"Multi-skilled" maintenence departments, whats your take?

[theroadblock]

Hi again guys, been a while since i last posted on here since ive had alot on . just a quickie really, what is everyone's take on this 'multiskilling' malarky that seems to have wormed its way into our maintenence departments?
i mean i get it, train 1 guy to be able to cover both a mechanical + electrical role, but really.. does it work? as of yet all i see is maintenence electricians covering both areas, whereas the mechanical guys still scream for an electrician at the slightest electrical fault? might just be in my workplace but meh, whats your take?

 

[snowhead]

I've been multiskilled for 45 years, it's nothing new.

 

[Gage]

The idea isn't that they have one superhero who is an expert in both. The idea is that they have sufficient knowledge and experience to fix low, medium level faults. Obviously when it gets a bit more technical that's when you start to get into the disadvantages of the multiskilled.

There's also the fact that (no offense to mechanical guys) 80-90% of mechanical faults do not take a great deal of skill to fix or identify. Usually guys who've been in the game for a fair few years in the Electrical Maintenance side also have sufficient knowledge to do most of the mechanical jobs too, we just choose not to haha.

In all honesty though Maintenance isn't half as hard as it used to be in most places due to Planned/Preventative Maintenance and other plans/more efficient equipment. This isn't the case in my place, it drops to bits constantly but I'm thankful for that tbh, keeps you on the ball and you never stop learning ever. No time for those famous Maintenance Electrician 2 hour tea breaks, although similar things sometimes occur...maybe just an hour

 

[tommy.dale]

I'm classed at multi skilled but its little odd jobs like plumbing in dishwashers changing taps, installing digi locks the little odd ****ty jobs to be totally honest, sparking is my bread and butter and This is only to fill gaps when I have nothing to do and need to lend a hand, multi skilled can mean different roles in different environments I doubt when you working in a critical environment like a bank they want you to unblock a toilet lol

 

[theroadblock]

There's also the fact that (no offense to mechanical guys) but 80-90% of mechanical faults do not take a great deal of skill to fix or identify. Usually guys who've been in the game for a fair few years in the Electrical Maintenance side also have sufficient knowledge to do most of the mechanical jobs too, we just choose not to haha.

In all honesty though Maintenance isn't half as hard as it used to be in most places due to Planned/Preventative Maintenance and other plans/more efficient equipment. This isn't the case in my place, it drops to bits constantly but I'm thankful for that tbh, keeps you on the ball and you never stop learning ever. No time for those famous Maintenance Electrician 2 hour tea breaks, although similar things sometimes occur...maybe just an hour

^ this exactly! lol.. PPM? thats a myth isnt it? i like to think of myself as a multiskilled 'electrician/mechanical/metaphorical firefighter' :joker:. and i do also find that it keeps you on your toes, when i began in the maintenance environment 2 or so years ago i was still training as a 'installation' electrician from my previous job, at first control panels scared the **** outta me, but i was forced to learn quick and it really has paid off! there is so much to learn as far as the applications of the theory you learn at college!

 

[Gage]

A myth to our place haha. It exists but barely. But one of my mates spends more than half his time cleaning out machines on planned shut downs and tightening terminals every day etc haha, so it definitely exists. Problem with this is two things. One which I already mentioned, you don't learn as much because of less faults, and two, you don't learn as much because you spend all your time doing (what in my opinion should be the operator of that machine's job) machine cleaning and what not.

 

[telectrix]

what it boils down to is tight-arsed employers that don't want to pay 2 wages for the 2 jobs.

 

[Gage]

what it boils down to is tight-arsed employers that don't want to pay 2 wages for the 2 jobs.

And there's this. Smaller companies nowadays just want both, some even want a triple whammy, men who are Mech/Elec and operator but of course they don't advertise this, they advertise Mech or Elec or Multi, then dump operations on you once you've settled. Ridiculous.

 

[theroadblock]

And there's this. Smaller companies nowadays just want both, some even want a triple whammy, men who are Mech/Elec and operator but of course they don't advertise this, they advertise Mech or Elec or Multi, then dump operations on you once you've settled. Ridiculous.

haha glad you bought the topic of being an operator up as well, one of our latest recruits is being expected to operate the machine on his shift while providing lone elec/mech breakdown cover for the rest of the plant, it is ridiculous indeed.. if he gets behind on production because he has been called to fix another machine where does the blame then lie for lost production, its baffling the thought process of companies nowadays.... i would refuse flatly to be an operator too, its insulting to someone who has done the necessary apprenticeship/got the qualifications IMO...

 

[evansjrraves]

My company wants us to do everything from unblocking a toilet, carpentry, handyman and electrical work, every company seem to be getting their pound of flesh at the moment

 

[Gage]

haha glad you bought the topic of being an operator up as well, one of our latest recruits is being expected to operate the machine on his shift while providing lone elec/mech breakdown cover for the rest of the plant, it is ridiculous indeed.. if he gets behind on production because he has been called to fix another machine where does the blame then lie for lost production, its baffling the thought process of companies nowadays.... i would refuse flatly to be an operator too, its insulting to someone who has done the necessary apprenticeship/got the qualifications IMO...

Usually these things happen because the Managers are out of touch with the shop floor mate. They don't realise how long things can take and then there's the renovations and installations you're also expected to cover, sometimes lots of things breakdown at once or things require immediate attention and you get a -------ing off the MD because you haven't installed a socket in his office because you were fixing the key machine in the plant which looses hundreds of £ a minute. Haha. Sometimes I think that Managers should have one month a year where they have to do everyone elses job just to put it in perspective, for example one week they're operator, another they're Maintenance and so forth. It would help them be more understanding.

 

[Gage]

My company wants us to do everything from unblocking a toilet, carpentry, handyman and electrical work, every company seem to be getting their pound of flesh at the moment

Everyone's just trying to make do with what they have because of the climate. I honestly don't mind straying from my job title to do the odd bit or whatever, but when it starts interfering with my ACTUAL job then it becomes something else. One example would be that one of the two QA fellas left a few months ago and since then I've had to take over holding up Aerospace Standard 2750D/E, which is sometimes nice when I'm struggling for jobs to do but horrific to try and squeeze in when you're rushing breakdowns as well.

 

[44ALLAN]

theroadblock;Hi again guys, been a while since i last posted on here since ive had alot on . just a quickie really, what is everyone's take on this 'multiskilling' malarky that seems to have wormed its way into our maintenence departments?
whats your take?

1973 I started my apprenticeship for good old National Coal Board.
There was every trade imaginable and if anyone got caught doing someone else's job there was Hell to pay lol
Union meetings/fist fights in the club and 'sending to Coventry' was the norm.

I came here to install some machines in 1990 after my colliery closed down..........3 weeks work they told me lol.
23 year later I'm still here and the only reason is because I volunteered to do anything...........cnc machine bearing changes to fixing the leaking roof
That's the advice I give all the young lads including my own kids............volunteer to do everything it'll stand you in good stead.

Roughly translated = look after No.1 and ZXZX the rest

 

[Knobhead]

So who wants to go back to the old days of demarcation? It was like that when I started. "Can't do that, that's so and so's job." A motor change would involve 5 or 6 departments, all with they're top heavy management systems. Crazy to bring that back.

 

[Guitarist]

I completed a 4 year "multi-skilled" apprenticeship back in the 80's, and during my 15 years in industry (before I went self-employed) I've only worked for one firm that still had electricians and fitters.
As already mentioned tho, we still had those that specialised in electrical engineering (me) and those that took the mechanical route. The boys at Colemans did the lot though...HNC in electrical AND HNC in mechanical engineering!
Tony, there were firms about in the 80's in Norwich who still had people responsible solely for fixing the strops to the motors before they could be removed from the gearboxes. I remember some of the apprentices I was at College with telling me that changing a motor could take a whole shift, whereas we were completing the same job as multi-skilled in about 30 mins.

 

[Engineer54]

Way back when, ....We did our official training in our respective fields, but also received company factory training in other areas such as on the mechanical, and pipe fitting, tool making, and even the rigging side of things, spending time in each department.

Basically in the event of any line failure or scheduled maintenance work, everyone was expected to get on and do what was necessary. Being classed as multi skilled doesn't necessarily mean your fully skilled in all areas, just that you know what's needed, able to carry out minor work outside your discipline, and be able to assist other disciplines, without step by step instruction!!

Even on this project, i am suitably knowledgeable to look after both my own work and my Mechanical Engineer colleagues work, during his vacations or sick periods, the same as he is able to do with my work!! Obviously neither of us are going to make any major decisions during these times, but day to day decisions and instructions would be quite normal!!

 

[Knobhead]

In the foundry it was funny. A new engineering manager asked why 4 fitters were stood around waiting for me the electrician to machine a shaft. Turning, milling, welding, instrumentation, programing were all in a days work. I enjoyed it.

 

[Knobhead]

Bloody useless at joinery though.

 

[Gage]

Bloody useless at joinery though.

Me too! Hahaha. Everything else is fine but give me some wood and I'm running for the hills! (that sounds odd I know haha)

 

[Knobhead]

Metal doesn't split the moment I look at it.