If you aren’t familiar with the duties of a millwright, it’s a person who is responsible for installing, maintaining, repairing, and disassembling all kinds of industrial machines, and keeping them operational for a company. This calls for a thorough knowledge of all kinds of industrial machinery, and some very practical skills which are necessary for keeping them running, and for fixing them when they break down.
While there is a broad spectrum of pay rates across the country for millwrights, they routinely earn a very good salary in virtually all states. Also, most millwrights must learn while on the job, and that’s why there are positions available for apprentice millwrights as well as journeymen. In the year 2018, the average national wage for millwrights was just over $55,000, while top wage earners earned more than $80,000.
The state of Ohio employs the third-highest number of millwrights in the country, behind only Texas and California, so it’s obvious that there’s a great deal of importance assigned to the position in that state. The average hourly wage in Ohio for a millwright was $27.57 as of 2018, and the average annual wage was $57,340.
Obviously, more experienced millwrights in the state of Ohio can earn much more than the median wage of $57,000, and with five or 10 years’ experience as a millwright in Ohio, you might easily earn somewhere between $70,000 and $90,000. If you’re even thinking about a position as a millwright in the state of Ohio, there are several openings available at any given time, and it appears to be a career path that is well worth embarking upon.
What Exactly Does a Millwright Do?
As mentioned above, the millwright is responsible for installing, maintaining, repairing, dismantling, and reassembling all kinds of machinery in industrial settings, as well as in construction settings. All work performed by a millwright must be accurate so that valuable and complex mechanical systems are not strained or damaged.
Most industrial millwrights have some skills which include expertise in the following areas: lift trucks and forklifts, scaffolding and aerial lifts, rigging, material handling, and MSDS sheets, conveyors, monorails and bulk conveyors, electrical and mechanical design, blueprint reading, vibration analysis, machinery alignment, welding, machining, pumps, valves, and seals, software packages and programs, and new applications with Robotics.
Personal Characteristics of the Millwright
It can sometimes get to be a very stressful situation on the job for a millwright. When you consider how heavy industries and companies rely on millwrights to keep their machinery operating optimally, it can get to be somewhat stressful. On top of that, when machinery does break down, that means production is halted and the company is not making any money. This can lead to increased stress being put on the shoulders of a millwright until the offline machinery has been repaired and is brought back into service.
This being the case, the successful millwright should have some qualities that help him/her to shoulder this load successfully and to bear up under stressful circumstances. You should be able to think through a problem while everyone around you is clamoring for equipment to be repaired quickly and brought online. You’ll also have to be prepared to read detailed blueprints and plans and have the knowledge to translate them into a working familiarity with machines you may not have been previously familiar with.
It will sometimes be necessary to troubleshoot mechanical systems and come up with resolutions promptly, so that production is not halted for any length of time. A millwright is usually a good problem solver, is usually very good at time management, and must be a good communicator when it comes to dealing with team members and supervisors.
The successful millwright is also a well-organized person who works with precision and understands the necessity for working safely on the job, as well as doing work which takes into account the safety of other employees. Finally, a good millwright should have strong fine-motor skills which help him/her to make all necessary repairs and maintenance to industrial machinery without having to call for help from other personnel.
Becoming a Millwright in Ohio
There are several different paths to becoming a millwright in the state of Ohio. If you aspire to be a journeyman, you’ll have to invest four years in an apprenticeship program, and this will combine classes with regular on-the-job training. It takes many years of working in the field before even a journeyman millwright can become certified, but certification is really the highest level of achievement in the career path.
The first step toward all that is becoming an apprentice. To get hired as an apprentice with any Ohio company, it will be necessary for you to build up your resume while you’re also trying to make connections within various industries inside the state. Some technical colleges in Ohio carry pre-apprenticeship educational programs, which are frequently listed as industrial mechanics programs.
These kinds of programs provide a foundation for working as a factory mechanic, and they are one of the best ways to break into the millwright position in the state of Ohio because they equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge. There are some other ways to break into the millwright career path as well, and if you can get a job as a shop hand or laborer, it will become easier to get a position as an apprentice millwright.
If you can impress a supervising journeyman in your company, that supervisor might be in a position to offer you an apprenticeship, or he can recommend you to the company and you can get started that way. However you get your start as a millwright in Ohio, the rewards are certainly enticing, and the work itself is very satisfying, with a high level of responsibility and importance to your respective company.
