Shoe Machine Operators and Tender Career

Job Description: Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.


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Shoe Machine Operators and Tender Career

What Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders do:

  • Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
  • Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives.
  • Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
  • Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
  • Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
  • Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.
  • Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
  • Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.
  • Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.
  • Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
  • Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
  • Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.
  • Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station.
  • Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material.
  • Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine.
  • Load hot-melt plastic rod glue through reactivator axles, using wrenches, and switch on reactivators, setting temperature and timers to heat glue to specifications.
  • Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.
  • Turn screws to regulate size of staples.
  • Hammer loose staples for proper attachment.

What work activities are most important?

Importance Activities

Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment - Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.

Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Holland Code Chart for a Shoe Machine Operators and Tender