What Do Manufacturing Potters Do?

Manufacturing Potter Example Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter’s wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.

Life as a Manufacturing Potter: What Do They Do?

• Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
• Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
• Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
• Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
• Raise and shape clay into wares such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
• Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.

What a Manufacturing Potter Should Know

These are the skills Manufacturing Potters say are the most useful in their careers:

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

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

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.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Types of Manufacturing Potters

• Clay Artisan
• Jigger Artisan
• Potter
• Ceramic Artist
• Glazer

Job Outlook for Manufacturing Potters

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 43,000 jobs in the United States for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic.

Manufacturing Potter jobs are decreasing by a rate of -2.3%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -1,000 jobs for Manufacturing Potters by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,200 positions for Manufacturing Potter per year.

The states with the most job growth for Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic are Florida, Texas, and Utah.

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

Average Manufacturing Potter Salary

The average yearly salary of a Manufacturing Potter ranges between $22,910 and $51,010. The median salary for this occupation is $33,340.

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
Nebraska	$55,090
Vermont	$46,110
New Jersey	$45,180
Rhode Island	$42,220
South Carolina	$40,650
West Virginia	$40,370
Washington	$40,030
Hawaii	$39,800
Illinois	$39,230
Kansas	$37,780
Idaho	$37,530
Minnesota	$37,510
New Mexico	$37,500
Colorado	$37,090
New York	$37,080
Iowa	$36,770
Montana	$36,710
Maryland	$36,490
Connecticut	$36,480
Utah	$36,120
California	$36,050
Oregon	$35,980
North Dakota	$35,520
Massachusetts	$35,310
Indiana	$35,150
Virginia	$35,050
New Hampshire	$35,040
North Carolina	$34,850
Delaware	$34,770
Ohio	$34,710
Maine	$34,520
Kentucky	$34,470
Pennsylvania	$34,240
Wisconsin	$34,000
Oklahoma	$33,880
Missouri	$33,680
Texas	$33,520
Mississippi	$33,130
Alabama	$32,960
Nevada	$32,840
Michigan	$32,780
Arizona	$32,620
Tennessee	$32,370
Georgia	$31,480
Arkansas	$31,330
Louisiana	$29,950
Florida	$29,470

Tools & Technologies Used by Manufacturing Potters

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Manufacturing Potters may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Excel

How do I Become a Manufacturing Potter?

What kind of Manufacturing Potter requirements are there?

What work experience do I need to become a Manufacturing Potter?

Where Manufacturing Potters Work

Related Careers

Those thinking about becoming Manufacturing Potters might also be interested in the following careers:

• Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons