Training and Empowering Your Maintenance Team: Best Practices for Industrial Settings

Your industrial maintenance teams are the unsung heroes of your facility. They keep operations humming, troubleshoot daily issues, and make sure your equipment is running safely and efficiently.

At Lee Industrial Contracting, we work closely with in-house maintenance teams every day. With 35+ years of experience delivering industrial maintenance services to manufacturers across sectors, we not only know how to support your internal teams, we also understand what it takes to keep your operations running at peak performance.

Whether you bring us in for industrial maintenance services, major system overhauls, emergency repairs, or even maintenance training, here are a few best practices that can help your internal team stay prepared and empowered.

Teach Teams to Think Proactively

Industrial maintenance services are not just about responding to breakdowns and fixing problems as they arise. Effective training should also introduce proactive maintenance strategies, such as preventive and predictive maintenance.

This might look like holding regularly scheduled inspections, part replacements or system checks based on manufacturer specs or historical wear patterns. It could also include monitoring real-time equipment data through sensors that can help detect issues early and plan industrial maintenance services before a failure occurs.

This approach helps extend equipment life and reduces the need for costly emergency repairs.

Implementing proactive approaches like these results in better uptime and helps when outside industrial contractors come in, as they benefit greatly from this information when planning major repairs or installations.

Train Maintenance Teams on Clear Communication

Communication may not be the first skill you think of in maintenance, but it’s actually one of the most important – especially when outside contractors are onsite.

An industrial maintenance technician should be able to clearly explain a system’s history, discuss safety concerns and participate in planning conversations. We’ve seen firsthand how miscommunication can lead to delays, errors and sometimes even safety risks.

Technical training should also include soft-skill development like communication – both written and verbal. When your team documents work clearly, collaborates in planning meetings and clearly voices concerns, you are setting up seamless collaboration not just with external teams, but among your internal teams as well.

Consider Cross-Training

While specialists are incredibly valuable, having your team cross-trained on various functions like mechanical, electrical or controls is a smart strategy.

Equipment doesn’t wait to break down until the right technician becomes available. Cross-trained staff can adapt if the specialist is ill or on vacation.

Cross-training also builds awareness among your entire team on how systems work together. This versatility makes your internal team more resilient and creates smoother collaboration when external contractors are brought in for projects like rigging, electrical upgrades or machinery installation.

Prepare for Contractor Collaboration

Hiring an industrial contracting firm like Lee Contracting is often the most efficient way to carry out complex upgrades, expansions or emergency repairs. But a strong collaboration with your internal teams can make all the difference in ensuring a successful project.

Before bringing in an industrial contractor like Lee Contracting, brief your team on the scope of work, schedule and roles. Assign an internal point person who understands both the technical and operational side of things. Ensure your team is looped into project planning meetings and understands how their role intersects with the contractor’s work.

Successful collaboration between internal and external teams helps the project move faster and ensures everyone is working toward the same goal.

Whether you need industrial maintenance services or assistance on a large project, Lee Contracting’s self-performing team can help. Contact us today.