Production · Holland code RC

Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines that wind or twist textiles; or draw out and combine sliver, such as wool, hemp, or synthetic fibers. Includes slubber machine and drawing frame operators.

Also called: Spinner, Twister Operator, Winder Operator, Winder Tender, Back Winder, Cable Operator, Computer Integrated Manufacturing Operator (CIM Operator), Drawing Operator.

O*NET 51-6064.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $38,670; Middle half earn $36,420 to $42,940. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Less than a High School Diploma; 54% 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.

Observe bobbins as they are winding and cut threads to remove loaded bobbins, using knives.
Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines.
Unwind lengths of yarn, thread, or twine from spools and wind onto bobbins.
Start machines, monitor operation, and make adjustments as needed.
Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed.
Record production data such as numbers and types of bobbins wound.
Replace depleted supply packages with full packages.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.1 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.5 / 5
Writing2.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing3.5 / 5
Administration and Management3.1 / 5
Mechanical3.1 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.0 / 5
Personnel and Human Resources2.8 / 5
Customer and Personal Service2.8 / 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
Investigative8
Artistic6
Social0
Enterprising9
Conventional55

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)

nonwoven filament machine operator · DE Kunstfaserhersteller/Kunstfaserherstellerin · FR conducteur de machines de produits non tissés/conductrice de machines de produits non tissés
spinning machine operator · DE Spinnmaschinenbediener/Spinnmaschinenbedienerin · FR conducteur de machine de filature textile/conductrice de machine de filature textile
man-made fiber spinner · DE Kunstfaserspinner/Kunstfaserspinnerin · FR ouvrier de filature artificielle et synthétique/ouvrière de filature artificielle et synthétique
twisting machine operator · DE Zwirner/Zwirnerin · FR retordeur/retordeuse
yarn spinner · DE Garnspinner/Garnspinnerin · FR fileur sur métiers classiques/fileuse sur métiers classiques
spinning textile technician · DE Spinnvorbereiter/Spinnvorbereiterin · FR technicien en filature/technicienne en filature

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Textile process operatives (8112)9,600 employed
Chemical and related process operatives (8113)34,100 employed
Sewing machinists (8146)19,100 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 -1.39. 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 (51-6064).

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