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Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Tennessee

Want to work as a Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in Tennessee? Here’s what you need to know. Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.

What do Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Make in Tennessee?

For a paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders working in Tennessee, the median annual wage is $48,060 per year (or roughly $23.11/hour).Annual wages span from $36,050 at the 10th percentile to $63,650 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$36,050	$17.33
25th percentile	$40,220	$19.34
Median (50th)	$48,060	$23.11
75th percentile	$51,770	$24.89
90th percentile	$63,650	$30.60

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Tennessee compared to the national average — is 1.52, meaning that paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders earn a median of $38,587 per year ($18.55/hour), above the Tennessee median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 450,749 paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders nationwide. In Tennessee alone, about 3,130 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 1,650 paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders.

Top Tennessee Metros for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

These are the Tennessee metros with the most paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders in Tennessee.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Chattanooga, TN-GA	480	$48,110
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN	470	$50,110
Knoxville, TN	430	$50,940
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	420	$49,530
Jackson, TN	360	$45,910
Clarksville, TN-KY	100	$47,030
Morristown, TN	90	n/a

Top States for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Employment

These states have the highest employment of paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders work.

State	Number Employed
Pennsylvania	7,720
Wisconsin	6,930
Georgia	6,390
Illinois	5,720
California	5,050
North Carolina	5,010
Texas	4,150
Alabama	3,930
Ohio	3,900
South Carolina	3,650
Michigan	3,540
New York	3,390
Tennessee	3,130
Indiana	3,120
New Jersey	2,570
Washington	2,500
Kentucky	2,310
Virginia	2,310
Massachusetts	2,150
Minnesota	1,950

Highest-Paying States for Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

The highest-paying states for paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders.

State	Annual Median Salary
Louisiana	$62,690
Oklahoma	$61,750
Utah	$59,100
Wisconsin	$57,760
Oregon	$57,010
Illinois	$56,860
Idaho	$56,300
Washington	$56,240
Minnesota	$55,790
Kentucky	$53,650

Skills

Key paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
• Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
• Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
• Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.
• Install attachments to machines for gluing, folding, printing, or cutting.
• Cut products to specified dimensions, using hand or power cutters.
• Place rolls of paper or cardboard on machine feed tracks, and thread paper through gluing, coating, and slitting rollers.
• Monitor finished cartons as they drop from forming machines into rotating hoppers and into gravity feed chutes to prevent jamming.
• Adjust guide assemblies, forming bars, and folding mechanisms according to specifications, using hand tools.
• Measure, space, and set saw blades, cutters, and perforators, according to product specifications.
• Fill glue and paraffin reservoirs, and position rollers to dispense glue onto paperboard.
• Stamp products with information such as dates, using hand stamps or automatic stamping devices.

Work Activities

• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Performing General Physical Activities

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat

Related Careers

Careers similar to paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders include:

• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Also Known As

Bag Machine Operator, Bag Machine Tender, Bag Maker, Bag Presser, Bag Valver, Bender Machine Operator, Binder, Box Brander, Box Fabricator, Box Finisher, Box Folding Machine Operator, Box Liner, Box Machine Operator, Box Stamper, Bundler.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9196.00