, medical, automobile, construction, packaging, healthcare, and so on.
Once hired by a plastic-making industry, you will be trained on the job.
FAQs On Plastic Product Industry
Plastics are a type of synthetic material created from a variety of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, and others that may be shaped while flexible and then set into a rigid or somewhat elastic form.
Plastic biodegradability is heavily influenced by the type of plastic and where it ends up. Many plastics do not biodegrade in any major way, regardless of environmental conditions, whereas others break down slowly when exposed to air, water, and light. Both varieties are best recycled or used for the energy they contain.
The best type of plastics you can work with are stable, adaptable, and recyclable like polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polypropylene.
The requirements for a career in plastic products vary based on the position, but typically employers will prefer candidates with a degree in engineering, science, or business.
Conclusion
A career in Plastic Products can be very lucrative. You’ll have little trouble obtaining work; your skills should transition nicely into another plastics-related position if you’re already employed. Furthermore, there are always prospects for promotion and growth in the plastic product industry, so your chances of remaining static are limited.
References
- careerhungry.com – Is Plastic Products A Good Career Path?
- indeed.com – 12 Plastics Industry Jobs (With Duties and Salaries)
- plastivision.org – Building A Career in The Plastic Industry
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