(RED OAK, Texas) – Industrial maintenance technicians are the guardian angels of manufacturing. Their skills in troubleshooting and maintenance in different situations can mean the difference between seamless production or catastrophic delays.
Some companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are having challenges in finding the right people to tackle tasks such as calibration, comprehending technical manuals, and understanding hydraulics, motors and pumps.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a need nationwide for more than 611,000 industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights by 2033.
“I think if we can get into high schools and have those conversations early, it can lead those students to the path,” said Timothy Irish, maintenance manager at Walmart Distribution Center in Cleburne.
Irish said it is difficult to fill open industrial maintenance positions with qualified applicants.
“You may have someone that was a plumber and someone with experience working on their own automobiles,” he said. “It is very rare that I find an applicant that has had any technical background that has gone to a school. From a professional standpoint, I would be thrilled if they just had a certificate or an associate degree or, if they do not have hands-on experience, just have a foundation to build on.”
The distribution center employs more than 25 maintenance technicians, Irish said. Forklifts, sensors and shrink-wrap machines are some of the equipment they work on.
Refrigeration is another component that the distribution center’s maintenance technicians work with.
“That is one of those areas that we have to do a lot of training in-house on,” Irish said. “We do not get applicants in the refrigeration field that have actually had any experience with ammonia refrigeration. Specifically, when we have openings for that area, we look for people with an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) background that can learn the industrial side of it at the company.”
Zach Eddleman, human resources manager at Dart Container Corp. in Waxahachie, said maintenance mechanic applicants need to have experience in at least two skilled trades. He said this can include automation and controls, carpentry, or HVAC.
“Being able to perform preventive maintenance, diagnostics, installations and other technical work is a valuable skill set, and we are always looking for people to fill these crucial roles at all our production facilities, including our Waxahachie and Dallas locations,” Eddleman said.
Eric Chen, chief of global manufacturing at Sunrider Manufacturing in Midlothian, said job applicants who stand out are those with good attitudes — and a willingness to get their hands dirty without hesitation.
Maintenance technicians at that company work on machinery used for filling liquid containers and tea bags, along with printers and labelers. Knowledge of conveyor belts, soldering and welding are also important.
“We are looking for someone who will learn something quickly and be on top of things,” Chen said. “Those are the kinds of people that we hope stick around.”
Victor Ecklund, Sunrider Manufacturing’s director of production and maintenance, said soft skills are an area that some applicants need to work on.
“We have had a number of people walk off the job when we say, ‘You have to do this,’” he said. “When we hire people, we give them a general description of the job and what the company needs, but it is all maintenance-related. A lot of them just do not know the basics of how to communicate in a business or how to get a job. You cannot come in as a selfish person and expect a company to hire you.”
Starting this fall, Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Systems program at the North Texas campus in Red Oak will undergo a name change to Advanced Manufacturing – Industrial Maintenance.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.