New Maintenance Tech – What fundamentals and procedures should I master?
Hi peeps, I’m currently working as a maintenance technician with about ~1 year of experience for a lumbering company that do luxury interior designs, but I was literally thrown into the role without structured training and being the 1st and only technician on standby for the company so adds a little of pressure on me and they trust me too much.
I can troubleshoot and fix issues on a basic level, but I want to make sure I’m building a strong foundation instead of just guessing my way through problems and improperly fixing a problem.
I’m trying to improve in these areas:
- Troubleshooting (mechanical, electrical, PLC)
- Understanding proper procedures instead of shortcuts
What I want to know from experienced techs:
- What are the core fundamentals every maintenance tech should master?
- What step-by-step process do you follow when diagnosing a machine issue?
- What bad habits should I avoid early on?
- What proper tools do I need (I have to buy my own tools)?
Right now, my general approach is:
- Talk to operator about its issue and show them what caused their problems to help them avoid it
- Check mechanical, electrical, then controls when finding the problem
- Verify power and signals (multimeter)
But I feel like I’m missing structure or deeper understanding.
Any advice, routines, or even “rules of thumb” you use on the job would help a lot, thank you for your time.