Keeping your facility running in tip-top shape requires knowledge of complex systems, from electrical to HVAC and everything in between. When you can’t find the right workers to do industrial maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs, it dips into productivity and therefore profitability. It’s as simple as that. 

A major shift in the workforce is expected in the next decade, and many employers expect to see a dramatic increase in retirement of the workers who maintain and repair mission-critical machinery. 

In a 2024 survey we completed in partnership with Plant Services, almost 200 manufacturers responded to a series of questions that painted a picture of their workforce and expectations on how sustainable it is. They shared how they are using training or other tactics to mitigate challenges they are experiencing or that they foresee. The data shared in this blog post is directly from that survey. 

Survey says: Risks manufacturers associated with retirements 

The manufacturers who voluntarily participated in this survey said that these are some of the risks they foresee as a swath of their industrial maintenance teams retire. 

Loss of institutional knowledge: This knowledge is sometimes called “tribal knowledge” – and it is specific to the design and set-up of your facility, including quirks, best practices that your most tenured maintenance professionals have found keep things moving, and hacks for saving time. 

Increased training burden: The first stop in training new employees is often shadowing the most experienced team members. When they retire, those who step up will have less experience maintaining equipment AND training team members, increasing the burden on your mid-level employees. This can also lead to a decrease in the time that these second-most-experienced team members have to maintain your equipment. 

Difficulties staffing: many industrial maintenance teams are seeing retirements start to ramp up already, especially since all signs point to an increase in industrial maintenance team retirements over the next decade. At the same time, 40% of survey respondents said that their team is growing incrementally while these extremely knowledgeable staff members reach retirement age, compounding the challenges associated with hiring and retaining talent. 

The results speak for themselves: 

--2/3 of respondents to this survey indicated that at least 11% of their teams likely will be retiring in the next decade.  
    --26% of respondents shared that they expected more than a 1/4 of their teams would retire in the next 10 years.  

      We also asked the experience make-up of each respondent’s maintenance team: 

      --30% were reported to be advanced, highly skilled troubleshooters 
        --20% were specialists. 

          How manufacturers are overcoming these challenges: 

          --71% rely on subject matter experts (SME) or those with advanced knowledge – often the very folks who will soon be eligible for retirement -- for training  
            --A total of 61% use training providers and another 24% plan to start using them. 

              The sweet spot is in blending internal and external training, with 62% using this strategy and another 26% planning to. 

              A blended approach to training is the key 

              Training both proactively and reactively: Offer ongoing training to keep skills sharp, but also add training to the list after an incident happens. 

              Using a diverse set of training methods: 

              --one-on-one training with your in-house training 
                --bringing an expert instructor and having them teach using their real-world experience 
                  --utilizing online training options like training modules and simulation-based learning to reduce the training burden on your equipment. 

                    Optimizing time spent on training, using more efficient methods: 

                    --Instead of spending 2 days on incident recovery, proactively train your staff with 2-day instructor-led training seminars where they can ask questions and learn at a pace that works for them. 

                      --Learn in smaller segments, such as with shorter form online training courses or simulation modules your team can complete when they are waiting for work orders. 

                      Keep reading: Learn about others ways that training moves the needle – beyond supporting your team amid rampant retirements. 

                      Make plans to offer SME-driven and -led training:

                      Start a conversation with a training expert to get a plan in place so you can scramble less when key team members retire. 

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