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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Industrial Maintenance Technician

💰 $ - $

MaintenanceManufacturingEngineering

🎯 Role Definition

The Industrial Maintenance Technician is a multifaceted, hands-on maintenance professional responsible for maximizing equipment uptime, minimizing production interruptions, and ensuring safe, reliable operation of manufacturing and processing systems. This role combines electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and control systems troubleshooting with preventive and predictive maintenance, equipment installation and commissioning, and continuous improvement activities. The successful candidate communicates clearly with operations, engineering, and vendors while following lockout/tagout and safety protocols.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Maintenance Assistant / Maintenance Helper
  • Fabrication Technician / Millwright Apprentice
  • Electrician or Mechanical Technician (entry-level industrial roles)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Industrial Maintenance Technician
  • Maintenance Team Lead / Shift Supervisor
  • Reliability Technician / Predictive Maintenance Specialist
  • Maintenance Planner / Maintenance Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Controls Technician / PLC Specialist
  • Automation Technician / Robotics Technician
  • Facilities Maintenance Supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Perform daily and scheduled preventive maintenance tasks on production equipment, conveyors, pumps, compressors, motors, gearboxes, valves, and HVAC systems to reduce downtime and extend asset life.
  • Diagnose and repair complex electrical systems up to 480 VAC, including panel wiring, circuit breakers, contactors, motor starters, transformers and power distribution components using multimeters, clamp meters and insulation testers.
  • Troubleshoot and repair PLCs, HMIs, and industrial control systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Modicon or equivalent), including ladder logic review, I/O verification and firmware updates to restore automated operation.
  • Service and maintain pneumatic and hydraulic systems: replace seals, cylinders, valves, filters, and hoses; troubleshoot pressure, flow and control issues; and repair or replace pumps and hydraulic power units.
  • Install, align, and maintain rotating equipment such as AC/DC motors, gearboxes, couplings and bearings; perform shaft alignment, vibration checks and balancing to mitigate premature failures.
  • Execute mechanical repairs: disassemble and reassemble gear trains, change timing belts and chains, replace bearings, sprockets and pulleys, and fabricate small brackets or mounts as required.
  • Perform preventive lubrication and oil analysis programs, change hydraulic and gearbox fluids, and maintain lubrication schedules to preserve component life and meet OEM recommendations.
  • Use CMMS (e.g., SAP PM, Maximo, Maintenance Connection) to create, update and close work orders, track spare parts usage, schedule preventive tasks and record mechanical and electrical repairs.
  • Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and participate in continuous improvement or TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) initiatives to reduce repeat failures and increase OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
  • Respond to emergency breakdowns and after-hours calls to diagnose faults quickly, coordinate resources, and perform emergency repairs to minimize production losses.
  • Read and interpret mechanical and electrical drawings, P&IDs, schematics, wiring diagrams and technical manuals to perform accurate diagnostics and safe repairs.
  • Test, install and configure variable frequency drives (VFDs), motor controllers and soft starters, and tune drive parameters for torque, speed and process control objectives.
  • Perform preventive and predictive maintenance inspections using condition monitoring tools, such as vibration analyzers, thermal imagers, ultrasonic detectors, and oil particle counters, and report trends.
  • Maintain and test safety systems: interlocks, light curtains, emergency stops, machine guarding, and ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety standards during maintenance activities.
  • Oversee installation, commissioning and decommissioning of new equipment and capital projects, including mechanical assembly, control wiring, testing, loop checks and coordination with contractors or OEM technicians.
  • Maintain accurate maintenance records, spare parts inventories and bills of material; assist in parts procurement and recommend stock levels for critical spares.
  • Perform basic metalworking and fabrication tasks (welding, cutting, drilling, tapping) to support in-field repairs and equipment modifications in accordance with shop standards.
  • Calibrate, test and validate instrumentation and sensors (pressure transducers, flow meters, temperature probes) to maintain process accuracy and regulatory compliance.
  • Coordinate and supervise outside vendors and service technicians for specialized repairs, warranty work and preventive service contracts, ensuring scope and quality of work.
  • Train and mentor operators and junior technicians on basic troubleshooting, lockout/tagout procedures, preventive maintenance tasks and safe work practices to elevate team capability.
  • Apply electrical and mechanical troubleshooting methodologies to reduce mean time to repair (MTTR) and document repair steps and recommended corrective actions for continuous learning.
  • Support predictive maintenance programs by collecting and analyzing condition data, creating trending reports, and recommending capital improvements or spare part changes to improve reliability.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist maintenance planners and engineers in developing preventive maintenance job plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Support continuous improvement teams with maintenance input during Kaizen events, root-cause workshops, and reliability improvement projects.
  • Participate in monthly safety and maintenance meetings; complete safety observations and corrective actions as assigned.
  • Help manage tooling and calibration schedules; ensure calibration stickers and records are current for gauges and test equipment.
  • Participate in onboarding and cross-training programs to broaden multi-craft capabilities across mechanical, electrical and control disciplines.
  • Support energy conservation initiatives by recommending and implementing improvements to drive efficiency and reduce utility consumption.
  • Maintain housekeeping and 5S standards in mechanical rooms, tool cribs and work areas to ensure safety and rapid access to tools and parts.
  • Assist in preparing technical documentation for regulatory audits and provide equipment maintenance data when requested.
  • Provide technical input for capital budget requests and assist with feasibility assessments for equipment upgrades.
  • Support on-call rotation and weekend coverage as required to meet production reliability targets.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven electrical troubleshooting skills up to 480 VAC, including wiring, motor controls, relays, and power distribution.
  • PLC and HMI troubleshooting and basic programming knowledge (Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens, or equivalent).
  • Experience with variable frequency drives (VFDs), soft starters and motor control devices.
  • Strong mechanical aptitude: experience with gearboxes, bearings, belts, chains, couplings, and precision shaft alignment.
  • Pneumatic and hydraulic system repair and troubleshooting, including pumps, valves and actuators.
  • Competence with condition monitoring tools: vibration analysis, infrared thermography, ultrasonic testing and oil analysis.
  • CMMS proficiency for work-order management, preventive maintenance scheduling and inventory tracking (e.g., SAP PM, Maximo).
  • Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, P&IDs and technical manuals.
  • Basic welding and fabrication skills (MIG/TIG/basic arc welding) and the ability to perform shop-style repairs.
  • Experience with hand and power tools, torque tools, hoists, jacks and rigging for safe equipment handling and installation.
  • Familiarity with industry standards and regulatory requirements (OSHA, NFPA 70E) and safe electrical work practices.
  • Experience commissioning and installing new production equipment and performing loop checks and functional testing.
  • Knowledge of motor diagnostics, bearing inspection and routine rotating equipment maintenance.

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills for root cause analysis and long-term corrective actions.
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills for documenting repairs, coaching operators, and interacting with vendors.
  • Team player with the ability to collaborate across operations, engineering and safety teams.
  • Time management and organizational skills to prioritize reactive and preventive work in a fast-paced environment.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new automation and control technologies.
  • Attention to detail and a safety-first mindset with proven adherence to lockout/tagout and permit-to-work procedures.
  • Initiative and ownership: ability to take charge of complex repairs and see projects through to completion.
  • Customer-service orientation toward internal stakeholders (production managers, operators) to maintain production targets.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or technical diploma in Industrial Maintenance, Electrical Technology, Mechatronics, Electronics, or Mechanical Technology.
  • Certifications such as Industrial Electrician, PLC certification, VFD training, or journeyman-level credentials are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Industrial Maintenance / Maintenance Technology
  • Electrical Technology / Electrician Training
  • Mechanical Engineering Technology / Mechatronics
  • Automation & Controls / Electronics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2 to 7 years of direct industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing, processing or production environment.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years of hands-on maintenance experience with demonstrated competency in electrical controls, PLCs, VFDs, hydraulics and pneumatics.
  • Experience using a CMMS and participating in reliability improvement programs (TPM, RCA, PdM).
  • Prior exposure to safety-critical environments and documented track record of safe work performance.
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