What does an Equipment Maintenance Technician do?

An equipment maintenance technician is responsible for ensuring the stability and efficiency of all production tools and equipment to support smooth business functions and operations. Equipment maintenance technicians conduct regular maintenance for optimization, repair defective components, and inspect equipment parts to identify possible upgrades and replacements. They also assemble equipment and machinery, requiring them to have excellent mechanical and critical-thinking skills to analyze schematics and blueprints accurately. An equipment maintenance technician must be highly communicative and organizational, especially in adhering to the highest safety standards and protocols during operations.
Equipment maintenance technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real equipment maintenance technician resumes:
- Maintain and repair CNC milling machines.
- Carry out lead mechanic and avionics duties.
- Diagnose HVAC problems; installation of new vent motors.
- Certify to operate man lifts, fork lifts, and overhead cranes.
- Skil at extracting seize fasteners in hot sections, airframe assemblies and panels.
- Work on single and double bridge overhead cranes that operate on 480vac or 250vdc.
- Complete airframe repairs, and installation of aircraft engines for various airlines / customers.
- Upgrade controls of pressure vessels, ovens, and lab equipment to current PLC controls.
- Work ranges from repairing 40 gallon steam kettles to 60 ton rooftop package HVAC units.
- Perform building infrastructure maintenance tasks including light plumbing, painting, and wiring and general facility upkeep.
- Propose and implement cnc control upgrades on machining centers saving a $150K per machine in replacement cost.
- Maintain green space by planting, trimming, sodding, fertilizing, mowing, thatching and applying fertilizer/weed killer.
- Ensure all documentation are compliant with FAA regulations
- Repair plastic extrusion equipment including machinery, electrical control, and PLC systems
- Perform basic plumbing and electrical repairs.
Equipment maintenance technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Equipment Maintenance Technicians are proficient in Equipment Maintenance, Hand Tools, and Preventive Maintenance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Equipment Maintenance Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Equipment Maintenance, 14%
Job Responsibilities: Provide Equipment Maintenance Operations and Technical Support in a Semiconductor Manufacturing Wafer Fabrication Facility (Thin Films).
- Hand Tools, 9%
Worked from technical manuals, specifications drawings, and schematics utilizing a variety of hand tools and test equipment.
- Preventive Maintenance, 8%
Applied expertise and specialized skills to guide and train other maintenance technicians and updated existing preventive maintenance procedures and specifications.
- Maintenance Procedures, 5%
Developed, implemented, and trained unit personnel on improved maintenance procedures that increased maintenance shop productivity by 10 percent.
- PLC, 4%
Repaired plastic extrusion equipment including machinery, electrical control, and PLC systems
- Production Equipment, 4%
Provided technical support relating to equipment utilized in the manufacturing areas by repairing, maintaining or modifying production equipment.
"equipment maintenance," "hand tools," and "preventive maintenance" are among the most common skills that equipment maintenance technicians use at work. You can find even more equipment maintenance technician responsibilities below, including:
Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of equipment maintenance technicians is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday equipment maintenance technician duties, as "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed software modifications and generated ac calibration devices for customer options. "
Dexterity. Another crucial skill for an equipment maintenance technician to carry out their responsibilities is "dexterity." A big part of what equipment maintenance technicians relies on this skill, since "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." How this skill relates to equipment maintenance technician duties can be seen in an example from an equipment maintenance technician resume snippet: "conduct new equipment hands-on preventive maintenance. "
Troubleshooting skills. Lastly, "troubleshooting skills" is an important element of what an equipment maintenance technician does. Equipment maintenance technician responsibilities require this skill because "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." This resume example highlights how equipment maintenance technician duties rely on this skill: "generate preventative and corrective maintenance procedures and troubleshooting guides for all processes and production line equipment. "
The three companies that hire the most equipment maintenance technicians are:
- Tesla49 equipment maintenance technicians jobs
- MSR-FSR27 equipment maintenance technicians jobs
- FFresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership13 equipment maintenance technicians jobs
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Equipment maintenance technician vs. Maintenance engineer
A maintenance engineer is responsible for the maintenance of industrial machinery and inspects equipment defects for immediate troubleshooting or replacement as needed. Maintenance engineers install and upgrade system components to improve system optimization and perform diagnostic systems to locate any adjustments. They also conduct routine checks, assist clients with technical faults, and ensure that the equipment works safely for certain operations. A maintenance engineer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry to address technical malfunctions immediately.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, equipment maintenance technician responsibilities require skills like "preventive maintenance," "test equipment," "ac," and "strong work ethic." Meanwhile a typical maintenance engineer has skills in areas such as "guest rooms," "ladders," "maintenance tasks," and "boilers." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Maintenance engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than equipment maintenance technicians. In fact, maintenance engineers are 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Equipment maintenance technician vs. Maintenance lead person
The primary job of a maintenance lead person involves painting, asbestos removal, resolving emergencies, plumbing, and welding. Workers in this position lead a team composing maintenance engineers or technicians. They work along with managers and support teams. It is their duty to construct and repair structures and equipment. They consistently promote quality standards by personal roll and example. Also, they support those demands from the customers.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, equipment maintenance technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "test equipment," "ac," "corrective maintenance," and "strong work ethic." Meanwhile, a maintenance lead person has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "cmms," "general maintenance," and "ladders." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Maintenance lead people earn a higher average salary than equipment maintenance technicians. But maintenance lead people earn the highest pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $58,122. Additionally, equipment maintenance technicians earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $46,565 annually.In general, maintenance lead people achieve similar levels of education than equipment maintenance technicians. They're 1.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Equipment maintenance technician vs. Maintenance supervisor
A maintenance supervisor is responsible for directing and managing the overall maintenance department, inspecting the safety of operation equipment, and ensuring that everyone follows the standards and regulatory procedures to keep the production area safe and efficient. Maintenance supervisor duties also include delegating tasks to the maintenance personnel, evaluating the site condition regularly, reviewing inventory, and requesting stocks as necessary. They must also keep track of incident reports and connect with the operations management for any concerns and recommendations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an equipment maintenance technician is likely to be skilled in "preventive maintenance," "test equipment," "ac," and "strong work ethic," while a typical maintenance supervisor is skilled in "customer service," "ladders," "general maintenance," and "safety standards."
Maintenance supervisors earn the highest salary when working in the automotive industry, where they receive an average salary of $73,337. Comparatively, equipment maintenance technicians have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $46,565.When it comes to education, maintenance supervisors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to equipment maintenance technicians. In fact, they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Equipment maintenance technician vs. Maintenance internship
A maintenance intern has a variety of duties and responsibilities with the organization he/she or she is working for. Typical duties that you will likely perform for this job include assisting in plant improvement project management, interact with senior leadership of the company, and assisting with moving furniture for remodeling projects. In addition, as a maintenance intern, you will have the opportunity to experience and learn the company's mission and values, gain technical knowledge, and participate in training.
Types of equipment maintenance technician
Updated January 8, 2025