Have you considered a career in the metals industry? Metal work is among the world’s oldest and most respected professions. Today, it offers numerous career opportunities, including machine operation, forging, welding, cutting, soldering, and support and administrative positions.
Metal work is a foundational occupation in our modern society. It’s necessary for power generation, infrastructure, robotics, and all modern industrial processes and manufacturing. In short: without these jobs, the world as we know it wouldn’t exist.
So, what’s it like to work in the metals industry?
It depends on where you start your career – and in which position.
Types of Jobs in the Metals Industry
The definition of metal work is the process of creating products constructed from metals. This could be as complex as forging and shaping materials into intricate shapes or operating machinery to cut metal parts to specified sizes. In addition, there are numerous administrative and executive positions in this industry which manage and support front-line workers.
Welders, Cutters, and Solderers
These types of metals jobs are performed by professionals in many different fields for a variety of industries. At Three D Metals, we offer metals processing services like slitting, shearing, sawing, cutting, and more – and we always need motivated people to fill these roles.
For most of these job positions, all you need is a high school diploma, and you can receive on-the-job training. However, if there is a specific technical training program you want to pursue, a vocational school can also prepare you to dive into this profession immediately after graduation. Like many positions in the metals industry, these are in high demand.
Metal Machine Operator
Metal Machine Operators are in charge of running different types of machines that cut, coil, roll or otherwise process cut pieces of metals.
This may also include CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine operation, a position that is also expected to grow in the coming years. Operators may read through specifications on design types and calibrate the machines to cut metals to these requirements. Types of metal machines include slitters, cutters, oscillators, edgers, shearers, and more.
This is another career option that can be learned on-the-job, and offers growth opportunities at companies that require supervisory machine operators. This path could also lead to an overall plant management position for management-minded operators.
Fabricators, Scaler Operators, and Material Handlers
At Three D Metals, we offer numerous fabrication services for our clients. Our fabrication experts work with various materials and tools to complete the fabrication process and perform quality control checks.
The heavy lifting in our industry is (literally!) done by our Scaler Operators and Material Handlers. Scaler Operators weigh coils and apply the finished or stock tags in order to ship and maintain flow of inventory for production and finished products.
Material Handlers load and unload metals, prepare finished coils for packaging, unload scrap, and much more. This is a great entry-level position for someone interested in the metals industry who wants hands-on experience on the shop floor but isn’t yet sure of a career path.
Working in the Metals Industry
The metals industry can be hard work, but it is also highly rewarding and offers strong job security. Our modern world is reliant on the hardworking people in our industry in order to stay moving.
Expected investments in infrastructure both in the United States and abroad are forecasted to drive increased demand for metals, making this a recession-resistant industry for the near future.
At Three D, we know the value of our employees. “I’ve been here ten years,” says Three D Shop Floor Supervisor Matt Callaway, “and it’s a family company. They share the wealth, they feed you, we get good bonuses and celebrate every goal we hit. The CEO is very personable, and he’s on the shop floor a lot. We try to make the job as stress-free as possible.”
Is a career in the metals industry right for you?
Metal Careers at Three D Metals
Three D Metals is a family-owned company, and we view our team members as an extension of that family. We’re always looking for hard-working, positive team players to join the Three D Metals team! Explore our current career opportunities here >>
