Maintenance Technician Archetypes & Culture

When everything is running smoothly, it’s easy to think maintenance isn’t necessary. But the truth is, predictive and preventive maintenance is the backbone of high reliability and cost-effective operations.
Many maintenance technicians are used to working with broken equipment and often spend most of their careers fixing things. This can create challenges when asked to inspect, test, or conduct preventive maintenance on equipment that’s still functioning. Sometimes, they might not know where to begin, or think they are wasting their time. This is a critical change management challenge that many reliability professionals overlook.
In my experience, there are three key archetypes of maintenance technicians (regardless of discipline): Fixers, Maintainers, and Mitigators.

1-Fixers – These technicians are experts at getting equipment back up and running quickly. They thrive under pressure and are adept at “fighting fires” to keep the plant operational when things break down.

2-Maintainers – Focused on planned tasks, maintainers perform a blend of fixing, and testing. They ensure that assets remain functional, preventing breakdowns.

3.Mitigators – These technicians are skilled in identifying potential issues before they escalate. They excel at diagnostic testing, spotting early signs of wear, and fine-tuning asset performance to avoid costly failures.

While all these archetypes are essential at different times, when implementing reliability programs, it’s crucial to ensure that your team isn’t solely made up of “Fixers.” A successful reliability program is more than just processes, procedures, software, and tools – it’s mostly about the people who execute it. Technicians need to understand the program’s objectives, buy into it, and receive the proper technical training. This training helps them conduct functional and diagnostic tests and identify subtle defects that can impact long-term asset performance.
At the end of the day, reliability happens at the front line. Engineers and asset owners must ensure a strong partnership with the maintenance team, aligning efforts with the reliability program to unlock its true value.