Industrial and manufacturing employers have enough challenges running their business when things are going well. But when mechanical equipment, piping, or systems fail, it can reveal weaknesses in your business and, perhaps too late, the importance of maintenance technicians on your team.
That’s just one of the many reasons why maintenance technicians may be the most valuable employees on your shop floor.
This blog is for anyone considering hiring a maintenance mechanic who can perform regular maintenance and mechanical integrity inspections. So you don’t have to discover weaknesses in your manufacturing process the hard way.
Why Aren’t More Employers Hiring Maintenance Mechanics?
For many companies, having a maintenance mechanic on staff may be a luxury. What if none of the equipment is broken, or all machines are up to date on integrity inspections? Won’t the shop foreman waste time and resources finding things for maintenance staff to do during downtime?
It is true, that mechanical failures are (hopefully) few and far between. The need for a maintenance mechanic may be infrequent and difficult to predict. But if you’re only relying on maintenance mechanics for when machines break, you may need to rethink how you’re running your shop floor.
Preventative and Predictive Maintenance
Often skilled maintenance technicians can not only make your shop a safer place to work but can save an average of 10-25% of your annual operating costs just with preventative maintenance alone. And according to the U.S. Department of Energy, companies that practice predictive maintenance can save 8% to 12% over preventive maintenance and up to 40% over reactive maintenance.
Because of the specific machinery, tools, and processes on your shop floor, hiring outside help may work in a fix but will likely end up costing you more. And there’s no telling how effectively a mechanic who’s unfamiliar with your shop and your machinery can resolve the issue at hand.
This is especially true when you have numerous machines to monitor and process equipment that’s relatively costly to replace. In addition, without dedicated maintenance mechanics to monitor their performance, you could be vulnerable to expensive (but easily preventable) repairs.
What Do Maintenance Mechanics Really Do?
A maintenance mechanic checks and maintains machinery, equipment, and machines. And with the right training and experience can troubleshoot problems before they cause larger complications.
This could mean that your maintenance mechanic may oversee fixing broken or defective parts or finding ways to improve overall efficiency. They might also repair or install new equipment or systems in order to provide improved quality control on your shop floor.
But the idea here is that they’re not just fixing machines. They’re finding ways to optimize processes throughout the shop, so operations are running more smoothly or in a more timely fashion. And it’s all about prevention rather than reaction.
Some of the maintenance tasks performed by maintenance mechanics in many industrial and manufacturing workplaces include:
- Finding potential hazards and making recommendations for repair or replacement of equipment.
- Performing equipment integrity inspections – this is standard practice for effective maintenance programs.
- Scheduling and monitoring mechanical repairs.
- Properly performing cleaning and corrosion control procedures
- Keeping paperwork for machinery and tools up to date
- Training, educating, and conducting maintenance training programs for employees
- Teaching new technicians company processes, equipment, and manufacturing methods
- Coordinating with management on the implementation of new equipment or systems at the shop floor level.
Hiring A Maintenance Mechanic Could be the Key to Your Success
Mechanical equipment and processing systems that are left unmonitored for long periods of time can become the source of larger problems on the floor. This can lead to more time and money wasted trying to determine the problem and then fixing whatever it is that needs repair.
When you partner with Vector Technical to recruit a maintenance mechanic, you’ll more effectively fix the issues that do arise. But more importantly, you’ll be in a better position to identify potentially costly problems early on.
Contact Vector Technical today if you need help hiring a maintenance mechanic to keep your shop running smoothly!
