Millwrights

Millwrights are skilled tradespeople who install, maintain, repair, and troubleshoot heavy machinery and plant systems. They work across industries including manufacturing, energy, mining, pulp and paper, and food processing.

Their duties include installing new equipment, dismantling and moving machines, aligning shafts, couplings, belts, and gears; leveling machines; setting up conveyors; adjusting and calibrating mechanical drive systems; performing preventative maintenance; troubleshooting problems; repairing worn components. Fabrication and welding may be required in some situations.

They use a range of tools and techniques, including precision hand tools, power tools, dial indicators, laser alignment devices, micrometers, straight edges, levels, rigging gear, cranes, hoists, and torque wrenches. Knowledge of mechanical power transmission systems, bearings, gears, belts, and hydraulic and pneumatic components is common, along with basic measurement and testing methods.

Training typically occurs through apprenticeship programs combining classroom instruction with on-the-job training, often spanning four years and leading to journeyman status. Ongoing safety, technical, and control-system training, including basic electrical and programmable logic controller concepts, is common. Credentials and unions may vary by country.

Work environments are physically demanding and may include confined spaces, at-height work, and remote locations. Millwrights follow safety regulations, wear protective equipment, and use lockout/tagout procedures to control energy sources during maintenance and installation. Strong reading of blueprints and mechanical drawings, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work as part of a team are important aspects of the profession.

Historically, millwrights emerged during the industrial era to construct and maintain mills and later expanded to modern manufacturing plants, where they install and keep complex mechanical power transmission and automation systems.