What Does it Take to Be a Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator?

Career Description Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment. Includes activities, such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.

Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator Responsibilities

• Calculate amounts of materials to be loaded into furnaces, adjusting amounts as necessary for specific conditions.
• Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems.
• Melt or refine metal before casting, calculating required temperatures, and observe metal color, adjusting controls as necessary to maintain required temperatures.
• Direct crane operators and crew members to load vessels with materials to be processed.
• Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books.
• Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications.

Skills Needed to be a Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator

When polled, Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Related Job Titles for this Occupation:

• Unit Operator
• Lehr Tender
• Rabble Furnace Tender
• Tray Drier
• Drier Tender

Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator Employment Estimates

There were about 21,900 jobs for Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders in 2016 (in the United States).

Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator or Tender jobs are decreasing by a rate of -5.2%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -1,100 jobs for Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 2,000 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders are Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in North Carolina, Ohio, or Virginia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator Salary

The salary for Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders ranges between about $25,950 and $58,890 a year. A Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator or Tender median salary is $39,160.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Utah	$49,360
Maryland	$48,310
Alabama	$47,750
Nevada	$46,020
Michigan	$45,960
West Virginia	$45,470
Wyoming	$44,960
Nebraska	$44,650
Massachusetts	$44,430
Maine	$43,640
Minnesota	$43,590
Washington	$43,210
New York	$43,210
Indiana	$42,700
Arkansas	$42,290
New Hampshire	$42,200
Pennsylvania	$41,890
Oregon	$41,730
New Jersey	$41,570
Iowa	$41,550
Idaho	$41,550
Montana	$40,590
Kansas	$40,450
Texas	$40,360
North Carolina	$40,350
Colorado	$40,110
Kentucky	$39,840
Louisiana	$39,790
Georgia	$39,740
California	$39,730
Oklahoma	$39,520
South Carolina	$39,200
Illinois	$38,880
Missouri	$38,840
Tennessee	$38,800
Virginia	$36,640
Wisconsin	$36,300
Ohio	$36,060
Connecticut	$36,050
South Dakota	$35,990
Arizona	$35,210
Mississippi	$34,500
Florida	$30,400

What Tools do Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders may use on a daily basis:

• Data entry software
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel

How to Become a Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator

What education or degrees do I need to become a Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, or Kettle Operator or Tender?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders Work

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons