Industrial Maintenance, Essay Example

Today among the most popular jobs there are service technicians, machinists and mechanics. The point is that in our days almost every area of people’s everyday life is automated and it is hardly possible to do without specialists who are able to maintain the equipment in work and repair it in case of trouble. To avoid the situation when there are not enough people to deal with machinery, one should attract young people to this kind of occupation. It seems that the ways it should be done are, first, to provide the specialists with decent salary and, second, to offer conductive work environment. The aim of this essay is to explain the main peculiarities of the occupation industrial maintenance and view its perspectives.

As the industrial systems are developing with a high speed, today the duties of one working in this sphere comprise support and maintenance of such sophisticated systems as computer-controlled electrical and mechanical production equipment, material processing and material handling equipment, general maintenance, and facility support systems.  According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, specific duties may include inspections of buildings, grounds, and facilities in order to detect and resolve problems or problems that potentially may occur, as well as “cleaning and lubricating machinery, testing and replacement of electrical switches, sockets, and plugs, or deteriorated pipes, and repair of floorings, railings, and appliances” (2008). However, this occupation may also include such common duties as painting, plumbing, and fixing broken parts of buildings (doors, windows, locks). Moreover, new equipment may be installed by the representatives of this profession. Thus, it should be emphasized that the major responsibilities of working in this area are preventive maintenance and the installation of new equipment. As nowadays robots are actively introduced into the manufacturing process, often the duties of a mechanic include programming the robot control system which requires additional experience and skills. So, this kind of job may include simple mechanical repairs, as well as high-level technology-related work. The ever-increasing introduction of sophisticated machines calls for workers who can use computerized equipment and work with electronic components. Nevertheless, traditional hand tools are still widely used.

Industrial maintenance is a vital thing for all the establishments in which industrial machinery is used, but as they are differentiated according to their functions, final products and functional complexity of equipment, maintainers also differ according to their main responsibilities and the area they are working in. Thus, they may be automotive service technicians, small engine mechanics, machinists, heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, heating and refrigeration mechanics, diesel service technicians, etc.

These jobs may be found mainly in the areas of industry where industrial machinery is extensively used. They may be food processing, textile mills, chemicals, fabricated metal products, motor vehicles, and primary metals. The mechanics may be also required in such establishments as government agencies, public utilities, mining companies, etc.

At first sight, it may seem that to become a maintenance worker one should not have more than high school education and a little knowledge in machinery, so much the experience workers get on the job. All this might have been so two decades ago. Today the employer requires the maintenance worker to be knowledgeable about complex electronic systems and computers which regulate the work of equipment. Moreover, workers must be aware of all the complex components the machinery consists of and their work. They also must be able to work with reference manuals. So, it is preferable that workers applicants for a job have taken “courses in mechanical drawing, mathematics, blueprint reading, computer programming, or electronics” (2008). It is also very important to distinguish industrial machinery mechanics from maintenance workers – the latter ones perform less sophisticated work. So, machinery maintenance workers learn in the course of working, while industrial machinery mechanics need education after high school and some experience working on particular equipment.   Although the majority of machinery maintenance worker positions require just a high school diploma, it is highly recommended that workers have training in the area of industrial technology. In addition, to get some experience, the person may choose to be for some time an assistant worker by experienced workers or professional trainer. In this case one may be offered to perform such easy job as setting up, cleaning, and switching on machinery. After a while the assistant worker may be offered a steady job at least given a good reference. On the whole industrial machinery mechanics should possess the following kinds of knowledge: mechanical, engineering and technology, computers and electronics and physics. As for primary skills needed, they are equipment maintenance, repairing, determining causes of errors, operation monitoring (making sure that equipment is working properly) and quality control analysis (testing the quality of products and services).

It should be also said that the job of an industrial machinery mechanic means much pressure. First of all, it concerns the work environment. Although the majority of employers provide their workers with well-lighted and ventilated rooms, it is extremely difficult to avoid draft and noise there. Moreover, the components of the machinery itself may be dirty. Sometimes the workers have to lift heavy parts and perform repairing in awkward positions which may greatly damage their health. To add, often those supporting industrial machinery have to work after-hours which takes much energy and ability to handle stress. That is the reason why one of the requirements for this vacancy is good physical state. Machinery maintenance workers are prone to getting injuries, which is why it is of vital importance for them to use various kinds of protective equipment such as, safety glasses, hearing protectors, steel-tipped shoes and belts. To provide safe work conditions, safe practices should be carefully observed and strictly kept to.

As for the prospects for industrial machinery maintenance workers, in the job market there is a trend of increasing demand on them. The reason for it may be again wide usage of sophisticated machines that require constant professional service. However, as nowadays the machines are being developed that are capable of diagnosing themselves, mechanics need to perform these duties no more. They are dealing mostly with preventive maintenance routines and repair. Thus, for those whose skills are enough to maintain modern equipment and who is ready to learn on the job and obtain additional skills by taking courses or getting required education, there are many vacancies in our country. Moreover, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, “employment of industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance workers is expected to grow 7 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations” (2008). The main benefit of this job is that it is in high demand even when the production levels are low, because machinery needs being kept in order all the time. To add, it is very difficult for the employer to find an experienced industrial maintenance worker. That is why they are reluctant to replace them or search young workers. Thus, the job like this is relatively steady in comparison with other ones.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, in 2006 there were about 345,000 machinery industrial mechanics and maintenance workers. Significant is that skilled industrial machinery mechanics were tree times as many as machinery maintenance workers. They were employed mostly in industries such as food processing and chemical, fabricated metal product, machinery, and motor vehicle and parts manufacturing. The Occupational Outlook Handbook states that

About 9 percent work in wholesale trade, mostly for dealers of industrial equipment. About 7 percent of mechanics work for the commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance industry, often making site visits to companies to repair equipment. Local governments employ a number of machinery maintenance workers, but few mechanics (2008).

The Occupational Outlook Handbook also gives detailed information concerning average earnings of the workers in this area. In May 2006 they were about $19.74 for industrial machinery mechanics. If compared to their salary in 2004 ($18.78) it appears to increase gradually. Machinery maintenance workers earned somewhat $16.61 in May 2006. It goes without saying that in case of promotion the workers get a pay award. It should be mentions here that machinery maintenance workers may be promoted to industrial machinery mechanics who in turn may become supervisors, master mechanics, or millwrights.

To conclude, we studied the main peculiarities of the occupation – industrial maintenance. We learnt that today maintenance workers are in requisition gradually it is getting more and more popular. Though it takes some time to gain required knowledge and skills to work in this area, it seems quite understandable why young people choose this profession. The facts given above demonstrate that, though challenging, this kind of occupation is very perspective.

References

Careerbuilder.com. (2009). Retrieved March 13, 2009 from  http://cc.ivytech.edu/cp/render.UserLayoutRootNode.uP?uP_tparam=utf&utf=http%3A%2F%2Fwwwcc.ivytech.edu%2Flibrary%2Fivy-fyi-ref.html

Occupational Outlook Handbook. (2008). Industrial Machinery Mechanics and Maintenance Workers.  Retrieved March 13, 2009 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos191.htm

Audience Analysis

This paper is intended for technicians who have knowledge and skills necessary for performing the duties of industrial machinery mechanics from maintenance workers and are going to search the job like this. It may be also those who are to choose what they are going to do in future. They are mainly young men with high school diploma. However, it may be read by school leavers who are about to take decision about their future career. This work will enable them to get acquainted with the main peculiarities of this kind of occupation, as well as its merits and drawbacks. They can also find out here what skills one should acquire to be successful in this area, as well as what one should do to acquire them. Moreover, they will learn what the responsibilities of industrial machinery mechanics from maintenance workers include and what difficulties they will face in case they decide to choose this profession.