Packaging Engineers
Overview
Introduction
Packaging engineers design, develop, and create containers for all types of goods, such as food, clothing, cosmetics, medicine, housewares, toys, electronics, appliances, and computers. In creating these containers, the packaging engineer's activities include product and cost analysis, management of packaging personnel, development and operation of packaging filling lines, and negotiations with customers or sales representatives.
Packaging engineers may also select, design, and develop the machinery used for packaging operati...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries for packaging engineers vary based on the industry (food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care, etc.), the size of the employer, the location, and their years of professional experience. Salary.com provides salary information for five levels of packaging engineers. Those at the lowest level earned median annual salaries of $66,635 in 2020. Earnings ranged from less th...
Work Environment
The working conditions for packaging engineers vary based on the employer and the tasks of the engineer. Those who work for companies that make packaging materials or who direct packaging operations might work around noisy machinery. Generally, they have offices near the packaging operations where they consult with others in their department, such as packaging machinery technicians and other en...
Outlook
Employment for packaging engineers is expected to grow at an average rate through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Packaging engineers work in almost any industry because virtually all manufactured products need one or more kinds of packaging. Some of the industries with the fastest growing packaging needs are food, drugs, and cosmetics.
Demand for packaging engineers wil...