Manufacturing & Production Jobs in Arlington, TX
GM Arlington Assembly on East Abram Street anchors a production economy that runs three shifts, and its supplier International Automotive Components is urgently hiring assemblers from $16 an hour. The guides below cover every manufacturing and production role in Arlington, who is hiring, and what it pays.
Why Manufacturing Work Is Different in Arlington
Few Texas cities have a car plant inside the city limits. GM Arlington Assembly has built full-size SUVs, today the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade, at 2525 E Abram St since 1954, and the City counts General Motors as its largest employer. That plant sets the rhythm for a ring of suppliers. International Automotive Components runs an Arlington plant with production assembly, CMM quality operators, forklift and cherry picker material handlers, tooling and molding makers and industrial maintenance technicians across first, second and third shift.
Beyond automotive, the Great Southwest Industrial District along I-30 and SH 360, which straddles Arlington and Grand Prairie, holds plastics, electrical and equipment plants. Poly-America runs machine operator, packaging and overnight quality jobs at its Grand Prairie plant, Siemens builds switchboards and panels at its Grand Prairie and Fort Worth facilities, and ANDRITZ posts quality assurance inspectors who handle weld and paint inspection in Arlington. Aerospace adds another layer in Fort Worth, where Lockheed Martin has hired aircraft electrical assemblers without a clearance requirement. No state license gates any of this work, so shift availability and a clean safety record matter more than credentials at the start.
Top Manufacturing & Production Employers in Arlington
These employers have posted production roles in Arlington or the surrounding corridor on their own careers sites in recent months:
- International Automotive Components - the Tier 1 GM supplier hires production assembly, CMM operators and maintenance technicians in Arlington.
- General Motors Arlington Assembly - the city's largest employer posts quality and manufacturing engineering leadership for the SUV plant.
- Poly-America - the plastics maker hires machine operator trainees, packagers and overnight quality control in Grand Prairie.
- Siemens - its Grand Prairie and Fort Worth plants hire material handlers, quality staff and manufacturing engineers.
- ANDRITZ - the industrial equipment group posts quality assurance inspectors and field service welders in Arlington.
- Lockheed Martin - the Fort Worth aeronautics plant hires aircraft electrical assemblers for crimping, soldering and fuel tank sealing.
Manufacturing & Production Career Paths in Arlington
- Line and assembly work - Assembler, Electronics Assembler, Machine Operator. The usual first job, hiring on reliability and shift availability.
- Skilled production - CNC Machinist, Fabricator, Process Technician, Industrial Maintenance Technician. Higher pay for running, tuning and fixing equipment.
- Quality and leadership - Quality Inspector, Production Supervisor. Inspection, CMM and audit work, then running a line or a shift.
- Start here - the Manufacturing overview guide covers the whole field in Arlington.
How to Start a Manufacturing & Production Career in Arlington
- High school diploma or GED - the baseline for most assembly, machine operator and material handler jobs, with training on the line.
- OSHA forklift certification - employers certify operators on their own equipment, and it opens the higher-paid material handler roles at IAC and Siemens.
- Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center - 2101 Browning Dr teaches manufacturing, robotics and logistics clusters for high school students.
- Tarrant County College - welding at the Northwest and South campuses and Welding Technology AAS at TCC South, 5301 Campus Dr in Fort Worth.
- Inspection skills - ANDRITZ's inspector posting asks for 3 to 5 years, dye penetrant testing, calibration and reading inch and metric drawings.
No state license is required for manufacturing or production work in Texas; forklift certification is an OSHA rule employers handle, and everything else on this list is employer preference.
Manufacturing & Production Salaries in Arlington
- Entry - about $16 to $19 an hour. IAC posts production assembly from $16 and material handlers from $18 to $19.
- Mid - about $19 to $25 an hour. Siemens pays material handlers $18.11 to $21.74 plus a 5% shift differential, and production jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth averaged $23.83 an hour in May 2025.
- Senior - about $30 to $37 an hour and up for experienced inspectors, maintenance technicians, aircraft assemblers and supervisors.
These are estimates. BLS national medians for May 2025 were $23.35 an hour for quality control inspectors and $65,380 a year for aircraft structure and systems assemblers. Shift differentials, overtime, equipment certifications and the move from operator to maintenance or quality move pay the most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need experience to work in manufacturing in Arlington?
Not for most entry roles. Assembly, machine operator and material handler jobs at plants like IAC and Poly-America generally ask for reliability and shift availability, and Poly-America hires machine operator trainees. Inspection and maintenance jobs ask for experience.
How much do production jobs pay in Arlington?
Entry production work generally starts around $16 to $19 an hour, experienced operators and handlers earn about $19 to $25, and skilled inspectors, maintenance technicians and supervisors can reach $30 to $37. These are estimates; night and weekend shifts pay more at several plants.
Does GM Arlington Assembly hire production workers?
The plant is the city's largest employer, but its careers site lists mainly engineering and quality leadership roles rather than hourly line openings. Supplier plants like IAC hire hourly production workers directly and post them on their own job boards.
Is shift work common in Arlington manufacturing?
Yes. IAC runs first, second and third shift in Arlington, Siemens adds a shift differential for second shift handlers, and Poly-America hires overnight crews, so being open to nights is one of the fastest ways to get hired.
Do you need a license to work in manufacturing in Texas?
No. Texas has no state license for production, assembly or quality inspection work. Forklift operators need OSHA certification, which employers provide on their own equipment.
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