As we begin the twenty-first century, the manufacturing industry in the United States is in transition. Some would even say that a crisis is at hand by pointing to the loss of 2.8 million manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2003, and the mass layoffs that occurred in 2005. More than 14.5 million people still worked in manufacturing at the end of 2005, accounting for about 14 percent of the country…
Good jobs do not magically appear. Anyone who has been in the job market knows that landing the right job takes planning, preparation, perseverance, and patience. This is true whether you are looking for your first job, reentering the job market, trying to get a new job, or planning a mid-career change. This essay is designed to guide you through the process of finding a job, from helping you defi…
Education and Training None Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Poor Apparel workers cut and sew fabric and other materials into clothing. Most apparel workers work in textile manufacturing plants. These workers perform one task in the production of many garments, rather than performing all the tasks required to produce a piece of clothing. There are many steps in making a piece of…
Education and Training None Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Poor Assemblers and fabricators piece together the different parts of manufactured products such as cars, television sets, and airplanes. They read detailed blueprints to learn how to assemble a product. They then use hand tools or machines to complete the project. Assemblers and fabricators work in all kinds of manufa…
Education and Training High school plus training Salary $18,000 to $35,000 per year Employment Outlook Good Gunsmiths repair and modify firearms to blueprint and customer specifications. In their work, gunsmiths use hand tools and machines such as grinders, planers, and millers. They may restore antique guns, convert old rifles to up-to-date firearms, or adapt factory-made rifles to the special ne…
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$15.79 per hour Employment Outlook Poor A wide range of employees is required to keep sophisticated industrial machinery running smoothly. The tasks done by industrial machinery maintenance workers are those requiring the least skill; however, their work is vital to the success of industrial facilities. An idle machine will dela…
Education and Training None Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Poor Inspectors and testers check raw materials, parts, and entire products that are being processed in a factory. They must make sure that each product measures up to their company's standards. Most companies try to keep the quality of their products high. They want to be sure that customers are not disappointe…
Education and Training None Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Poor Machine operators and tenders run high-speed machine tools such as drill presses, lathes, milling machines, boring machines, and precision grinding machines used to mass-produce metal and plastic parts. They may have more specific job titles, according to the type of machines with which they work. For example, the…
Education and Training None Salary Median—$12.64 per hour Employment Outlook Fair Painting and coating workers cover manufactured goods with paint, finish, or other coating solution and are employed by many different kinds of industries. They paint items made of metal or wood—anything from pencils to automobiles. They apply paint, varnish, primer, rust preventive, lacquer, and other …
Education and Training High school Salary Median—$21.68 per hour Employment Outlook Good Boilermakers assemble, install, and repair boilers, vats, and other large vessels. Boilers hold liquids and pressurized gases that are used in many industries. Boilers supply steam to drive turbines in ships and electric power plants. They are also used to provide heat and power in buildings. Large vess…
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$14.75 per hour Employment Outlook Good Computer control operators use computer-controlled machines to cut metal, plastic, or glass precisely, shaping a finished part or product. They perform tasks using computer-controlled machinery that previously were done by human operators, such as drilling, cutting, milling, grinding, and …
Education and Training High school plus two years of training Salary Median—$39,190 to $43,180 per year Employment Outlook Fair Drafters, who are sometimes called computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) specialists, prepare technical drawings and plans. These plans are used by production and construction workers to build products such as toys, coffee makers, machinery, airplanes, houses, …
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$21.51 per hour Employment Outlook Poor First-line supervisors are employed in all industries to direct production workers in the making or assembling of manufactured goods. Their chief responsibility is to ensure that the production process is carried out according to the goals set by their company's managers and enginee…
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$18.78 per hour Employment Outlook Fair Industrial machinery mechanics are highly skilled workers who keep machinery and other industrial equipment in good working order. They help prevent breakdowns by checking, cleaning, and oiling machine parts regularly. They also fix machines when they break down. They work on cranes, pumps…
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Poor Machine setters in the metalworking and plastics industries set up machines for operation and production and may adjust the machinery during its operation. Many workers both set up and operate equipment. Because the setup process requires an understanding of the entire production process, sett…
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$16.33 per hour Employment Outlook Good Machinists are among the most highly skilled industrial workers. Machinists use power-operated machine tools that mass-produce metal parts and tools. These are precision parts and tools used in building various kinds of engines, machinery, and other products. Unlike less-skilled machine op…
Education and Training High school plus training Salary Median—$44,150 per year Employment Outlook Poor Stationary engineers and boiler operators operate and maintain the equipment used to generate power, heat, air conditioning, and refrigeration in factories and other commercial buildings. The term "stationary" refers to the type of equipment that these engineers operate …
Education and Training High school plus training Salary Median—$20.55 per hour Employment Outlook Excellent Tool and die makers are highly skilled machinists. They produce tools, dies, and parts of machines used to manufacture a variety of products. Although many workers do both tool and die making, they are actually two different processes. Tool makers build and repair cutting and shaping …
Education and Training Varies—see profile Salary Median—$19.31 per hour Employment Outlook Good Computer control programmers carefully plan and prepare the process of using computer numerically controlled machines to cut metal, plastic, or glass precisely, shaping a finished part or product. First, they review three-dimensional blueprints of a part. Next, they calculate the operation…
Education and Training College Salary Median—$52,310 per year Employment Outlook Good Industrial designers work to improve the appearance, safety, and usefulness of industrial products. They develop new styles and designs for a wide variety of products ranging from ballpoint pens and stoves to automobiles and electronics. Since manufacturing firms in the United States produce such a wide va…
Education and Training College Salary Median—$65,020 per year Employment Outlook Good Industrial engineers determine the most effective ways to use the basic factors of production—people, machines, materials, information, and energy—to make a product. They are primarily concerned with increasing productivity through the management of people, methods of business organization, a…
Education and Training College Salary Median—$73,000 per year Employment Outlook Fair Industrial production managers plan, direct, and coordinate the production activities that produce millions of goods every year. They make sure production proceeds smoothly and stays within budget. Depending on the size of the manufacturing plant, industrial production managers may oversee the entire plant…
Education and Training College Salary Starting—$36,967 per year Employment Outlook Very good Labor relations specialists serve as a link between employees and management. Labor relations is a specialized area of personnel work, sometimes referred to as "industrial relations." In most cases, labor relations specialists work for unionized companies or government agencies. The go…
Education and Training Bachelor's or master's degree Salary Median—$71,683 per year Employment Outlook Fair Quality control managers are responsible for maintaining the quality and reliability of products and services. They are employed in fields ranging from aerospace and electronics to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among many other industries. Some quality control managers …
The aerospace industry consists of firms that manufacture and assemble aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. It is a large industry that, according to the Aerospace Industries Association, employed 466,000 people in 2006. Of these, 390,000 worked in the aircraft and parts sector, and 76,000 were in the guided missiles, space vehicles, and parts sector. Many federal government workers are involved in…
Aluminum and copper are important metals with many uses. Besides aluminum foil and copper wire, these two metals are fashioned into many other products that are used in industries such as aerospace and construction. Aluminum and copper are nonferrous metals—that is, metals that do not contain iron. Other nonferrous metals include lead, tin, gold, silver, and zinc. Aluminum and copper plants…
The apparel industry makes clothing and related products, including men's, women's, and children's outerwear, underwear, sleepwear, bathing suits, hats, hosiery, furs, and many other items. In 2004 nearly 41 percent of the approximately 701,000 people employed in the industry helped to produce wearing apparel. The others were involved in the production of articles such as bed …
The automotive industry produces passenger cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles such as campers. It is one of the nation's largest and most important manufacturing industries, employing about 1.1 million people in 2004. Most of the workers in the industry work in the Great Lakes area, especially in Michigan. However, automotive plants are also found i…
Ceramics is a general term applied to many kinds of products made from clay and similar materials processed at high temperatures. Many ceramic products are whitewares—for example, bathroom fixtures, floor and wall tile, pottery, dinnerware, and electrical insulators. The process of making ceramic products begins with the digging of clay in large quantities. Power shovel operators scoop it f…
Electronic devices are used in every sector of the modern economy. The industry employs over a million people in developing, manufacturing, and selling electronic equipment and devices. Plants manufacturing such equipment are located all over the country, although most of them are in eight states: California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Jersey, and Texas. About 34…
Pots and pans, bathtubs, and automobile engine blocks are among the many kinds of products made by casting metals in foundries. There are several methods of shaping metals. The method used depends on the kind of metal and the intended use of the finished product. Casting is a relatively simple and inexpensive method that can produce intricate shapes and that can be easily adapted to the techniques…
Tables, sofas, desks, and filing cabinets are just some of the products manufactured by the furniture industry for use in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, and retail stores. Furniture factories are found in many areas of the country, although the Southeast is a principal center of the industry. Many different kinds of workers are needed to make furniture. The specific jobs depend on the kind of…
Glass is used in many ways and forms. It is used in making eyeglasses, tableware, lightbulbs, windows, television tubes, and cookware. Glass tubes are used in the fabrication of laser light conductors. In the form of tiny fibers, glass is used for insulators, capacitors, and other electronic components. Ultrapure glass fiber is used to make fiber-optic cable for telecommunications companies and th…
The industrial chemical industry makes chemical products that are used by other industries to make plastics, paint, explosives, and thousands of other products. The industry makes chemical products from a variety of raw materials, including coal, oil, plants, salts, and minerals. Chemical products are also used to manufacture steel, glass, detergents, cosmetics, drugs, and film. The industrial che…
Leather is animal skin that has been preserved and treated. It is used to make products, including sporting goods, handbags, suitcases, belts, gloves, coats, upholstery, and saddles. However, most of the leather manufactured in this country is used to make shoes. Many different kinds of animal skins or hides are used. Small animals, such as goats and sheep, are said to have "skins," …
Modern business relies on the use of office machines, computers, and related equipment. From photocopy machines to disc drives, the office machine and computer industry produces the equipment that keeps business, government, and industry going. Many workers in the industry are employed in plants that make computers and related equipment, including optical storage devices, high-speed printers, and …
Paints, varnishes, and lacquers are known as coatings. They are applied to the surface of many products to provide protection or decoration. Coatings are applied to bridges and buildings, aircraft and automobiles, and house walls and home furnishings. The industry generates approximately $18 billion in revenues and employs more than 50,000 workers. Paints, varnish, and lacquer are made from differ…
Workers in the paper industry make paper and paper products out of wood, recycled paper, or cloth and other fibrous materials. Although paper mills are found throughout the United States, more than half of the nation's paper and pulp production takes place in the southern states. Many plants specialize in a single step in the paper making process—making pulp from wood, for example. O…
Workers in the petroleum refining industry help turn crude oil into petroleum products that are used to heat buildings, power motor vehicles and machinery, and generate electric power. Petroleum products have many other uses as well. For example, the asphalt used in making and repairing roads is a refined petroleum product. Petrochemicals, which are used by a wide range of industries to make plast…
The pharmaceutical industry makes products that cure or control diseases and help people live longer and more comfortable lives. Pharmaceuticals include prescription drugs, such as antibiotics and tranquilizers, that are dispensed by pharmacists following a physician's orders. Over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin The pharmaceutical industry devotes a great deal of time and money to r…
Although there are many different kinds of plastics, they are all related in their chemical structure. Because plastics are versatile materials, light in weight, and relatively strong, they are used in making kitchen utensils, automobile steering wheels, television cabinets, swimming pools, paint, buttons, fabrics, and countless other products. In the medical field alone, many special plastic prod…
Rubber has many uses in the modern world. We wear it, ride on it, play with it, and erase our written mistakes with it. The rubber industry manufactures more than 40,000 different products, including rubber bands, shoe soles, diving suits, and automobile tires. Rubber is used in making paint and floor tile as well as in products such as huge industrial conveyor belts or the tubing used in giving b…
The shipbuilding industry builds different kinds of ships for transporting goods and people and for use in the U.S. armed forces. It builds tankers, container ships, icebreakers, submarines, barges, and tugboats. It also constructs aircraft carriers, yachts, and many other kinds of ships and boats. Besides building ships, shipbuilders outfit ships and repair them. There are about twenty-four major…
The U.S. economy depends heavily on its steel industry. Thousands of products are made of steel or are processed by steel machinery. Automobile bodies, for example, are made of steel sheets. Steel bars are required to make machine parts and to reinforce highways. Pots and pans, razor blades, and home appliances are all made at least partly of steel. In addition, steel machinery helps to process ou…
Many products are made from clay, which is a plentiful raw material in the United States. Among the most important clay products are those used in the construction industry. Common brick is the most widely used, along with bathroom tile, sewer tile, terra cotta, and firebrick. For many reasons, brick and tile are widely favored in the construction of homes, factories, stores, and public buildings.…
The textile industry is one of the largest industries in the United States; in 2004 it employed about 416,000 people. Most textile mills manufacture clothing, but many produce household linens such as towels, sheets, and tablecloths. Other products include ribbons, webbings, and tapes used to make automobile seat belts and shoulder harnesses, conveyor belts, carpets, draperies, flags, disposable c…
