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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into products.

Also called: Corrugator Operator, Cup Room Technician, Folder Machine Operator, Gluer Operator, Paper Cutter Operator, Paper Machine Backtender

Median pay in Greater Boston
$58,820
$28.28/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
470
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+9.8%
230 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$42,030$46,940$58,820$65,220$78,320

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Examine completed work to detect defects and verify conformance to work orders, and adjust machinery as necessary to correct production problems.
  • Observe operation of various machines to detect and correct machine malfunctions such as improper forming, glue flow, or pasteboard tension.
  • Start machines and move controls to regulate tension on pressure rolls, to synchronize speed of machine components, and to adjust temperatures of glue or paraffin.
  • Disassemble machines to maintain, repair, or replace broken or worn parts, using hand or power tools.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure16 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 21
  • Language-model AIOE 21
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 7

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for paper goods machine operators is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with spotting defects and flagging machine problems. Setting controls, adjusting machines, and taking them apart to repair them with hand tools still rely on people on the shop floor.

Likely to change

  • Spotting defects in finished paper goods
  • Flagging machine problems like glue or tension issues

Still relies on people

  • Taking machines apart and repairing worn parts
  • Adjusting controls and speeds by hand

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    You already diagnose machine malfunctions and replace worn parts. General maintenance work uses those skills and has a higher median pay of $59,670.

    Pay difference
    +$850 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

    Repairing parts and testing machines after repair builds on your experience. This job has a much higher median pay of $76,770 and long-term training.

    Pay difference
    +$17,950 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

    Using hand and power tools and inspecting key parts carries over from machine repair. Median pay is $75,770, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$16,950 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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