coating machine operator
Coating machine operators set up and tend coating machines that coat metal products with a thin layer of covering of materials such as lacquer, enamel, copper, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium or other metal layering in order to protect or decorate the metal products' surfaces. They run all coating machine stations on multiple coaters.
coating machine operator coating machine operators set up and tend coating machines that coat metal products with a thin layer of covering of materials such as lacquer, enamel, copper, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium or other metal layering in order to protect or decorate the metal pr. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include health and safety in the workplace, dip-coating process, dip tank parts, industrial paint, quality standards.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £32,871 a year for Metal making and treating process operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8115). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only coating machine operator, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Frequently asked questions
What does coating machine operator do?
Coating machine operators set up and tend coating machines that coat metal products with a thin layer of covering of materials such as lacquer, enamel, copper, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium or other metal layering in order to protect or decorate the metal products' surfaces. They run all coating machine stations on multiple coaters.
What skills does coating machine operator need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include health and safety in the workplace, dip-coating process, dip tank parts, industrial paint, quality standards, remove inadequate workpieces. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace coating machine operator?
Our AI-durability model gives coating machine operator a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.