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Yes, Auto Parts OEM is a good career path. This is a field that has a lot of job security. If you can get in with a company that makes parts for automobiles, you can be sure that there is always going to be a need for that part or the next part that your company makes.
While this field is ever-changing, it’s also ever-present, so people are going to need vehicles and all of the parts that make them run. One area of the field that’s changing and that means good things for the OEM auto parts business is that the middleman in regard to sales is slipping away, and more factories are developing this side of their own business, which ensures even more job security.
Another reason this job is such a good option is that there is always room for advancement. Sure, you may have to go to school while working, but this is a great way to climb a company ladder and ensure that you can hit those higher levels of pay.
Here are 11 great jobs in Auto Parts OEM:
The 5 Best-Paying Jobs in Auto Parts OEM
Auto Parts OEM can be a lucrative career, especially for people who are interested in working in the engineering side of things. This is a highly technical field, and individuals who have earned degrees in engineering are sought after for some of the highest-paying jobs.
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Average Annual Salary: $76,000
Manufacturing engineers in the automotive industry are responsible for designing systems, machines, and the processes that create auto parts. They might be responsible for an entire system of the vehicle, like the exhaust system. They may work on just a small part of the process, or they can step in and define how the manufacturing will be handled from beginning to end.
This job has a lot of responsibility, especially because anything relating to how a vehicle performs has the potential to affect the lives inside that vehicle. There’s also a lot of education involved which is part of the reason the pay is so high.
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Average Annual Salary: $79,000
A mechanical engineer can go down a variety of different paths once they have their degree; one of those paths is in the automotive industry. If you know that the automotive field is where you want to be from the outset of your education, you might find there are limited options for an automotive engineering degree, but most schools have mechanical engineering departments.
Many of your tasks, when you have this job, will revolve around using engineering to optimize parts or create new ones. Some mechanical engineers in the auto OEM industry will actually specialize in the machines used to produce auto parts and not on auto parts directly.
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Average Annual Salary: $72,000
Automotive engineers are typically part of a team that’s tasked with all aspects involved in the creation of auto, from concept to testing. What part you get to work on depends on which team and task you’re assigned to.
This profession requires a bachelor’s degree and experience in the automotive field. It is possible to begin your experience at a junior level in an OEM auto parts company and work your way up to the engineer title, as long as you have the education.
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Continuous Improvement Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $74,000
Just as it sounds, this job requires constantly making improvements. Sometimes people in this position are tasked with making improvements to vehicles or parts in the vehicle. But, more frequently, people in this position are hired to oversee the facility and labor management in the most effective and efficient way.
This job is a difficult one and requires someone who can see the big picture. There is also a lot to learn along the way in regard to material handling, standard operating procedures, human relations laws, and related information.
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Average Annual Salary: $95,000
The factory manager’s job is to supervise everything that’s happening in the facility and ensure it runs as smoothly as possible. They may also be responsible for hitting goals or quotas while keeping employees happy and safe.
Being a factory manager is a taxing job, but it’s one of the higher-paid positions that you may be able to earn through years of experience rather than formal education. Although, some companies still want that formal education before they start paying their employees higher wages.
10 Entry-Level Jobs in Auto Parts OEM
If you’re interested in a career in Auto Parts OEM, the first step might be to try out an entry-level job. Even if you’re considering a degree in the future, diving into the business at the start might help you narrow down your interests and figure out what appeals to you.
If you want to skip the degree and just start earning, then these entry jobs might be your ticket into the auto parts world.
The following are some Auto Parts OEM entry-level jobs:
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Catalog Content Team Member
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Unlike many jobs in this industry, catalog content team member leans more heavily on advertising and communications skills. Rather than working on the factory floor or even in the factory itself in some situations, this job is about marketing the products your company makes to the aftermarket.
If you want to work your way up to lead in this position, you’ll most likely need a bachelor’s degree in communications or marketing.
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Average Annual Salary: $32,000
A machine operator has a variety of tasks that revolve around the maintenance and operations of different machines in the factory. You might be charged with working one machine every day, all day. Or you might find that you are more versatile and can be responsible for different positions on a rotating schedule.
This position can be an entry-level one without any training or education. You might also find very skilled machine operators within the company who have learned through experience and have very technical responsibilities.
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General Line Technician
Average Annual Salary: $38,000
Your duties as a general line technician depend on what your OEM auto parts company is manufacturing and what job you’re tasked with. Many of these positions are assembly-line jobs, and you’ll be doing the same thing day in and day out.
Some people work their way up in this job and become responsible for their entire division or line, ensuring safety for the other workers and productivity for the company.
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Average Annual Salary: $32,000
The manufacturing associate prepares the equipment and materials that are necessary for production. They are also tasked with staying on top of inventory and may have to step in and help in different areas of the manufacturing process when needed.
Some companies want this individual to have a college degree; others are fine with them simply having a high school diploma. Either way, this is an entry-level position that can lead to management down the road.
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Parts Warehouse Team
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Every OEM auto plant is going to have a lot of inventory coming into the facility and quite a bit going out. There is a whole team of people who are responsible for managing raw material as it comes into the factory and the finished goods as they’re sent to retailers.
Starting at the ground level in the warehouse is an entry-level position that may require a lot of counting and a lot of lifting. As you become more experienced, you might find opportunities for advancement, or you might enjoy the physical aspect of this job.
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Entry-Level Sales
Average Annual Salary: N/A
There are no real surprises with this job when you look at the title. Anyone who is an entry-level sales for an OEM auto parts company is tasked with finding companies that will sell the finished goods. These companies are known as value-added resellers (VAR), and when you’re working in sales, you’ll be maintaining these B2B relationships.
If your particular OEM company has branched into making their own sales, you’ll be kept even busier trying to make sales happen and keep customers happy.
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Average Annual Salary: $47,000
A company’s maintenance technician isn’t as concerned with the products the factory produces as they are with the factory itself. This job used to be called a janitor, but there’s a lot more involved in the job than just cleaning. Most maintenance technicians in factories have a ton of responsibilities.
While this is an entry-level position and no degree is required, having some experience in electronics and working with large machines is very useful and can make you a more desirable candidate.
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Average Annual Salary: $30,000
A production worker is someone who works on the line at the factory. Their job might be feeding raw materials into machinery, assembling products, or monitoring the work of a specific machine.
A production worker is a classic entry-level job in a factory, and it’s where most people who aren’t skilled begin their OEM auto parts career.
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Average Annual Salary: $31,000
Modern vehicles have a lot of electronic components, and every OEM auto parts company needs someone who can assemble those parts. Usually, a high school diploma and a GED is all that is required to gain this entry-level position.
This job can be a good starting point for someone who is interested in potentially pursuing a career in electrical engineering as it gives them some real-world experience. Some companies will ask that their electronics assemblers get added experience or apprenticeships in skills like soldering or welding.
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Car Manufacturing Technician
Average Annual Salary: N/A
This entry-level position can have a variety of different duties attached to it. A car manufacturing technician might be responsible for assembling parts, working machines, doing maintenance to machines, testing products, and staying on top of quality control issues.
This job requires manual dexterity and confidence when handling machines or software. There will be a lot of on-the-job training throughout this career.
Why Choose a Career in Auto Parts OEM
Most people who enter any auto-related field are very interested in vehicles. This is a big reason that this field is appealing, as people get to do what they love. If you’re not a car person but are still interested in going into Auto Parts OEM, you might find that this is exactly where you belong. The following are some benefits of working in this field.
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Guaranteed job security. People are going to need vehicles for the foreseeable future. Even if everyone suddenly has a self-driving car, there are still going to be companies that make parts for that car.
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Job diversity allows you to make the most of your preferences. Interestingly, while a big part of this profession revolves around auto part manufacturing, there are other avenues. If you’re interested in advertising, there are jobs in that field; sales is another area where there are jobs. There’s a lot to explore with a career in OEM auto parts.
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Financial rewards can be huge. If you love the job and want to earn degrees, you can begin using them to work your way up the company ladder. You might also want to load up on your education first and then get hired in the top tier of company executives.
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You can be on the cutting edge of tech. If being a part of new technology interests and appeals to you, then you’ll find the auto field rewarding. Many tech advances make their way to vehicles quickly, ensuring that you are kept busy implementing these changes.
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You get to learn from others. There’s a lot of on-the-job learning that happens in every factory. This gives you the opportunity to work with different individuals and learn from them. For someone who wants to be the best in their field, this is an invaluable opportunity.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Auto Parts OEM
Because this industry has so many different levels of employees and different avenues, the educational requirements are all over the board. Most people can enter the field with a high school diploma, but in some situations, that might not even be necessary.
But if you want to make it to a higher position in the company or earn a high salary, then an associate’s, a bachelor’s, and maybe even a master’s degree will be required.
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Associates Degree. There are some certifications and associate degrees that are ideal for this field. An automotive technology associate degree is a great starting point, but you can also earn degrees in engineering technology, automotive management, service technology, performance machining, welding, and other aspects of the automotive or engineering fields.
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Bachelor’s Degree. For people who are more serious about their career and want to have a solid educational background behind them, a bachelor’s degree in engineering can go a long way in the automotive industry. There are also some communications and business degrees that work in the automotive field as well as they would in any other industry.
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Master’s Degree. When it comes to the highest ends of the pay range in auto parts OEM, then engineers almost have that market cornered. To be at the top of your field here, you’re going to need a master’s degree.
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On-the-Job Training. Every aspect of this field is going to require some on-the-job training. Learning the ins and outs of this industry requires a focus on safety, efficiency, and productivity. All of those things are specific to the factory where you work and can only be learned on the job.
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Job Specific Certifications. Some positions may require additional training and certifications as you progress in your career. Learning welding, soldering, electronics, automotive engineering, and other niche branches might be a part of your career path.
What Do People Working in Auto Parts OEM Do?
The Auto Parts Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) business can be a great career path. People who are involved in the creation of auto parts can work for an auto manufacturer, or they can create equipment that is sold by another company.
There is an ongoing shift in how the goods that OEMs create for the auto industry are sold. While the OEMs originally only manufactured products and never sold them to the end-user, they’re now branching into that realm, and you’ll find more OEM companies also selling their products directly.
No matter how the sales end of things is managed, this is a good profession to enter because autos will always be in high demand.
If you’re interested in exploring the field of auto manufacturing, the following list of jobs might give you a little more information on where you can get started and what your potential career path can look like.
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Author
Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.
