Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Overview

Industrial Machinery Mechanics has a national median salary of $64,520 per year, with +17.8% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.

Work Values

• Support
• Independence
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
• Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
• Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
• Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
• Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.

Work Activities

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Detailed Work Activities

• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Industrial Machinery Mechanics:

Video Resources