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Assemblers and fabricators produce a wide range of finished goods from manufactured parts or subassemblies. They produce intricate manufactured products, such as aircraft, automobile engines, computers, and electrical and electronic components.
Assemblers may work on subassemblies or the final assembly of an array of finished products or components. For example, electrical and electronic equipment assemblers put together or modify missile control systems, radio or test equipment, computers, machine-tool numerical controls, radar, or sonar, and prototypes of these and other products. Electromechanical equipment assemblers prepare and test equipment or devices such as appliances, dynamometers, or ejection-seat mechanisms. Coil winders, tapers, and finishers wind wire coil used in resistors, transformers, generators, and electric motors. Engine and other machine assemblers construct, assemble, or rebuild engines and turbines, and office, agricultural, construction, oilfield, rolling mill, textile, woodworking, paper, and food-wrapping machinery. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers put together and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as landing gear. Structural metal fabricators and fitters cut, align, and fit structural metal parts according to detailed specifications prior to welding or riveting.
Assemblers and fabricators involved in product development read and interpret engineering specifications from text, drawings, and computer-aided drafting systems. They also may use a variety of tools and precision measuring instruments. Some experienced assemblers work with engineers and technicians, assembling prototypes or test products.
A decline in employment is expected, reflecting increasing automation and the shift of assembly to countries with lower labor costs. Work areas may be noisy, and many assemblers may have to sit or stand for long periods. A high school diploma is preferred for most positions; specialized training is required for some assembly jobs.
Other occupations that involve operating machines and tools and assembling products include welding, soldering, and brazing workers; and machine setters, operators, and tenders—metal and plastic. Assemblers and fabricators also are responsible for some quality control and product testing, as is the case for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers.
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The working conditions for assemblers and fabricators vary from plant to plant and from industry to industry. Work areas may be noisy, and many assemblers may have to sit or stand for long periods. Both electronic and electromechanical equipment assemblers, for example, sit at tables to perform much of their work, although their surroundings are generally clean, well-lit, and free from dust. Some electrical and electronics assemblers come in contact with soldering fumes, but ventilation systems and fans normally minimize this problem. Assemblers of equipment that is vulnerable to dust and dirt, such as transmissions, may work in clean rooms that are designed to minimize contamination. Aircraft assemblers, however, usually come in contact with oil and grease, and their working areas may be quite noisy. They also may have to lift and fit heavy objects. In many cases, improvements in workstation design and the increased use of overhead cranes and other power-lifting equipment have improved working conditions.
Most full-time assemblers work a 40-hour week, although overtime and shiftwork is fairly common in some industries. Work schedules of assemblers may vary at plants with more than one shift.
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Most of the 2.1 million assembler and fabricator jobs in 2002 were in manufacturing; most of the 7 percent who were employed by employment services firms also worked in manufacturing plants. Team assemblers, the largest specialty, accounted for 55 percent of assembler and fabricator jobs. The distribution of employment among the various types of assemblers was as follows:
Team assemblers 1,174,000
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers 281,000
Structural metal fabricators and fitters 89,000
Electromechanical equipment assemblers 60,000
Engine and other machine assemblers 50,000
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators 37,000
Coil winders, tapers, and finishers 36,000
Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers 27,000
Timing device assemblers, adjusters, and calibrators 6,500
All other assemblers and fabricators 361,000
Manufacturing industries employ 80 percent of assemblers and fabricators. Assembly of computers and electronic products accounted for 13 percent of all jobs. Assembly of transportation equipment, such as aircraft, autos, trucks, and buses accounted for 19 percent of all jobs. Other industries that employ many assemblers and fabricators were machinery manufacturing (heating and air-conditioning equipment; agriculture, construction, and mining machinery; and engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment); electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing (lighting, household appliances, and electrical equipment); and fabricated metal products.
The following tabulation shows wage and salary employment in manufacturing industries employing the most assemblers and fabricators in 2002.
Transportation equipment manufacturing 397,000
Computer and electronic product manufacturing 285,000
Machinery manufacturing 209,000
Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing 160,000
Fabricated metal product manufacturing 155,000
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Earnings vary by industry, geographic region, skill, educational level, and complexity of the machinery operated. In 2002, median hourly earnings were $ 18.71 for aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers; $14.02 for engine and other machine assemblers; $11.07 for coil winders, tapers, and finishers; $11.83 for fiberglass laminators and finishers; $11.63 for timing device assemblers, calibrators, and adjusters; $12.15 for electromechanical equipment assemblers; and $11.00 for all other assemblers.
Median hourly earnings of team assemblers were $10.90 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.81 and $13.84. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.41, and the highest 10 percent earned $17.73. Median hourly earnings in the manufacturing industries employing the largest numbers of team assemblers in 2002 are shown below:
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing $12.36
Other wood product manufacturing 10.44
Plastics product manufacturing 10.24
Other miscellaneous manufacturing 9.58
Employment services 8.30
Median hourly earnings of electrical and electronic equipment assemblers were $11.03 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $9.02 and $13.84. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.57, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $17.38. Median hourly earnings in the manufacturing industries employing the largest numbers of electrical and electronic equipment assemblers in 2002 are shown below:
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing $12.21
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing 12.01
Electrical equipment manufacturing 11.95
Communications equipment manufacturing 10.87
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing 10.77
Many assemblers and fabricators are members of labor unions. These unions include the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; and the United Steelworkers of America.
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As technology changes, so too does the manufacturing process. For example, automated manufacturing systems include applications of robotics, computers, programmable motion control, and various sensing technologies. These systems change the way in which goods are made and affect the jobs of those who make them.
The concept of “lean” manufacturing, for example, places a greater premium on teamwork and communication within “cells” of workers than it does on the assembly line process. Team assemblers perform all of the assembly tasks assigned to their teams, rotating through the different tasks, rather than specializing in a single task. They also may decide how the work is to be assigned and how different tasks are to be performed. This worker flexibility helps companies to cover for absent workers, and increases their ability to respond to changes in demand by shifting labor from one product line to another. For example, if demand for a product drops, companies may reduce the number of workers involved, while individual workers perform more stages of the assembly process. Some aspects of lean production, such as rotating tasks, are becoming more common to all assembly and fabrication occupations.
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