Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Material Handling Shop Technician

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an experienced Material Handling Shop Technician who will assemble, diagnose, repair, and test material handling equipment including conveyors, sortation systems, palletizers, AGVs, lift tables, and related controls. This role focuses on mechanical, electrical and electro-mechanical troubleshooting in a shop environment, returning equipment to service quickly and safely, maintaining documentation, and supporting install and field service when required. The ideal candidate blends hands-on repair skills with strong documentation, parts management, and continuous improvement mentality.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Maintenance Technician (entry-level mechanical/electrical)
Industrial Mechanic / Millwright apprentice
Assembler or Production Technician with mechanical responsibilities

Advancement To:

Senior Material Handling Technician / Lead Technician
Shop Supervisor / Maintenance Supervisor
Field Service Technician / Installation Team Lead
Reliability Engineer or Controls Technician (PLC focus)

Lateral Moves:

Controls/PLC Technician
Electrical Maintenance Technician
Fabrication/Welding Technician
Field Service Engineer (on-site installations and commissioning)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Inspect, diagnose and repair conveyors, belt drives, chain drives, rollers, bearings and gearboxes, documenting root causes and corrective actions to reduce repeat failures.
Troubleshoot and repair electrical control systems including PLCs, HMIs, relays, sensors, motor starters, VFDs and discrete I/O using schematics and industry-standard diagnostic tools.
Overhaul and rebuild hydraulic and pneumatic components such as pumps, valves, cylinders, and air preparation units; perform pressure testing and leak remediation.
Dismantle and reassemble palletizers, stackers, and robotic end-of-arm tooling for shop-level refurbishment and upgrades, aligning mechanical tolerances to manufacturer specs.
Perform mechanical alignments, belt tracking, gear/bearing replacement, shaft repairs and shaft coupling installations to restore operational tolerances and minimize downtime.
Execute preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance tasks per CMMS schedules, updating work orders with clear failure codes, parts used and labor hours.
Conduct functional testing and commissioning of repaired equipment, verify safety interlocks, e-stops, guarding and PLC logic before return to production or shipment.
Read and interpret mechanical and electrical blueprints, wiring diagrams, mechanical assembly drawings and bill-of-materials (BOM) to complete accurate repairs and assemblies.
Fabricate simple brackets, guards and repair parts using bench tools, drill press, bandsaw and mig/tig welding to support critical repairs and retrofit solutions.
Calibrate sensors, encoders, and limit switches; verify feedback loops and position accuracy for conveyors, indexing systems and sortation devices.
Replace, program and test programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and VFD parameters during repairs and upgrades, following change control and backup procedures.
Maintain parts inventory for recurring failures, identify slow-moving vs critical spares, and communicate reorder suggestions to reduce lead time during breakdowns.
Prepare detailed repair reports, test logs and warranty claim documentation to support vendor claims and internal continuous improvement initiatives.
Support installation teams by prefabricating assemblies, verifying wiring harnesses, and completing off-line bench tests to accelerate on-site commissioning.
Perform emergency breakdown support and night/weekend call-ins as required to minimize production losses and coordinate rapid return-to-service.
Follow and enforce lockout-tagout (LOTO), confined space, electrical safety, lock-out procedures and company PPE policies; complete safety checklists before and after repairs.
Collaborate with engineering and operations on design-for-maintainability improvements and reliability projects to reduce mean time to repair (MTTR) and increase mean time between failures (MTBF).
Conduct root cause failure analysis (RCFA) using structured methods (5 Whys, Fishbone) and propose corrective actions with cost/benefit impact assessments.
Train junior technicians and production personnel on safe operation, basic troubleshooting and preventive maintenance tasks to build plant capability.
Test and validate aftermarket upgrades and retrofits (guards, sensors, PLC logic), creating thorough commissioning checklists and operator handoffs.
Coordinate with external vendors and OEMs for warranty repairs, parts replacement and specialized diagnostics while ensuring timely work order closure.
Support shipping/receiving and staging of repaired equipment: package, secure and create shipping documentation for outbound refurbished units and spare assemblies.

Secondary Functions

Maintain clean, organized workstations and tool cribs; label tools and fixtures and ensure calibration records are up to date.
Support inventory cycle counts, parts bin organization and procurement requests in the CMMS or ERP system.
Assist the reliability or continuous improvement team with data collection, failure trend analysis and pilot solutions for chronic equipment issues.
Participate in safety audits, supplier quality reviews and corrective action meetings to close action items and document outcomes.
Provide technical input for spare parts lists, service manuals and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to increase first-time-fix rates.
Support prototype builds, pilot installations and short-run assembly projects when design and fabrication overlap with shop responsibilities.
Act as a field service backup for installations and commissioning when on-site technical support is required.
Assist in vendor evaluation by testing returned components and recommending approved supplier lists for critical parts.
Support training development by helping create step-by-step repair guides, photo documentation, and short instructional videos for the maintenance team.
Help coordinate logistics for transporting heavy/oversized repaired equipment to customer sites or between facilities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Mechanical troubleshooting of conveyors, chain drives, gearboxes, bearings and belt systems
Electrical troubleshooting including wiring, motor starters, relays, VFDs and control panels
PLC/HMI experience (Allen-Bradley, Siemens or similar) — basic ladder logic troubleshooting and I/O checks
Hydraulics and pneumatics maintenance: pumps, valves, cylinders, air preparation and leak diagnostics
Blueprint reading, electrical schematics interpretation and BOM navigation
Use of diagnostic test equipment: multimeter, clamp meter, insulation tester, oscilloscopes and handheld analyzer
Welding and fabrication (MIG/TIG/basic brazing) for repair of frames, brackets and guards
Experience with CMMS or ERP work order systems (e.g., Maximo, SAP, Maintenance Connection)
Preventive and predictive maintenance execution and record keeping
Crane/rigging basics and safe lifting practices for handling heavy components
Experience with industrial sensors, encoders, proximity switches and encoder calibration
Knowledge of safety standards: LOTO, OSHA, NFPA 70E basics, machine guarding principles
Ability to program/configure VFDs and basic PLC parameter changes during commissioning
Parts management and spare parts optimization for repair shops

Soft Skills

Strong problem-solving and structured troubleshooting mindset
Clear written and verbal communication for reporting, handoffs and vendor coordination
Team player who can collaborate with operations, engineering and procurement
Time management and prioritization under downtime pressure
Detail-oriented documentation habits for maintenance records and warranty claims
Customer-service orientation when interacting with internal stakeholders and external clients
Flexibility to support emergency calls and variable schedules during critical incidents
Continuous improvement mentality—willingness to suggest and implement reliability improvements
Patience and training aptitude for coaching junior technicians and cross-training operators
High integrity and safety-first attitude in all maintenance activities

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED; vocational training or technical certificates preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or technical diploma in Industrial Maintenance, Mechatronics, Electrical Technology, or Mechanical Technology.
Certifications in hydraulics, pneumatics, welding, or electrical safety are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Industrial Maintenance / Maintenance Technology
Mechanical Engineering Technology / Mechatronics
Electrical Technology / Controls
Welding and Fabrication Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of hands-on experience repairing and maintaining material handling equipment in a shop or plant environment.

Preferred:

3–5 years focused on conveyors, palletizers, sortation systems, AGVs, or similar equipment.
Demonstrated experience with PLCs (Allen-Bradley, Siemens), VFDs, and hydraulic/pneumatic systems.
Prior shop refurbishment or field service experience and familiarity with CMMS systems, safety procedures, and vendor/OEM coordination.