Assemblers are key to the manufacturing process. It’s an important job that requires some skills that may surprise you. If you’re considering an assembly job in a manufacturing company, read this article to see what you’ll need to succeed.
Skills Needed to Work in an Assembly Role
You will need to have some mobility to work on an assembly line, typically, because many of these positions require you to stand on your feet for long periods. Invest in a good set of shoes and break them in before you arrive for your first day. Some jobs do make allowances if you are in a wheelchair while other jobs may allow you to use a chair. However, generally, you can expect to be on your feet for the full eight hours, or however long your shift is.
In the typical assembly job, there is a conveyor belt that brings pieces of the product to your station while you perform the task associated with the job. You’ll need some manual dexterity in most cases and you also may need to be able to discern colors. For example, there may be wires that you need to put together or colored tabs or other components. In many cases, you cannot be color blind and take an assembly role. But you also may be screwing parts together or sewing pieces or performing other tasks that require nimbleness in your fingers and hands.
You may also need some strength to lift heavy pieces of the products you’re assembling. For example, if you’re on an automobile assembly line there may be heavy parts you need to move. There may also be heavy equipment that will help you move these parts, so you may learn to operate power lifts or other tools.
You must be able to work quickly in these roles, performing your job repeatedly without slowing down the line in any way. Manual dexterity is usually important in these positions. Working with your hands is a standard part of any assembly job. You should be able to grab the piece, perform your task, and keep your hands and eyes on the job at hand. Down the line, there will be a quality control analyst checking your work, so your efforts to get the task done right every time will be greatly appreciated and noticed by your co-workers and managers.
You must have some spatial coordination as well. Your job is putting things together so you’ll need good visualization skills to make sure you’re putting the square peg in the square hole every time.
This position also requires many of the skills that are important to every job; reliability, timeliness, and the ability to get along with your coworkers. Getting to the job on time is very important because once the line starts up it’s very expensive to have any production delays.
If you’re thinking about a new assembly job or about getting into the field, talk with People Plus. We have top paying jobs waiting on you. Contact us to get started.