Process Control and Machine Operators in Food and Beverage Processing

Nature of work

Process control and machine operators in this group 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 duties

Process control operators perform some or all of the following 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.

Machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:

• Set up and adjust processing and packaging machines preparatory to operation.
• Operate single-function machines to grind, extract, mix, blend, dry, freeze, cook, or otherwise process food, beverage or associated products.
• Operate single-function machines to box, can or otherwise package food, beverage or associated products.
• Check products to ensure conformance to company standards and clear machine blockages as required.
• Record production information such as quantity, weight, size, date and type of products packaged.
• Perform corrective machine adjustments, clean machines and immediate work areas

Sample job titles

• brewery worker
• cheese maker
• cider maker
• coffee roaster
• dairy plant machine operator
• fruit and vegetable machine operator
• packaging machine operator - food processing
• press operator - food and beverage processing
• process control operator - food and beverage processing
• winemaker - food and beverage processing

Skills

To work in these jobs, you should be responsible, alert, and in good physical health. Coordination, agility, and a mechanical aptitude are important. You must also be able to take direction and carry out instructions given by a supervisor.

Job requirements

• Completion of high school may be required.
• On-the-job training is provided.

Other considerations

Shift work may be typical for many of these jobs. Experience as a labourer in food, beverage or associated products processing may be required for machine operators while experience as a machine operator in food, beverage or associated products processing is usually required for industrial process control operators. There is little mobility among the various types of process control operators within the food and beverage processing industry while mobility options exist among machine operators within the food, beverage and associated products processing. Process control operators may progress to supervisory positions in food and beverage processing with experience while machine operators may progress to process control operation or supervisory positions with experience.

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