Production · Holland code RC

Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers

Wind wire coils used in electrical components, such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments, such as field cores, bobbins, armature cores, electrical motors, generators, and control equipment.

Also called: Armature Winder, Coil Finisher, Coil Winder, Winder, Auto-Winder, Hand Winder, Motor Winder, Winder Operator.

O*NET 51-2021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $48,220; Middle half earn $42,050 to $58,770. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 57% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Operate or tend wire-coiling machines to wind wire coils used in electrical components such as resistors and transformers, and in electrical equipment and instruments such as bobbins and generators.
Attach, alter, and trim materials such as wire, insulation, and coils, using hand tools.
Cut, strip, and bend wire leads at ends of coils, using pliers and wire scrapers.
Review work orders and specifications to determine materials needed and types of parts to be processed.
Examine and test wired electrical components such as motors, armatures, and stators, using measuring devices, and record test results.
Select and load materials such as workpieces, objects, and machine parts onto equipment used in coiling processes.
Record production and operational data on specified forms.
Line slots with sheet insulation, and insert coils into slots.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.1 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Speaking2.9 / 5
Critical Thinking2.9 / 5
Active Learning2.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Education and Training3.7 / 5
English Language3.6 / 5
Mathematics3.6 / 5
Administration and Management3.6 / 5
Production and Processing3.5 / 5
Mechanical3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic92
Investigative21
Artistic0
Social2
Enterprising7
Conventional53

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

spring maker · DE Federmacher/Federmacherin · FR ressortier/ressortière
wire weaving machine operator · DE Drahtzieher/Drahtzieherin · FR opérateur de métier à toiles métalliques/opératrice de métier à toiles métalliques
filament winding operator · DE Bediener von Maschinen zum Glasfaserziehen/Bedienerin von Maschinen zum Glasfaserziehen · FR conducteur de machine de moulage par enroulement filamentaire/conductrice de machine de moulage par enroulement filamentaire
insulating tube winder · DE Isolierschlauchwickler/Isolierschlauchwicklerin · FR façonneur de tubes isolants/façonneuse de tubes isolants
twisting machine operator · DE Zwirner/Zwirnerin · FR retordeur/retordeuse
yarn spinner · DE Garnspinner/Garnspinnerin · FR fileur sur métiers classiques/fileuse sur métiers classiques

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Plastics process operatives (8114)18,200 employed
Assemblers (electrical and electronic products) (8141)24,400 employed
Metal making and treating process operatives (8115)11,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.83. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-2021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test