kettle tender
Kettle tenders operate machines that mix chewing gum base with sugar or sweetener. They follow procedures to place gum base in containers and then direct it to flow into mixers.
kettle tender kettle tenders operate machines that mix chewing gum base with sugar or sweetener. They follow procedures to place gum base in containers and then direct it to flow into mixers. 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 temperature scales, chemical aspects of sugar, control open-fire kettles, monitor flow of gum, mark differences in colours.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,243 a year for Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £24,471 to £33,889 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8111). ONS rates this estimate 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 kettle tender, 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
Knowledge you'll build
- Public Safety and Security
- Food Production
- Production and Processing
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
What you'd actually do
- Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle.
- Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas.
- Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
- Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
- Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
- Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does kettle tender do?
Kettle tenders operate machines that mix chewing gum base with sugar or sweetener. They follow procedures to place gum base in containers and then direct it to flow into mixers.
What skills does kettle tender need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include temperature scales, chemical aspects of sugar, control open-fire kettles, monitor flow of gum, mark differences in colours, handle delivery of raw materials. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace kettle tender?
Our AI-durability model gives kettle tender 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.