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Date: 10/24/2026

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans.
    • Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
    • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
    • Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
    • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
    • Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
    • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
    • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
    • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
    • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
    • Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment.
    • Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels.
    • Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools.
    • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
    • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
    • Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
    • Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.
    • Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing.
    • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
    • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
    • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
    • Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
    • Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses.

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    Knowledge

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 44190/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 21.25/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 660
    • Yearly Projected Openings 90

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Belt conveyors
    • Blowers
    • Carts
    • Commercial use plastic shovels
    • Commercial use scoops
    • Cooking machinery
    • Cooling machine
    • Dissolved oxygen meters
    • Drying racks
    • Food drying equipment
    • Furnaces
    • Heat exchangers
    • Hopper scale
    • Humidifiers
    • Hydraulic pumps
    • Hygrometers
    • Loading equipment
    • Metallic bins
    • Moisture meters
    • Portable data input terminals
    • Pressure gauge
    • Remote reading thermometers
    • Roasting machinery
    • Roller conveyors
    • Spectrometers
    • Temperature gauge
    • Thermostats
    • Turntables

    Technology

    • Electronic mail software
    • Spreadsheet software
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