these are the best, genuine tips i've heard on a video. i'm a maintenance tech at a fulfillment center and you are right, the operator is your biggest asset and a great trouble shooting tool to use.
Pleased to meet you lone wolf. I too was a lone wolf at my plant, the only Maintenance guy. It gets tough when you're the only one and things start to stack up, gotta choose priorities, and those are never the same priorities management has! I finally got a helper, green as grass, but I'll take whatever I can get.
I do this job in aus and you are absolutely correct. Particularly with the guys coming straight out of school knowing everything because they just read a book and copy and pasted there work. It’s a hands on job and ur constantly learning every day.
It's insane how many guys come out of trade school and cannot even load a grease gun or a handful of other basic common sense tasks, yet they think they're sufficient enough to jump into complex automation programs or high voltages. Granted I grasped that stuff very well but my specialty was electronics engineering and industrial automation. I just prefer machining, welding, and mechanical work.
I agree to this! When I worked at ok foods here in AR we would always get new maintenance techs fresh out of school or from another line of work that was kinda similar and they always acted and assumed they knew everything but they were quickly taught wrong from other crew members. Most of them didn’t/can’t even make it, some would say it was too much, but that’s what you gotta expect when you go into that line of work
It's amusing seeing then get humbled 🤣 when I first started at the tile plant not a one of my coworkers had a clue what they were doing and thought they knew it all until they realized I was actually knowledgeable in the field, I put a lot of effort into learning to become the best troubleshooter, and tech I could be, once they learned that they wanted to learn and I was able to get them doing things they had no clue was possible for them to do. Miss my old crew we got things done fast and kept the place running. I learned so much at that facility. It's a never ending cycle of learning in this field, new things come about daily. That's what made me love it so much. Unfortunately I got burned out on it from stress and bad management over working us. Now it's more of a hobby lol
I’m turning 21 in March, and started a maintenance job about 8 months ago and these tips really helped. I have been the gopher/grunt the whole time but it’s helped me stay busy.
Yea that seems to be the pecking order in the field, just keep getting them what they ask, and help where you can, and ask questions, try to learn as much as you can, make yourself seem interested, they should be also explaining as much as they can to you about repairs and stuff. Keep at it! I am glad my tips helped you! I hope you have a great career in this field!
Find a trade school. Don’t bother with this field unless you actually grasp the concept of electrical and mechanical and all the other things they’ll teach you. You won’t learn it any other way. No one has time to train guys with no training prior to arriving. Nor will they. Heck my experience is I get tests after tests handed to me at interviews to see if I’m capable of doing the job.
Hey man, I know you love this job. Out of other careers choice, this is what I'm interested the most. Since you're experienced, can I asked you about the salary? This sounds kinda dumb but are you rich? I'm very sorry in advance... 😅
@@chainjail4834 Try them both out and see for yourself. I do Millwright work at a plant that makes Aerospace parts so it pays better than your Mom & Pops RubberMill.
Im a maintenance tech and my favorite tip was listen to the operator. Ive been on both ends on the conversation and there tends to be a sense of animosity when those techs dismiss you.
Sounds more like a operator is talking, 90% of the time i get directed to a problem that is not a problem and find the problem in a totally unrelated area, they either broke it and don’t want to look like a moron, or they dont understand how the machine actually works internally. The only people i actually look into what they are saying are the press setups because they know the presses components and know how each action functions even the more complicated Dorst presses. Every other department is clueless.
@@mariocfc2308 i been an operator before actually working on the equipment, the people in the plant are all smoking pot on the job and dont give a shit, the amount of stuff they break is astonishing, i spend almost every day of the week rebuilding machines left and right because production does not want to fix the problem until the machine dies and they are SOL. Maybe it’s only my plant but i assume its worse in other places. Im glad I’m learning plc diagnostics, and learned machining on the job so eventually i can take it to a better facility in the future.
@fang4853 It also sounds like you work in a shit hole. I work for Amazon, and I work on conveyance, among other equipment. Yes, it's true that associates break the equipment, and sometimes on purpose, but most of the time, the equipment has just run until failure. Asking associates or the operator for information in my case is helpful. I can't assume that it was their fault or that they don't know just because they're not techs. Maintenance is not rocket science. Anyone with common sense can do it.
Thanks man I’m considering transferring to being an RME after working in Amazon for a couple months. For me It’s not just looking for great pay, but having a skill I can take with me wherever I go.
love the explanation: do ya job right want planning the industries. love the review on this companies. doing all the review it getting more interesting. and want start and a careers with this companies and finish here.
Thank you for the TIPS I’m at Ford Motor Company in Michigan in my Apprenticeship for Machine Repair . I came off the line as a production worker , you’re so right .
This is so true! I recently had the opportunity to work with the third shift operators and holy hell it’s night and day compared to the ones I have… most of mine are younger so they’re attached to their damn devices constantly and the older ones are constantly having to keep shit going. Management doesn’t care either at all. 🤷🏼♂️ it’s definitely a shit situation!
thank you for your advice, specially on listening to the operator. Manu jobs I've worked on the maintenance man just thinks the operator is destroying the equipment, many times the machine down time is because the maintenance man won't listen.
Was an operator for 20 years, ya we knew the machines. Now as Maintenance, sometimes they call me out, but I don't see the issue right away, has to be shown to me.
Sounds about right. I work on the back end Palletizer loading dunnage in the machine.. when I need maintenance to fix something that broke I wait there and show them exactly what it was doing. And makes there job easy. As for trouble shooting
If they haven’t thanked you for that yet, then I thank you for them! It does make our jobs a lot simpler when we don’t have to go hunting an issue down.
im 12 years in as a electrical tech at a corrugating facility. Didnt start out with elec, never wanted to do elec... But boy... You sure do learn elec being a entry level boy.... My tip to all who are starting out on top of what this gentlemen said, (which are all spot on) Is to just DO. Never give up on a problem when troubleshooting. The more you try even tho it may be out of your league, the more you learn. The more you learn the more respect and weight you have to throw around. The machines broke.. What harm could you do? Dive in.
Hello there I see you are well experienced as an Automation technician, I work as a technical recruiter for flextronics in Austin Texas, and we have job vacancies for Automation technicians with 4 years experience, send a reply if you're interested.
ive been mainly mechanical with welding, fabricating, maybe 40 % electrical. . I've been working in maintenance for 16 year's, and im moving to the electronic technician side myself. I gotta take some programming plc classes and may take a variable frequency class.
I used to work as a production worker and I’m considering going back to apply as a maintenance tech, bc when I was working there I would always watch the maintenance crew work so I could kinda watch/learn bc it’s always something I’ve wanted to try/do. It’s just interesting to me, but I feel like bc I’m a girl, they won’t take me seriously and probably won’t even consider me for hire in that role 🥺🥲😭
Don't let anyone make you feel you're incapable because you're female! I've worked alongside women who can put most men to shame in this field! Some of the brightest maintenance techs I know are women and they're all every last one my favorite people I've worked alongside as they get things done properly the first time, safely, without boasting and being arrogant. I honestly love working with women in this field because men can get rather dumb tbh 🤣 shoot for the stars and you can accomplish anything you desire doing! If you have an instagram follow arc welding angel, she's a major inspiration for women in trades. I say go for it, set that goal and don't let anything or anyone hold you back! 💯 I support women like you who are interested in the trades 💪🏻 go get it!
about 1/3 of my classmates were production workers and they saw how maintenance tech worked .Im going to lean more towards the ammonia side .Just improve your employability skills and you be alright.
Lead Maintenance Tech here...please apply. Were so desperate for someone who's just WILLING to apply themselves and we'll teach you everything you don't already know. Just show up for work every day and you'll have it made in the shade.
Been working in industrial maintenance for ten years, everything you've said is 100% on point. Especially being wrong a lot of the time. You're always a student, constantly learning and improving. Every machine is different, every process is different. But in the end, it's all moving parts. Unfortunately, a lot of companies think you know everything and hold you to a high standard, and expect you not to fuck up.
Yea I deal with that where I’m working now. They expect us to work miracles then punish us by making us work weekends when shit happens that no one can control. It is what it is though.
Not true 😂 I’ve literally never screwed anything up because I pay attention and do things correctly. It’s not hard to not fuck things up if you just use your head.
I am thankful 🙏for the tips and alot of it used in past jobs i watch videos like this too keep me moving on. This job this industry ur gonna mess up more than u get it right but u learn and you dont mess up again. Example i have a hard time with big conveyor belts but i keep going keep working n keep learning never say no, never rufuse work, cuz you might learn something.
As long as that work isn’t outside my job description then I’m always down to do it. The company I work for loves making us do everything but our jobs and then when things break expect us to do our jobs and then get mad the other jobs didn’t get finished. 😂 like I said in this video it’s always the mechanics fault regardless of who actually broke it. I really wish these companies would knock that bs off it’s driving good techs out fast.
Man i hear u no matter what. something didnt get done or cleaned out for next shift or why did you stop early. Nature of the beast keep goin. Unfortunately at some places u have to do 2-3 other people's jobs or stuff wont get done, or it will but not to the companies standards. Shoot idk if its me but i just dont like the complaining from up top or the other shift, work is work do it to the best of your ability, and remember its just work i tell myself nothing personal... what i tell myself to keep going lol idk.
As someone who was an operator and now sitting at a Tech III/Lead working on my IV training. I cannot confirm or deny this lol. I generally try to avoid the operator error side because hiccups happen, I like to blame controls and engineering personally. 😂
@troycayton3436 yea but if the controls haven’t been touched and there isn’t a fault within the system mechanically, or electrically, and things randomly start acting up it’s generally always because of a panic adjustment on the fly done by non authorized personnel. This is what I call job security they’re usually simple fixes but the most common from my experience. Generally of the equipment if maintained properly and the PM schedules are kept up to date and on going there should be no reason for the equipment to fail during production. Supervisors do this more than anyone though and they’re usually always idiots to begin with about production processes and equipment management so they cause a good portion of it through bad practices being taught to lower qualified personnel. Common problem at my current work place is they keep turning the drives speeds up on the blower fans for a suction head so it lifts the platforms and tosses them onto the tables, it’s always the operators doing this or the production supervisors. We locked the system out the other day to stop the problem forever. Which should have been a protocol anyways. No one should have access to panels and programs who aren’t electrical techs or engineers. I don’t fault anyone for it though it happens regardless things break regardless it’s just job security for me.
Just started for 5 months, tip number 1 was my first problem. Explained to plant supervisor and he called me out on it said I had to do more PM and have spares available. I just nod my head and carry on now
I worked at a lumber mill for awhile, kinda miss that place outside of the unorganized chaos and horrible management for the maintenance department, they stuck us in unsafe locations rather often. But yea weld belts they're an interesting thing 🤣 we used them at the tile factory I was in when I made this video, basically cut it to length, put it in a clamp, and use a iron to melt the belt then clamp it together until the rubber hardens. They're quite strong for coming in a roll of 500'. They have differing tensile strength materials also. Universal, but no where near as strong as link belts. Good luck on your research with that flange bearing!
@Don-kk7ou I went to my local community college that offers industrial electronics graduated from that with a specialty in industrial electronics then I went back and took industrial electrical and mechanical maintenance. I tried to learn the most I could while there also. Even if they weren’t teaching it or getting in depth I was in TH-cam watching course video after video and reading information on the subject.
I started without schooling in a slaughterhouse. Now I'm working at a much bigger plant, but yes, it's always a learning experience, every day. Hard, too. Long hours, long weeks. But I wouldn't do much else besides this.
I was an Operator for a few years in a few different places before being one here, then being a tech now…. About a year in I’m still learning everyday! I agree about the Op being able to help…. Some of them are pretty damn stupid though lol
@ericc2233 it’s not actually 😂😂 we use a weldable belt. I’ll make a video on it tonight at work if I get a chance and show you all finally what weld belts are. 😂 I used to think the same thing!
Great video.. I'm currently an Operator thinking of switching over to maintenance but I'm nervous to try because it's seems so different from operating the machine. Have you ever been an Operator before?
Go for it! I’ve always tried to avoid being an employee and stay doing my own thing. I don’t enjoy working in factories much so I only do the mechanical and electrical side of this field. If I had to run lines I’d find a new job then and there.
Honestly I’m not totally certain really good paying industrial maintenance jobs exist anymore hell every operator I know makes almost what I do anymore and they refuse to up our pay but did increase our work loads to also include being operators. Good luck out there I’m thinking of leaving the trade for good I’m pretty over factories these days. I understand the auto industry is getting just as bad if not worse anymore. I know the days have changed from when my dad was a master mechanic.
I would never work on a production line or be a supervisor on one. I enjoy my job because it gives me some freedom still, I've been stuck on production lines before and was miserable, these factories take advantage of production workers as much as possible and exploit them.
I mean depends on operators tho, some don't know shit tbh, I had a guy who kept telling me it's motor because it wouldn't start, first thing I check is E stop, and guess what? it was stopped, advice is good, but really just common sense when dealing with production.
I've been having a very hard time trying to find entry level Industrial Maintenance jobs to where they would teach you on the job. Seems virtually impossible. May be its just the stupid area of the country that I live in. Really grinds my gear.
Do you have any trade school or past mechanical/electrical maintenance experience? Many guys won’t bother training anyone who doesn’t come to the table with some idea of what’s going on. I’ve dealt with it when I very first left trade school until I made them all look dumb then they made an effort to actually acknowledge me. Just keep trying, but my best advice is don’t rely on others for training as they probably won’t train you right anyways, we have MANY gatekeepers in this industry from operators to technicians they never show everything you need to know because it’s their “job security “ which I find really dumb. So I learned to research find the information I need and then self train I watch and pay attention when I’m around machines and what operators are doing to manipulate the machinery, how other techs work on them, common faults, Known problems etc. once you start getting the hang of those issues it’s generally easier to get the information you need from the gatekeepers. Just show major interest and try and try again, never stop trying and learning. This field is an everyday school session and we’re constantly being retrained, learning new stuff, coming into problems no one’s seen before etc. tbh I’m to the point I really am starting to hate this field solely because of the gatekeepers, and arrogance that comes from most of the techs who think they’re good but truly suck at their jobs and would be best suited as operators. But these factories aren’t a place to build a career anymore. They’re using mechanics as operators and all sorts of dumb bitch work while we fall behind on our jobs. The pay sucks most operators are making around what techs make now and it’s honestly about a waste of time. Not to mention these factories hiring operators to tech spots because they can operate the machine yet forget they must know electrical knowledge and how to do a list of tasks techs need to be able to do to be efficient at their jobs. Which is what I’m currently dealing with..
I lucked out and got my foot in the door with the company because I had prior experience working industrial construction and as a millwright and I barely passed the test to get hired.
Metric crescent wrenches actually exist they have a different thread pitch than a standard one 😂 and we weld our belts we have a long roll of a belt material that we physically melt together and weld them. We have a welder and everything for it, it’s a friction weld. Cheaper in the long run than link belt is.
I would love to do more hands on work, because I’m having trouble remember some things from basic electrical and mechanical to motor control system. And I’ve heard people say, u learn more once ur out there, and it kinda confuses me cause I feel like some things I’m learning in school are like, not right or WASTE of time learning?…
It's true you do learn more once you're in the field and doing hands on things daily, it is still very important to remember the theory also though, I'm a hands on learner, I had issues learning from lessons in college so I would take what I was studying and build circuits and troubleshoot my screw up, I had my Instructor insert faults in them so I had to figure it out. This helped me dramatically In learning. Keep with it in time these things will come and it'll be second nature to you! I've taught guys to do things they didn't think they could learn and watched then progress and become better techs daily. Nothing is a waste of time to learn, the more you know the better tech you will be. This industry is great, stressful, and a learning curve daily. Never stop advancing. If you're in college for it ask your instructor to explain things, I also watched youtube videos constantly to help learn. That's the only way u ever learned kurchoffs law. Time constants, digital truth tables etc. Though thats all electronics theory which is my specialty.
I honestly miss working with the Italians because their equipment was always cleaned and took care of, the ran well and only required preventive maintenance and they would do their part. Now that I’m back working for Americans I hate my life because they’re all assholes and the equipment is rusted to hell, in horrible condition, all sorts of hazards around them… sad to see the Europeans have more care then we do for their equipment and techs.
@LoneWolf Tech shoot where I work we will spend all night fixing something and the Puerto Rican operator will break it or have it completely out of calibration before production even starts. Worst part is our managers take his side and refuse to listen to the mechanics.
😂😂 exactly the boat I’m in! Our 3rd shift leaves things alone for the most part but dayshift is constantly changing speeds moving sensors etc and when we come in on 2nd it’s falling all to hell, we spend basics our whole shift getting it fine tuned and running again, 3rd shift has a good run then 1st screws it up again and the crew in on gets bitched out for it. Granted my supervisor is an idiot who has no business in a maintenance management position and is basically the production managers bitch. Yesterday we had to work a mandatory Saturday for a whole 6 hours and we had all that time to get caught up on the PMs that need to get done. Our supervisor told us to ignore the pm and start wrapping and hauling off pallets. So I did PMs all night 😂
Thanks for the tips! How did you jump into being an industrial maintenance tech? Is schooling really required even thought you learn mostly everything at the job? I am trying to get a job but they want experience and I don't have any. Any info will help.
I got into it after going through college for electronics engineering, you will only learn so much on the job. You need to know the theory before learning anything else, I have worked alongside a bunch of guys who got into maintenance out of sheer luck and none of them were good at what they did, I taught many of them how to do their jobs good. I mean no one is going to teach you the proper way to do shaft alignments, how to adjust soft foot on motors, troubleshooting and working on transformers, how to wire 9 lead or 12 lead motors, how to troubleshooting plcs, frequency drives, electrical issues etc they are going to expect you have an understanding of it prior to taking the job. You'll learn some things on the job, but without my college training I would have had no chance of getting as far as I have doing this. I went into industrial maintenance technology after graduating with my electronics certifications. They teach you how to properly wire circuits, to programming plcs and robotics, to machining, to welding and even hvac. All of which are necessary to be a good maintenance technician. You will have a major advantage having school training than without. I've yet to have anyone train me to do anything it's been a learn as I go process. Some of the guys I worked with didn't even know how to read pneumatic or hydraulic diagrams, how to rebuild pneumatic actuators, gearboxes etc. I thought my coworkers how to do all the this and they had been playing parts changers for years prior to my arrival.
@@lonewolftech Now I understand the benefits of taking courses. Thanks for the reply dude really appreciate it. Time to start looking for which schools to apply to.
I don't even work in this field anymore. I enjoy doing it but not as a career. Probably some of the most ridiculous hours and they treat techs like absolute shit by supervisors, and management. I do my own thing now. No bosses, no factories. No ridiculous hours, no mandatory over time, no more being exploited by corporations. I enjoyed it at first but after being exploited by companies and talked to like I was trash I said screw this. My life has improved ten fold in just a few short years.
@@lonewolftech So what do you do now? I'm trying to get out of the automotive field for roughly the same reasons. Signed up for industrial electrician courses a the local CC.
Im going to college for maintenance tech, and I’m really excited on learning all about this, i have no experience but they told me it’s fine and Can just jump in with both feet with no prior knowledge i love hands on work, am I making a good choice?
Well the no experience thing can be a bitch to get entry level work even sometimes, well most of the time for any reputable company tbh. However you’re in school so that is a better start than a good portion of unskilled maintenance technicians out there that started as operators and have no clue of the proper way to do things, but they can be taught also. Good on you for taking the time to actually get your education in the field before going into it though! Makes our jobs easier on the training end in industry.
What is supposed to happen next, what should happen and is not, and one that i thought was silly became very true, as the issue is not always complicated, so start with keep it simple stupid, dont over look, dont over think
Are you in Canada? Im a technician but dont have much experience in this field... What do you recommend to jump into some jobs like this? Hoping i can get in on entry level
Without experience it’s going to be very difficult. Best thing u can do is go to some community college and take their mechanical course and then apply to jobs and let them know you’re in school. It’s just so much to know to be given an opportunity right off the bat. I worked as a production worker then became a tech through the same company. Really grateful for that opportunity
Tbh online courses aren’t really accepted or even looked at in this industry because you cannot possibly learn a thing without a plc and they’re god awfully expensive.
I worked at PGT industries for a year on the production line. I dropped glass, welded some door frames, screwed in attachments. Hated every second. I was moved to 3 different production lines in that span due to there being too many people and a line moving entirely to a different city. The maintenance team was bad ass. They definitely knew what they were doing. The equipment was pretty complex. We were even sent home, because they couldn’t diagnose it. Had to fly out some engineers.
1:14 really? 90% of our ''operators'' have very low technical insight so most of the time when they call us for a problem we go there and do the work they needed to do. Tired of this shit.
Yea my operators at the factory I was at all were educated and fairly intelligent, this new one has nothing but dumbasses on the lines and they cannot do shit on their own. They expect us to run their machinery while they sit around. I need to make an updated version of this video 😂 but in a good facility your operators can usually tell you what’s going on and make it easier to diagnose. These new operators I deal with I’m not sure how they made it this far in life 😂
I’ll try to. TH-cam keeps striking my channel so it’ll eventually probably get deleted and I won’t bother to make another account. So if it vanishes 🤷🏼♂️ blame the commies at google
these are the best, genuine tips i've heard on a video. i'm a maintenance tech at a fulfillment center and you are right, the operator is your biggest asset and a great trouble shooting tool to use.
Pleased to meet you lone wolf.
I too was a lone wolf at my plant, the only Maintenance guy. It gets tough when you're the only one and things start to stack up, gotta choose priorities, and those are never the same priorities management has!
I finally got a helper, green as grass, but I'll take whatever I can get.
I do this job in aus and you are absolutely correct. Particularly with the guys coming straight out of school knowing everything because they just read a book and copy and pasted there work. It’s a hands on job and ur constantly learning every day.
It's insane how many guys come out of trade school and cannot even load a grease gun or a handful of other basic common sense tasks, yet they think they're sufficient enough to jump into complex automation programs or high voltages. Granted I grasped that stuff very well but my specialty was electronics engineering and industrial automation. I just prefer machining, welding, and mechanical work.
I agree to this! When I worked at ok foods here in AR we would always get new maintenance techs fresh out of school or from another line of work that was kinda similar and they always acted and assumed they knew everything but they were quickly taught wrong from other crew members. Most of them didn’t/can’t even make it, some would say it was too much, but that’s what you gotta expect when you go into that line of work
It's amusing seeing then get humbled 🤣 when I first started at the tile plant not a one of my coworkers had a clue what they were doing and thought they knew it all until they realized I was actually knowledgeable in the field, I put a lot of effort into learning to become the best troubleshooter, and tech I could be, once they learned that they wanted to learn and I was able to get them doing things they had no clue was possible for them to do. Miss my old crew we got things done fast and kept the place running. I learned so much at that facility. It's a never ending cycle of learning in this field, new things come about daily. That's what made me love it so much. Unfortunately I got burned out on it from stress and bad management over working us. Now it's more of a hobby lol
I’m turning 21 in March, and started a maintenance job about 8 months ago and these tips really helped. I have been the gopher/grunt the whole time but it’s helped me stay busy.
Yea that seems to be the pecking order in the field, just keep getting them what they ask, and help where you can, and ask questions, try to learn as much as you can, make yourself seem interested, they should be also explaining as much as they can to you about repairs and stuff. Keep at it! I am glad my tips helped you! I hope you have a great career in this field!
Hi I'm 23 and possibly looking to get into this industry but with no prior experience, any suggestions ?
@@kingmalikinc.458319 and same. did you get into it ?
Find a trade school. Don’t bother with this field unless you actually grasp the concept of electrical and mechanical and all the other things they’ll teach you. You won’t learn it any other way. No one has time to train guys with no training prior to arriving. Nor will they. Heck my experience is I get tests after tests handed to me at interviews to see if I’m capable of doing the job.
I was a Pipe Welder for 10 years but i switched to the Maintenance side 4 years ago. Best choice i ever made Listen to this man he is 100% correct .
Hey man, I know you love this job. Out of other careers choice, this is what I'm interested the most. Since you're experienced, can I asked you about the salary? This sounds kinda dumb but are you rich? I'm very sorry in advance... 😅
@@chainjail4834 It's all good, no im not rich but I make really good money. I make more then just about everyone I grew up with who went to college.
@@jeffgreer198613 hmm I'm pretty sure welder makes more no? Especially with 10 years experience...
@@chainjail4834 Try them both out and see for yourself. I do Millwright work at a plant that makes Aerospace parts so it pays better than your Mom & Pops RubberMill.
Why is it the best decision you’ve ever made? I’m a Mech Elec who is being taught TIG Welding as its needed in my job
Im a maintenance tech and my favorite tip was listen to the operator. Ive been on both ends on the conversation and there tends to be a sense of animosity when those techs dismiss you.
Sounds more like a operator is talking, 90% of the time i get directed to a problem that is not a problem and find the problem in a totally unrelated area, they either broke it and don’t want to look like a moron, or they dont understand how the machine actually works internally. The only people i actually look into what they are saying are the press setups because they know the presses components and know how each action functions even the more complicated Dorst presses. Every other department is clueless.
@fang4853 Like I said, I've been both. You sound like a tech who has never been the operator.
@@mariocfc2308 i been an operator before actually working on the equipment, the people in the plant are all smoking pot on the job and dont give a shit, the amount of stuff they break is astonishing, i spend almost every day of the week rebuilding machines left and right because production does not want to fix the problem until the machine dies and they are SOL. Maybe it’s only my plant but i assume its worse in other places. Im glad I’m learning plc diagnostics, and learned machining on the job so eventually i can take it to a better facility in the future.
@fang4853 Oh ok, then you should know too or maybe you're that special that you do nothing wrong.
@fang4853 It also sounds like you work in a shit hole. I work for Amazon, and I work on conveyance, among other equipment. Yes, it's true that associates break the equipment, and sometimes on purpose, but most of the time, the equipment has just run until failure. Asking associates or the operator for information in my case is helpful. I can't assume that it was their fault or that they don't know just because they're not techs. Maintenance is not rocket science. Anyone with common sense can do it.
Thanks man I’m considering transferring to being an RME after working in Amazon for a couple months. For me It’s not just looking for great pay, but having a skill I can take with me wherever I go.
Go for it! Always better yourself every day!
Speaking as a Tech III , Amazon is a great place to work
speaking as a tech 2 it is still a great place to work (4.5yrs still great place)
love the explanation: do ya job right want planning the industries. love the review on this companies. doing all the review it getting more interesting. and want start and a careers with this companies and finish here.
I’m sending this to all my fellow maintenance tech. He is 1000% right.
Thank you! It needed to be said 😂
Thank you for the TIPS I’m at Ford Motor Company in Michigan in my Apprenticeship for Machine Repair . I came off the line as a production worker , you’re so right .
Good luck! Stick to your apprenticeship or go to trade school but I 100% recommend learning as much as you can!
Another headsup if you work at a bigger factory. Get used to see half the team not doing anything and the other half doing everything.
This is so true! I recently had the opportunity to work with the third shift operators and holy hell it’s night and day compared to the ones I have… most of mine are younger so they’re attached to their damn devices constantly and the older ones are constantly having to keep shit going. Management doesn’t care either at all. 🤷🏼♂️ it’s definitely a shit situation!
Heck yes, been one for a decade, this man knows! Open your ears not your mouth! Good job 👍
I appreciate it!
thank you for your advice, specially on listening to the operator. Manu jobs I've worked on the maintenance man just thinks the operator is destroying the equipment, many times the machine down time is because the maintenance man won't listen.
Was an operator for 20 years, ya we knew the machines. Now as Maintenance, sometimes they call me out, but I don't see the issue right away, has to be shown to me.
Sounds about right. I work on the back end Palletizer loading dunnage in the machine.. when I need maintenance to fix something that broke I wait there and show them exactly what it was doing. And makes there job easy. As for trouble shooting
If they haven’t thanked you for that yet, then I thank you for them! It does make our jobs a lot simpler when we don’t have to go hunting an issue down.
Thanks for the advice.
im 12 years in as a electrical tech at a corrugating facility. Didnt start out with elec, never wanted to do elec... But boy... You sure do learn elec being a entry level boy.... My tip to all who are starting out on top of what this gentlemen said, (which are all spot on) Is to just DO. Never give up on a problem when troubleshooting. The more you try even tho it may be out of your league, the more you learn. The more you learn the more respect and weight you have to throw around. The machines broke.. What harm could you do? Dive in.
Exactly!
Hello there I see you are well experienced as an Automation technician, I work as a technical recruiter for flextronics in Austin Texas, and we have job vacancies for Automation technicians with 4 years experience, send a reply if you're interested.
ive been mainly mechanical with welding, fabricating, maybe 40 % electrical. . I've been working in maintenance for 16 year's, and im moving to the electronic technician side myself. I gotta take some programming plc classes and may take a variable frequency class.
As an Industrial Maintenance Tech, you are fricken spot on dude!
Thank you! There isn’t enough information about our career field out there for the green horns to learn what to do and not to do in the trade.
I used to work as a production worker and I’m considering going back to apply as a maintenance tech, bc when I was working there I would always watch the maintenance crew work so I could kinda watch/learn bc it’s always something I’ve wanted to try/do. It’s just interesting to me, but I feel like bc I’m a girl, they won’t take me seriously and probably won’t even consider me for hire in that role 🥺🥲😭
Don't let anyone make you feel you're incapable because you're female! I've worked alongside women who can put most men to shame in this field! Some of the brightest maintenance techs I know are women and they're all every last one my favorite people I've worked alongside as they get things done properly the first time, safely, without boasting and being arrogant. I honestly love working with women in this field because men can get rather dumb tbh 🤣 shoot for the stars and you can accomplish anything you desire doing! If you have an instagram follow arc welding angel, she's a major inspiration for women in trades. I say go for it, set that goal and don't let anything or anyone hold you back! 💯 I support women like you who are interested in the trades 💪🏻 go get it!
about 1/3 of my classmates were production workers and they saw how maintenance tech worked .Im going to lean more towards the ammonia side .Just improve your employability skills and you be alright.
Apply apply apply. You’ll get your foot in the door. Look out for jobs that are looking for apprentices/entry level
Trust me, they're dying for help, but you have to perform or you'll just make it harder.
Lead Maintenance Tech here...please apply. Were so desperate for someone who's just WILLING to apply themselves and we'll teach you everything you don't already know. Just show up for work every day and you'll have it made in the shade.
Been working in industrial maintenance for ten years, everything you've said is 100% on point. Especially being wrong a lot of the time. You're always a student, constantly learning and improving. Every machine is different, every process is different. But in the end, it's all moving parts. Unfortunately, a lot of companies think you know everything and hold you to a high standard, and expect you not to fuck up.
Yea I deal with that where I’m working now. They expect us to work miracles then punish us by making us work weekends when shit happens that no one can control. It is what it is though.
Any maintenance man who says they never screw anything up is either lying or not doing their job
Not true 😂 I’ve literally never screwed anything up because I pay attention and do things correctly. It’s not hard to not fuck things up if you just use your head.
I am thankful 🙏for the tips and alot of it used in past jobs i watch videos like this too keep me moving on. This job this industry ur gonna mess up more than u get it right but u learn and you dont mess up again. Example i have a hard time with big conveyor belts but i keep going keep working n keep learning never say no, never rufuse work, cuz you might learn something.
As long as that work isn’t outside my job description then I’m always down to do it. The company I work for loves making us do everything but our jobs and then when things break expect us to do our jobs and then get mad the other jobs didn’t get finished. 😂 like I said in this video it’s always the mechanics fault regardless of who actually broke it. I really wish these companies would knock that bs off it’s driving good techs out fast.
Man i hear u no matter what. something didnt get done or cleaned out for next shift or why did you stop early. Nature of the beast keep goin. Unfortunately at some places u have to do 2-3 other people's jobs or stuff wont get done, or it will but not to the companies standards. Shoot idk if its me but i just dont like the complaining from up top or the other shift, work is work do it to the best of your ability, and remember its just work i tell myself nothing personal... what i tell myself to keep going lol idk.
Great point ☝️
Operators know whats broken because they broke it... :D
Not always but they do or should know the operation of their machinery. Sometimes things get crazy.
When operators don't feel like working they break it. Lolol
As someone who was an operator and now sitting at a Tech III/Lead working on my IV training. I cannot confirm or deny this lol.
I generally try to avoid the operator error side because hiccups happen, I like to blame controls and engineering personally. 😂
@troycayton3436 yea but if the controls haven’t been touched and there isn’t a fault within the system mechanically, or electrically, and things randomly start acting up it’s generally always because of a panic adjustment on the fly done by non authorized personnel. This is what I call job security they’re usually simple fixes but the most common from my experience. Generally of the equipment if maintained properly and the PM schedules are kept up to date and on going there should be no reason for the equipment to fail during production. Supervisors do this more than anyone though and they’re usually always idiots to begin with about production processes and equipment management so they cause a good portion of it through bad practices being taught to lower qualified personnel. Common problem at my current work place is they keep turning the drives speeds up on the blower fans for a suction head so it lifts the platforms and tosses them onto the tables, it’s always the operators doing this or the production supervisors. We locked the system out the other day to stop the problem forever. Which should have been a protocol anyways. No one should have access to panels and programs who aren’t electrical techs or engineers. I don’t fault anyone for it though it happens regardless things break regardless it’s just job security for me.
@@lonewolftech the controls / engineering was a joke.
Just started for 5 months, tip number 1 was my first problem. Explained to plant supervisor and he called me out on it said I had to do more PM and have spares available. I just nod my head and carry on now
I do pms in a lumber mill. Your right on alot of it. Researching a high speed flange bearing failure right now. Weld a belt?
I worked at a lumber mill for awhile, kinda miss that place outside of the unorganized chaos and horrible management for the maintenance department, they stuck us in unsafe locations rather often. But yea weld belts they're an interesting thing 🤣 we used them at the tile factory I was in when I made this video, basically cut it to length, put it in a clamp, and use a iron to melt the belt then clamp it together until the rubber hardens. They're quite strong for coming in a roll of 500'. They have differing tensile strength materials also. Universal, but no where near as strong as link belts. Good luck on your research with that flange bearing!
Vulcanize. :D We call it welding too. Do it a lot for conveyors in the industry.
Just got in A job as a maintenance tech I love fixing stuff and learning trying to be good at it Over the time
Never the same day twice.
How did get it?? What kind of training ,school did you attend to?
@Don-kk7ou I went to my local community college that offers industrial electronics graduated from that with a specialty in industrial electronics then I went back and took industrial electrical and mechanical maintenance. I tried to learn the most I could while there also. Even if they weren’t teaching it or getting in depth I was in TH-cam watching course video after video and reading information on the subject.
@@lonewolftech ok, thanks.
Learn something new everyday!
I started without schooling in a slaughterhouse. Now I'm working at a much bigger plant, but yes, it's always a learning experience, every day. Hard, too. Long hours, long weeks. But I wouldn't do much else besides this.
Well said!
I was an Operator for a few years in a few different places before being one here, then being a tech now….
About a year in I’m still learning everyday!
I agree about the Op being able to help…. Some of them are pretty damn stupid though lol
Very good video. Your tips could help a lot of people in other vocations. May I ask, whot tools do you carry for your job?
We utilize a wide variety of hand, and power tools. There isn’t much our toolboxes don’t have.
As a production supervisor, I agree
Love this guy
operator here going to start classes soon.... rock on man
Good luck and don’t give up!
Last week was hard, I had to weld 14 belts.. It took some time but Production Supervisor was impressed.🤣
What do you mean by welding belts just wondering
Its a joke you cant weld belts. Just hilighting, that you do what you are told even if it dont make sense.
@ericc2233 it’s not actually 😂😂 we use a weldable belt. I’ll make a video on it tonight at work if I get a chance and show you all finally what weld belts are. 😂 I used to think the same thing!
@ericc2233 video is up on my channel talking about weld belt. 😂
I just uploaded a video going over weld belts. Check it out!
Hey what's up with being a senior technician at niagara bottling? Thanks for the vid, OP.
Man I remember the days when people just did their jobs and you didn’t have to tell them
Agreed! The good old days!
Great video.. I'm currently an Operator thinking of switching over to maintenance but I'm nervous to try because it's seems so different from operating the machine. Have you ever been an Operator before?
Go for it! I’ve always tried to avoid being an employee and stay doing my own thing. I don’t enjoy working in factories much so I only do the mechanical and electrical side of this field. If I had to run lines I’d find a new job then and there.
What kind of operator were you ?
1 year in maintenance an I agree 100%
Spot on
Yea spot on!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Good information here.
Glad it was helpful!
Just started maintenance at frito lay nervous af
Starting new jobs always suck, especially in food processing, but it’s worth it!
I'm a auto technician trying to weasel my way into a good paying industrial maintenance technician and these kinda helped
Honestly I’m not totally certain really good paying industrial maintenance jobs exist anymore hell every operator I know makes almost what I do anymore and they refuse to up our pay but did increase our work loads to also include being operators. Good luck out there I’m thinking of leaving the trade for good I’m pretty over factories these days. I understand the auto industry is getting just as bad if not worse anymore. I know the days have changed from when my dad was a master mechanic.
good tips
Glad you like them!
If they say take as long has you won’t after they tell you what’s wrong, stop and regroup.
I'm a mechanic looking to trade careers. Looking to get into mechatronics.
💯 facts.........
If you were to be an operator. Would you choose to climb up to production supervisor or stay in maintenance?
I would never work on a production line or be a supervisor on one. I enjoy my job because it gives me some freedom still, I've been stuck on production lines before and was miserable, these factories take advantage of production workers as much as possible and exploit them.
Maintenance is the way to go son
@@jonnywick4402 Best decision i ever made.
I mean depends on operators tho, some don't know shit tbh, I had a guy who kept telling me it's motor because it wouldn't start, first thing I check is E stop, and guess what? it was stopped, advice is good, but really just common sense when dealing with production.
Sounds like my current operators 😂 they’re generally just idiots.
I've been having a very hard time trying to find entry level Industrial Maintenance jobs to where they would teach you on the job. Seems virtually impossible. May be its just the stupid area of the country that I live in. Really grinds my gear.
Do you have any trade school or past mechanical/electrical maintenance experience? Many guys won’t bother training anyone who doesn’t come to the table with some idea of what’s going on. I’ve dealt with it when I very first left trade school until I made them all look dumb then they made an effort to actually acknowledge me. Just keep trying, but my best advice is don’t rely on others for training as they probably won’t train you right anyways, we have MANY gatekeepers in this industry from operators to technicians they never show everything you need to know because it’s their “job security “ which I find really dumb. So I learned to research find the information I need and then self train I watch and pay attention when I’m around machines and what operators are doing to manipulate the machinery, how other techs work on them, common faults, Known problems etc. once you start getting the hang of those issues it’s generally easier to get the information you need from the gatekeepers. Just show major interest and try and try again, never stop trying and learning. This field is an everyday school session and we’re constantly being retrained, learning new stuff, coming into problems no one’s seen before etc. tbh I’m to the point I really am starting to hate this field solely because of the gatekeepers, and arrogance that comes from most of the techs who think they’re good but truly suck at their jobs and would be best suited as operators. But these factories aren’t a place to build a career anymore. They’re using mechanics as operators and all sorts of dumb bitch work while we fall behind on our jobs. The pay sucks most operators are making around what techs make now and it’s honestly about a waste of time. Not to mention these factories hiring operators to tech spots because they can operate the machine yet forget they must know electrical knowledge and how to do a list of tasks techs need to be able to do to be efficient at their jobs. Which is what I’m currently dealing with..
I lucked out and got my foot in the door with the company because I had prior experience working industrial construction and as a millwright and I barely passed the test to get hired.
I'm an Electronic Tech, what do you mean "weld the belts"? Is this a trolling thing, like sending the FNG off to find a metric Crescent wrench?
Metric crescent wrenches actually exist they have a different thread pitch than a standard one 😂 and we weld our belts we have a long roll of a belt material that we physically melt together and weld them. We have a welder and everything for it, it’s a friction weld. Cheaper in the long run than link belt is.
How do i get in to this field?
I would love to do more hands on work, because I’m having trouble remember some things from basic electrical and mechanical to motor control system. And I’ve heard people say, u learn more once ur out there, and it kinda confuses me cause I feel like some things I’m learning in school are like, not right or WASTE of time learning?…
It's true you do learn more once you're in the field and doing hands on things daily, it is still very important to remember the theory also though, I'm a hands on learner, I had issues learning from lessons in college so I would take what I was studying and build circuits and troubleshoot my screw up, I had my Instructor insert faults in them so I had to figure it out. This helped me dramatically In learning. Keep with it in time these things will come and it'll be second nature to you! I've taught guys to do things they didn't think they could learn and watched then progress and become better techs daily. Nothing is a waste of time to learn, the more you know the better tech you will be. This industry is great, stressful, and a learning curve daily. Never stop advancing. If you're in college for it ask your instructor to explain things, I also watched youtube videos constantly to help learn. That's the only way u ever learned kurchoffs law. Time constants, digital truth tables etc. Though thats all electronics theory which is my specialty.
Also machine operators that don't speak English know more than we do. And they are always right. Just keep fixing the same problem every night.
I honestly miss working with the Italians because their equipment was always cleaned and took care of, the ran well and only required preventive maintenance and they would do their part. Now that I’m back working for Americans I hate my life because they’re all assholes and the equipment is rusted to hell, in horrible condition, all sorts of hazards around them… sad to see the Europeans have more care then we do for their equipment and techs.
@LoneWolf Tech shoot where I work we will spend all night fixing something and the Puerto Rican operator will break it or have it completely out of calibration before production even starts. Worst part is our managers take his side and refuse to listen to the mechanics.
😂😂 exactly the boat I’m in! Our 3rd shift leaves things alone for the most part but dayshift is constantly changing speeds moving sensors etc and when we come in on 2nd it’s falling all to hell, we spend basics our whole shift getting it fine tuned and running again, 3rd shift has a good run then 1st screws it up again and the crew in on gets bitched out for it. Granted my supervisor is an idiot who has no business in a maintenance management position and is basically the production managers bitch. Yesterday we had to work a mandatory Saturday for a whole 6 hours and we had all that time to get caught up on the PMs that need to get done. Our supervisor told us to ignore the pm and start wrapping and hauling off pallets. So I did PMs all night 😂
@@lonewolftech I also have a water-headed supervisor
💯💯💯
Thanks for the tips! How did you jump into being an industrial maintenance tech? Is schooling really required even thought you learn mostly everything at the job? I am trying to get a job but they want experience and I don't have any. Any info will help.
I got into it after going through college for electronics engineering, you will only learn so much on the job. You need to know the theory before learning anything else, I have worked alongside a bunch of guys who got into maintenance out of sheer luck and none of them were good at what they did, I taught many of them how to do their jobs good. I mean no one is going to teach you the proper way to do shaft alignments, how to adjust soft foot on motors, troubleshooting and working on transformers, how to wire 9 lead or 12 lead motors, how to troubleshooting plcs, frequency drives, electrical issues etc they are going to expect you have an understanding of it prior to taking the job. You'll learn some things on the job, but without my college training I would have had no chance of getting as far as I have doing this. I went into industrial maintenance technology after graduating with my electronics certifications. They teach you how to properly wire circuits, to programming plcs and robotics, to machining, to welding and even hvac. All of which are necessary to be a good maintenance technician. You will have a major advantage having school training than without. I've yet to have anyone train me to do anything it's been a learn as I go process. Some of the guys I worked with didn't even know how to read pneumatic or hydraulic diagrams, how to rebuild pneumatic actuators, gearboxes etc. I thought my coworkers how to do all the this and they had been playing parts changers for years prior to my arrival.
@@lonewolftech Now I understand the benefits of taking courses. Thanks for the reply dude really appreciate it. Time to start looking for which schools to apply to.
Where are you located. If you’re still looking, look into Purina Mills. They’re usually good with non experienced techs and well payed.
I don't even work in this field anymore. I enjoy doing it but not as a career. Probably some of the most ridiculous hours and they treat techs like absolute shit by supervisors, and management. I do my own thing now. No bosses, no factories. No ridiculous hours, no mandatory over time, no more being exploited by corporations. I enjoyed it at first but after being exploited by companies and talked to like I was trash I said screw this. My life has improved ten fold in just a few short years.
@@lonewolftech So what do you do now? I'm trying to get out of the automotive field for roughly the same reasons. Signed up for industrial electrician courses a the local CC.
Im going to college for maintenance tech, and I’m really excited on learning all about this, i have no experience but they told me it’s fine and Can just jump in with both feet with no prior knowledge i love hands on work, am I making a good choice?
Got my degree in this & I don’t like it. I’m going back for I&E
@@Savage22223 why didnt you like it
Well the no experience thing can be a bitch to get entry level work even sometimes, well most of the time for any reputable company tbh. However you’re in school so that is a better start than a good portion of unskilled maintenance technicians out there that started as operators and have no clue of the proper way to do things, but they can be taught also. Good on you for taking the time to actually get your education in the field before going into it though! Makes our jobs easier on the training end in industry.
Yessir!!
What is supposed to happen next, what should happen and is not, and one that i thought was silly became very true, as the issue is not always complicated, so start with keep it simple stupid, dont over look, dont over think
Are you in Canada? Im a technician but dont have much experience in this field... What do you recommend to jump into some jobs like this? Hoping i can get in on entry level
Without experience it’s going to be very difficult. Best thing u can do is go to some community college and take their mechanical course and then apply to jobs and let them know you’re in school. It’s just so much to know to be given an opportunity right off the bat. I worked as a production worker then became a tech through the same company. Really grateful for that opportunity
@@kingcarlos4348 i saw online there is plc robotics online course. What do you think of that?
Tbh online courses aren’t really accepted or even looked at in this industry because you cannot possibly learn a thing without a plc and they’re god awfully expensive.
Just got a job at a glass company not gonna lie im nervous af
Me too glass company
I worked at PGT industries for a year on the production line. I dropped glass, welded some door frames, screwed in attachments. Hated every second. I was moved to 3 different production lines in that span due to there being too many people and a line moving entirely to a different city. The maintenance team was bad ass. They definitely knew what they were doing. The equipment was pretty complex. We were even sent home, because they couldn’t diagnose it. Had to fly out some engineers.
Work work work
Which country are you working
USA, Tennessee
1:14 really? 90% of our ''operators'' have very low technical insight so most of the time when they call us for a problem we go there and do the work they needed to do. Tired of this shit.
Yea my operators at the factory I was at all were educated and fairly intelligent, this new one has nothing but dumbasses on the lines and they cannot do shit on their own. They expect us to run their machinery while they sit around. I need to make an updated version of this video 😂 but in a good facility your operators can usually tell you what’s going on and make it easier to diagnose. These new operators I deal with I’m not sure how they made it this far in life 😂
@@lonewolftech Yes man, please make an update about it.
I’ll try to. TH-cam keeps striking my channel so it’ll eventually probably get deleted and I won’t bother to make another account. So if it vanishes 🤷🏼♂️ blame the commies at google
I like your style bro
😂 thanks man
Lonewolf Tech love that name😃 Top advice also🫡
Thank you!!!!