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Differences in Training, Retaining Snack Operators and Maintenance Staff

Snack producers are using different training strategies between machinery operators and maintenance technicians and seeing different retention behavior between these groups.

Nearly a third of snack industry machine operators leave within a year of employment, according to PMMI Business Intelligence's '2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends' report.
Nearly a third of snack industry machine operators leave within a year of employment, according to PMMI Business Intelligence's "2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends" report.
Monty Rakusen via Getty Images

Snack producers are training their employees for different durations depending on the role and finding the workers that train for longer also stay for longer.

That’s according to PMMI Business Intelligence’s “2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends” report, where Business Intelligence researchers conducted a survey and a series of in-depth interviews with snack producers to learn the latest insights, trends, and forecasts in the snack industry.

The training cycle for machine operators in snack food operations is less than that of maintenance staff with most being adequately trained within three to four months of employment. The training for maintenance staff in snack foods is much more varied, with some being trained within one to two months while others take more than a year.The training cycle for maintenance staff tends to take longer than that of machine operators in the snack industry.The training cycle for maintenance staff tends to take longer than that of machine operators in the snack industry.PMMI Business Intelligence: 2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends

While machine operators are quicker to train than maintenance staff, they are also quicker to leave, with nearly a third leaving within their first year of employment. For both groups, getting to the three-year mark greatly increases the chances of a long-term employment relationship.Snack industry maintenance staff tend to stay in their positions for longer than machine operators.Snack industry maintenance staff tend to stay in their positions for longer than machine operators.PMMI Business Intelligence: 2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends

SOURCE: PMMI Business Intelligence: 2024 Snack Foods Packaging Trends

For more insights from PMMI’s Business Intelligence team, find reports, including “2024 Contract Packaging & Manufacturing: Drivers of Machinery Investments” and “2023 Achieving Vertical Startups” at pmmi.org/business-intelligence.

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