Industrial maintenance supervisor

An industrial maintenance supervisor

Description

Industrial maintenance supervisors organise and supervise the activities and maintenance operations of machines, systems and equipment. They ensure inspections are done according to health, safety, environmental standards, productivity, and quality requirements.

Industrial maintenance supervisors typically perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Inspect industrial equipment periodically to determine problems and necessary maintenance
  • Prepare weekly maintenance schedules and allocate work
  • Recruit, supervise, and train maintenance technicians
  • Hire and supervise tradesmen during installations, repairs or maintenance (electricians, plumbers etc.)
  • Contribute to the development of maintenance budget and ensure compliance
  • Monitor inventory of materials and equipment
  • Participate in coordination of projects (e.g. renovations)
  • Ensure adherence to quality standards and health and safety regulations

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to industrial maintenance supervisor:

maintenance machining and assembly supervisor
maintenance machine shop supervisor
leading maintenance machinist
maintenance machine adjuster supervisor
maintenance machine charge hand
maintenance machine team leader
lead maintenance operative
maintenance machining and assembly manager
maintenance machine shop manager
maintenance machining supervisor
machine setter supervisor
maintenance machining department supervisor
maintenance work supervisor
maintenance machine and assembly maintenance team leader
maintenance and assembly team leader

Minimum qualifications

A high school diploma or equivalent is generally the minimum required to work as an industrial maintenance supervisor.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Industrial maintenance supervisor is a Skill level 3 occupation.

Industrial maintenance supervisor career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to industrial maintenance supervisor.

machine operator supervisor
machinery assembly supervisor
wood assembly supervisor
container equipment assembly supervisor
precision mechanics supervisor

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of industrial maintenance supervisor. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of industrial maintenance supervisor with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

wood factory manager
commissioning engineer
quality engineer
maintenance and repair engineer
court administrator

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of industrial maintenance supervisor.

  • Create solutions to problems: Solve problems that arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
  • Oversee production requirements: Oversee production processes and prepare all the resources needed to maintain an efficient and continuous flow of production.
  • Perform data analysis: Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.
  • Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
  • Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
  • Check for damaged items: Identify products that have been damaged and report the situation.
  • Communicate problems to senior colleagues: Communicate and give feedback to senior colleagues in the event of problems or non-conformities.
  • Inspect data: Analyse, transform and model data in order to discover useful information and to support decision-making.
  • Schedule regular machine maintenance: Schedule and perform regular maintenance, cleaning, and repairs of all equipment. Order necessary machine parts and upgrade equipment when necessary to ensure optimal performance.
  • Schedule shifts: Plan staff time and shifts to reflect the demands of the business.
  • Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
  • Manage maintenance operations: Oversee maintenance activities, making sure that staff is following procedures and ensuring routine and periodic refurbishment and maintenance activities.
  • Coordinate communication within a team: Collect contact info for all team members and decide on modes of communication.
  • Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
  • Ensure compliance with maintenance legislation: Guarantee compliance with building regulations, licensing, legal requirements, electrical installations and health and safety procedures.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of industrial maintenance supervisor. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Project commissioning: Process of supervising the correct functioning of systems, buildings or plants during the final stages before deployment.
  • Power plant instrumentation: The equipment and instruments used for the monitoring and controlling processes in power plants. This requires proper operation, calibration, and regular maintenance.
  • Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
  • Functionalities of machinery: The machinery and equipment used and, in particular, the characteristics regarding functioning and calibration to ensure compliance with quality and product specifications, as well as the operator’s safety.
  • Radiation protection: The measures and procedures used to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of industrial maintenance supervisor. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
  • Undertake inspections: Undertake safety inspections in areas of concern to identify and report potential hazards or security breaches; take measures to maximise safety standards.
  • Monitor manufacturing quality standards: Monitor quality standards in manufacturing and finishing process.
  • Oversee quality control: Monitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.
  • Identify hazards in the workplace: Perform safety audits and inspections on workplaces and workplace equipment. Ensure that they meet safety regulations and identify hazards and risks.
  • Maintain machinery: Maintain machinery and equipment in order to ensure that it is clean and in safe, working order. Perform routine maintenance on equipment and adjust or repair when necessary, using hand and power tools. Replace defective parts components or systems.
  • Follow nuclear plant safety precautions: Comply with nuclear power plant safety procedures, policies and legislation to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, and to ensure the safety of the public.
  • Recruit personnel: Carry out assessment and recruitment of personnel for the production.
  • Integrate new products in manufacturing: Assist with the integration of new systems, products, methods, and components in the production line. Ensure that production workers are properly trained and follow the new requirements.
  • Evaluate employees work: Evaluate the need for labour for the work ahead. Evaluate the performance of the team of workers and inform superiors. Encourage and support the employees in learning, teach them techniques and check the application to ensure product quality and labour productivity.
  • Provide advice to technicians: Offer help and advice to service technicians in case of machine malfunctions and other repair tasks.
  • Liaise with quality assurance: Work closely with the relevant quality assurance or grading party involved.
  • Use computerised maintenance management systems: Use computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS) in order to facilitate effective follow up of the work undertaken in maintenance facilities.
  • Advise on machine maintenance: Advise on all issues related to machinery such as preventive maintenance operations, repair work and the acquisition of new equipment, to help the management team reach its goals and to ensure compliance with the legislation and the customer’s requirements.
  • Prepare compliance documents: Prepare documents with legal value which prove that an installation or a facility is conform to the regulations.
  • Write inspection reports: Write the results and conclusions of the inspection in a clear and intelligible way. Log the inspection’s processes such as contact, outcome, and steps taken.
  • Check material rescources: Verify that all requested resources are delivered and in good working order. Notify the appropriate person or people of any problems related to technical and material resources.
  • Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the prospective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
  • Analyse production processes for improvement: Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.
  • Write records for repairs: Write records of the repairs and maintenance interventions undertaken, of parts and materials used, and other repair facts.

ISCO group and title

3115 – Mechanical engineering technicians


References
  1. Industrial maintenance supervisor – ESCO
  2. Featured image: Photo by Kateryna Babaieva from Pexels
Last updated on March 8, 2023