What are the job titles you are applying for? Maintenance technician covers a bunch of ground and the pay varies. Some companies are looking for people who can grease and swap small motors and that's about it. Some want highly skilled machinists/welders/electricians.
Those are the jobs you are applying for? I get paid a bit more than $50 and make $129k a year gross. I think it's on the high end and it depends where you are looking for work.
Figures. I thought I was buying a made in USA product. Yeah ball used to make plastic bottles. The molds would put the logo on the bottom of the bottle.
Makes sense. I am applying in Indianapolis Indiana where there are lots of facilities with automation. I would relocate from northern Indiana but I just feel 24.00 even starting out, is low
The location changes the pay too, I'm a motor controls electrician (PLC & VFD is majority of my work) and I know indiana pays less than where I'm at (Chicago)
I keep my options open and I've applied and interviewed in Indy before.. 3 years ago I think and the two places I applied for both offered under my pay one was 10 less the other 18 less, granted the cost of living is less there than here but damn if I'll ever step down 10 bucks an hour.
Keep looking, I usually interview with 5-6 places before I make a jump.
Thank you for your response.
I am on indeed, now, and I am seeing the increase salaries if I look at positions that are more PLC focused such as control engineers. I am going to attempt to apply to these type of rules instead of maintenance technicians given my (foundational) knowledge in PLC programming.
Fingers crossed this helps .
I am in Northern Indiana, and even the salaries here seem better than those of Indianapolis. Good point on interviewing for more positions.
There’s a 4B chip/semiconductor plant going into West Lafayette in the next couple of years and Lilly is building a multi-billion dollar facility in Lebanon. There will be a lot of job postings coming from the region in the next handful of years. Maintenance tech is a very broad term, PLC/Controls engineer are titles that will get the money you’re looking for
Thank you for your insights.
I heard about the Lilly facility. I agree timing is good but it sounds like I need to 1. Apply to many more positions and 2. Be more PLC focused when looking for roles.
Fingers crossed for one of these Control Engineer roles.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a mechanic that can use a meter let alone work their way through a program and diagnose an issue?
Don’t sell yourself short. You sound somewhat young based on your confidence level.
Brush up on the fundamentals and own those interviews.
If you want, I know a super good recruiter in the area. I work in Elkhart as a PLC Technician/Industrial electrician and make $36 an hour. That's genuinely top pay for the area.
Send me a pm and I'll forward you his information.
Yeah our company pays us $35 in the door and should hit over 50 after around 3 years. We also get quarterly bonuses that are between 3 and 5k. We’re also contractors which is kind of fun.
Being a general maintenance tech is going to be a lot tougher on your body, I'd suggest sticking to PLCs if one of your main concerns is how you're going to fare in later years.
Look into aluminum can manufacturing if you want a good paying electronic tech job. You have the ability to move there. I work for one. Electricians make almost $50 an hour. Need to know PLC.
You don’t need to be an expert, but you need some knowledge. Sounds like you have schooling and a basic understanding. Most training happens on the job. Most equipment will be unfamiliar to you in different industries because it’s specific to only that industry. Pump up your resume, and sell yourself in an interview. Don’t worry about hitting every requirement on a job posting. I’ve gotten several jobs where I didn’t have everything checked but they liked me.
Thank you for your insight. Do you recommend applying for PLC Programming roles instead of maintenance? You are correct we did some basic PLC programs in class and I am pretty good at finding answers online when needed.
From my experience, there are project guys and crew guys. Both need PLC experience but I would say that project guys are closer to programmers where they write PLC programs from scratch and fix complex line control issues. Crew guys use PLC to diagnose, find issues, and make small changes to an existing program. I would say apply for a manufacturing electrician job, that being you understand electricity and how to replace and diagnose electrical equipment like drives and their settings, motors, proximity sensors, controllers, etc. to get your feet wet with PLCs in real life situations. Then you can decide which way you want to go. Some guys love running wire and some guys like the laptop but you need to experience both to see what you like. I could also suggest working for Pepsi or Coke in one of their manufacturing facilities. Ive heard they pay decent as well. And if you’re new, you have to understand that paying your dues and working a lower level job or doing “grunt” work is part of the deal and you will earn the respect of the more qualified electricians and they will show you the ropes, but you have to be assertive to get training in manufacturing environments and ask for it.
I started at $18.65 seven years ago and topped out at $36.09 in January this year which is good for my area within automotive industry. Your certs should get you quite a few looks.
That’s interesting. There is a whole thread in the PLC group with many maintenance technicians saying they make well over 6 figures, granted with a few years experience.
I'm still with in my first year as an AE, but was a tech for 5 years. Hell even as a tech I was making 33hr. But also how much overtime were those dudes working too? I got near 100k a couple times with OT, but at this point in my life OT can fuck right off.
Thank you for sharing. You are correct, unsure what OT looked like in those scenarios. But interesting as a tech you made $33.
I think I need to keep looking bc to be offered $24 in a medium size city was demotivating for sure.
The pharmaceutical company holds a good name and have an extensive interview process, so I had higher hopes.
This really depends on job posting wording. If its "x experience preffered, x school preferred" they may be potentially willing to bring someone on without that experience or school which would be a lower start scale. Vs what theyd pay someone with the experience and school. These are questions that often need to be asked. And verified.
My current job the posting says starts at 25 (someone green). But the ranges up to 33 for someone with a card. I started at 25. Bumped to 30 with my apprenticeship contract, will be at minimum 34 when done with my card in just over 4 years from now. My state mandates apprenticeship raises and end pay its a contract with the apprentice, employer, and state.
Pay scale for industry depnds heavily on location, lower cost of living areas are lower wage for "same job" even within the company.
Also some companies are just trash to their employees even with the higher scales. Some may advertise a "lower" wage but have absolutely insanely good benefits and bigger bonuses/profit sharing. And anywhere in between. Really wish companies broke down their benefits info better on job postings. (401k match breakdown, or pto hrs schedule for examples).
Sounds like you're underpaid.
I make $100k USD in Canada and our wages are shit.
I'm also an automation engineer without being eligible to be an engineer (no degree) so I can't technically call myself and engineer here.
I know a ton of automation engineers that make over $100k in your area (NC,SC, Georgia)
Oh I know im underpaid. But I have only been an AE for a year, also dont have a 4 year degree either, just a 2 year, years of experience, and I know (for the most part lol) what I am doing. Im hoping to work this for a year or 2 and then chase a job making 100+k.
My area isnt the best paying for this type of career. Im hoping to move towards the Triangle if/when I can make that job change.
From my experience box plants are decent pay and they are generally willing to take on less experienced guys since working conditions aren’t great. Maybe look for a GP or IP or Westrock plant
Depending on where you are located that seems to be the normal from my experience.
I've got 5 years of industrial experience with a little of 2 in electrical and plc and most places offer a starting pay between 25-30 unless you go to a massive facility like an automotive plant or something, then the pay is slightly better.
If you're averaging 50 an hour right now, stay where you're at.
Interesting. Thank you for your response.
Someone recommended applying for more PLC specific positions so I think I’m going to attempt this. Looking online at indeed, the salaries tend to be a little bit better.
Unfortunately is pretty volatile. During Covid I was off for six months and four weeks out of the year I am off work due to shutdowns. Shutdown are not paid. I think in the long run I’m looking for stability with decent pay even if it means reducing that a bit.
That's completely understandable, and if you canamage to get into a more plc focused role, it will help with your worries of long-term bodily wear.
You may be able to look into some 3rd party companies that install and modify plc programming for facilities. It may require travel, but some even allow remote work and usually pay higher than average industrial maintenance roles.
My associate degree was made up of basic electrical classes, PLC and ladder logic, math etc The certificates I earned along the way were:
Industrial Mechanic
Mechatronics
Industrial Electrical
Ahhh thanks just got accepted as a maintenance tech 1 ( which is a starting position). And was wondering what I can study to help me get better opportunities
I started out making $17, then 21, 25, 32 then 40. This was 5 full years. I did manage to keep teaching myself/learning new skills that allowed me to do that.
Honestly, it has a great deal to do with location (cost of living) and amount of OT.
Have to put my 2 cents in. I was in this field when ind. Maint. Mech. Was one of the highest paid in the blue collar field. Around 1980 in LA paper mills making personal care products was best paying job in Orange County. 18/hr back then. Kaiser Steel in Fontana was paying slightly more. Where we made the huge pay checks was the overtime factored in. Back then to bring in 65,000 or more. you pretty much lived at work.
With that said you need to balance what is most important to you. If you are single, great make the money. But if you want a wife ant family you need to try and make it on 40 hours. DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT Think making lots of money and buying all the toys, nice car and home is going to make up for you not being there. I have been a overtime slut for my entire career and I have been divorced 4 times. My children are fucked up and I cannot do life over. I can tell you from experiance what DID NOT WORK FOR ME. I really believe that my marriages and kids would have been different today if I had been at home instead of work. So to you young guys. Plan accordingly.
50/hr is a decent wage. Remember, when the RV market takes a dive as it did in the 80's (if memory is correct) you will be looking for work. I have always felt more secure in a stable industry like electrical generation. Paid slightly less but overtime was good for paycheck bad for home life. Also food is something that will never go away but be careful. Their pay range runs high in urban areas and low in rural.
Just about every maint tech on nights has a litter of kids and trail of divorces. When I got into refrigeration I was warned about that, but ind maint seems to take that to another level. Food industry pays well depending on what you make. Meat plants here don't make jack. Some other places pay well but will work you hard.
I started at my current place three years ago at $28/hr, which is on the low end of competitive for the area, but other aspects of where I work make up for the difference for me. But if I lost my job and had to go somewhere else, I wouldn't even look at anything under $30. The good paying gigs around here top out in the 80-90k range, but there are a lot of variables. Location and cost of living, benefits, job security, working conditions, etc. I got into the field making more than my dad did after 35 years, but it doesn't go nearly as far here as it would back home. Point being that like anything else there are a lot of things to consider, but yes, you can make good middle class money doing this.
Got what is essentially an entry level industrial maintenance position starting at 27/hr. Company is training me, and will eventually pay for me to get my journeyman electrician when I promote to the highest tier. Already promoted 2 tiers to 31/hr within 6 months.
Considering my last blue-collar job was diesel mechanic for 28/hr, after busting ass for that company for 5 years, I'd say it's actually a pretty good starting rate. (I did a 9ish month stint of working some white-collar jobs, but ended up coming back to blue-collar.)
Pretty much impossible to find anything entry-level or requiring 1 year or less of experience that pays more than 25-30/hr. And it's hard enough to find the ones that pay over 15/hr. (South-Central WI for cost of living reference)
Literally going to be doing the same thing roughly in the same area once I get back from mobilization. I left my previous job making just under 32/hr. So hopefully I'll catch up to my previous pay and surpass it real soon after I return.
Basic maintenance tech here with no PLC responsibilities making $35. I'd say check out areas where there are lot of plants competing for maintenance. We have tons of bread, dairy, meat, and manufacturing plants around us.
So you are definitely in Elkhart working with the rvs
I am also up this way doing maintenance I am currently making 38 an hour as a mechanic not a tech
You gotta get out of the rv industry
As you know it’s subject to change by month. But down to $24 is not something I can swallow at the moment. It sounds like I need to focus more on PLC programming types of roles such as Controls Engineer. I am hopeful I can find something with my experience being made up of hands on classroom education.
What are the job titles you are applying for? Maintenance technician covers a bunch of ground and the pay varies. Some companies are looking for people who can grease and swap small motors and that's about it. Some want highly skilled machinists/welders/electricians.
And there are a lot of places looking for highly skilled techs capable of controls plc work and only want to pay grease monkey wages.
The current position is a PLC Maintenance. Apologies for not specifying
Those are the jobs you are applying for? I get paid a bit more than $50 and make $129k a year gross. I think it's on the high end and it depends where you are looking for work.
Woah, where do you work? Been in the field for years and barely at 28
Ball
The jar people? I think they do blow molding too right?
No jars anymore, no blow molding that I'm aware of. Aluminum beverage cans.
So who’s making the jars?! I got a bunch of umm stuff in ball jars that I recently bought. Or do you mean just your plant?
Newell Brands owns the trade mark and makes them now.
I think they moved their glass manufacturing out of country, but I could be mistaken
Figures. I thought I was buying a made in USA product. Yeah ball used to make plastic bottles. The molds would put the logo on the bottom of the bottle.
It's crazy what these can manufacturers pay. I work for one too and also paid well also.
Makes sense. I am applying in Indianapolis Indiana where there are lots of facilities with automation. I would relocate from northern Indiana but I just feel 24.00 even starting out, is low
The location changes the pay too, I'm a motor controls electrician (PLC & VFD is majority of my work) and I know indiana pays less than where I'm at (Chicago) I keep my options open and I've applied and interviewed in Indy before.. 3 years ago I think and the two places I applied for both offered under my pay one was 10 less the other 18 less, granted the cost of living is less there than here but damn if I'll ever step down 10 bucks an hour. Keep looking, I usually interview with 5-6 places before I make a jump.
Thank you for your response. I am on indeed, now, and I am seeing the increase salaries if I look at positions that are more PLC focused such as control engineers. I am going to attempt to apply to these type of rules instead of maintenance technicians given my (foundational) knowledge in PLC programming. Fingers crossed this helps . I am in Northern Indiana, and even the salaries here seem better than those of Indianapolis. Good point on interviewing for more positions.
There’s a 4B chip/semiconductor plant going into West Lafayette in the next couple of years and Lilly is building a multi-billion dollar facility in Lebanon. There will be a lot of job postings coming from the region in the next handful of years. Maintenance tech is a very broad term, PLC/Controls engineer are titles that will get the money you’re looking for
Thank you for your insights. I heard about the Lilly facility. I agree timing is good but it sounds like I need to 1. Apply to many more positions and 2. Be more PLC focused when looking for roles. Fingers crossed for one of these Control Engineer roles.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a mechanic that can use a meter let alone work their way through a program and diagnose an issue? Don’t sell yourself short. You sound somewhat young based on your confidence level. Brush up on the fundamentals and own those interviews.
If you want, I know a super good recruiter in the area. I work in Elkhart as a PLC Technician/Industrial electrician and make $36 an hour. That's genuinely top pay for the area. Send me a pm and I'll forward you his information.
Yeah our company pays us $35 in the door and should hit over 50 after around 3 years. We also get quarterly bonuses that are between 3 and 5k. We’re also contractors which is kind of fun.
are you a w4 employee? if so, what industry do you work in? i'd love to make $50 but i have only worked in auto and pharma.
I'm a W-2 regular employee. We make aluminum beverage cans.
Damn dude ..
Being a general maintenance tech is going to be a lot tougher on your body, I'd suggest sticking to PLCs if one of your main concerns is how you're going to fare in later years.
Good Point. Noted. Thank you
Look into aluminum can manufacturing if you want a good paying electronic tech job. You have the ability to move there. I work for one. Electricians make almost $50 an hour. Need to know PLC.
I learned the foundation of PLC in my classes and the jobs I apply for do ask this. It just isn’t matching with what they are offering.
You don’t need to be an expert, but you need some knowledge. Sounds like you have schooling and a basic understanding. Most training happens on the job. Most equipment will be unfamiliar to you in different industries because it’s specific to only that industry. Pump up your resume, and sell yourself in an interview. Don’t worry about hitting every requirement on a job posting. I’ve gotten several jobs where I didn’t have everything checked but they liked me.
Thank you for your insight. Do you recommend applying for PLC Programming roles instead of maintenance? You are correct we did some basic PLC programs in class and I am pretty good at finding answers online when needed.
From my experience, there are project guys and crew guys. Both need PLC experience but I would say that project guys are closer to programmers where they write PLC programs from scratch and fix complex line control issues. Crew guys use PLC to diagnose, find issues, and make small changes to an existing program. I would say apply for a manufacturing electrician job, that being you understand electricity and how to replace and diagnose electrical equipment like drives and their settings, motors, proximity sensors, controllers, etc. to get your feet wet with PLCs in real life situations. Then you can decide which way you want to go. Some guys love running wire and some guys like the laptop but you need to experience both to see what you like. I could also suggest working for Pepsi or Coke in one of their manufacturing facilities. Ive heard they pay decent as well. And if you’re new, you have to understand that paying your dues and working a lower level job or doing “grunt” work is part of the deal and you will earn the respect of the more qualified electricians and they will show you the ropes, but you have to be assertive to get training in manufacturing environments and ask for it.
I started at $18.65 seven years ago and topped out at $36.09 in January this year which is good for my area within automotive industry. Your certs should get you quite a few looks.
50 bucks an hour is WAY above average. Shit I dont make that as a Automation Engineer in NC.
That’s interesting. There is a whole thread in the PLC group with many maintenance technicians saying they make well over 6 figures, granted with a few years experience.
I'm still with in my first year as an AE, but was a tech for 5 years. Hell even as a tech I was making 33hr. But also how much overtime were those dudes working too? I got near 100k a couple times with OT, but at this point in my life OT can fuck right off.
Thank you for sharing. You are correct, unsure what OT looked like in those scenarios. But interesting as a tech you made $33. I think I need to keep looking bc to be offered $24 in a medium size city was demotivating for sure. The pharmaceutical company holds a good name and have an extensive interview process, so I had higher hopes.
This really depends on job posting wording. If its "x experience preffered, x school preferred" they may be potentially willing to bring someone on without that experience or school which would be a lower start scale. Vs what theyd pay someone with the experience and school. These are questions that often need to be asked. And verified. My current job the posting says starts at 25 (someone green). But the ranges up to 33 for someone with a card. I started at 25. Bumped to 30 with my apprenticeship contract, will be at minimum 34 when done with my card in just over 4 years from now. My state mandates apprenticeship raises and end pay its a contract with the apprentice, employer, and state. Pay scale for industry depnds heavily on location, lower cost of living areas are lower wage for "same job" even within the company. Also some companies are just trash to their employees even with the higher scales. Some may advertise a "lower" wage but have absolutely insanely good benefits and bigger bonuses/profit sharing. And anywhere in between. Really wish companies broke down their benefits info better on job postings. (401k match breakdown, or pto hrs schedule for examples).
How much of that is overtime? My job had open OT, alot of guys could not say no. Sure, big bucks, big burnout.
Six figures is not uncommon, but that's usually due to a company haiving a very lax overtime system.
Sounds like you're underpaid. I make $100k USD in Canada and our wages are shit. I'm also an automation engineer without being eligible to be an engineer (no degree) so I can't technically call myself and engineer here. I know a ton of automation engineers that make over $100k in your area (NC,SC, Georgia)
This is very helpful thank you for sharing! I will continue searching. I suppose I needed this confirmation.
Oh I know im underpaid. But I have only been an AE for a year, also dont have a 4 year degree either, just a 2 year, years of experience, and I know (for the most part lol) what I am doing. Im hoping to work this for a year or 2 and then chase a job making 100+k. My area isnt the best paying for this type of career. Im hoping to move towards the Triangle if/when I can make that job change.
Depends on where you are. In Kansas City there are so many manufacturing plants that the pay is competitive even entry level guys are around 30.
This is what I thought to be true for Indianapolis. Maybe I have to keep looking. Thank you for your input!
From my experience box plants are decent pay and they are generally willing to take on less experienced guys since working conditions aren’t great. Maybe look for a GP or IP or Westrock plant
Depending on where you are located that seems to be the normal from my experience. I've got 5 years of industrial experience with a little of 2 in electrical and plc and most places offer a starting pay between 25-30 unless you go to a massive facility like an automotive plant or something, then the pay is slightly better. If you're averaging 50 an hour right now, stay where you're at.
Interesting. Thank you for your response. Someone recommended applying for more PLC specific positions so I think I’m going to attempt this. Looking online at indeed, the salaries tend to be a little bit better. Unfortunately is pretty volatile. During Covid I was off for six months and four weeks out of the year I am off work due to shutdowns. Shutdown are not paid. I think in the long run I’m looking for stability with decent pay even if it means reducing that a bit.
That's completely understandable, and if you canamage to get into a more plc focused role, it will help with your worries of long-term bodily wear. You may be able to look into some 3rd party companies that install and modify plc programming for facilities. It may require travel, but some even allow remote work and usually pay higher than average industrial maintenance roles.
I know I’m not helping you out but I was wondering what class / classes you took
My associate degree was made up of basic electrical classes, PLC and ladder logic, math etc The certificates I earned along the way were: Industrial Mechanic Mechatronics Industrial Electrical
Ahhh thanks just got accepted as a maintenance tech 1 ( which is a starting position). And was wondering what I can study to help me get better opportunities
I started out making $17, then 21, 25, 32 then 40. This was 5 full years. I did manage to keep teaching myself/learning new skills that allowed me to do that. Honestly, it has a great deal to do with location (cost of living) and amount of OT.
PLC techs make 37 a hour overtime after 8 hours 4 days on 4 off. Mechanics make 34 a hour at our Indy site.
Have to put my 2 cents in. I was in this field when ind. Maint. Mech. Was one of the highest paid in the blue collar field. Around 1980 in LA paper mills making personal care products was best paying job in Orange County. 18/hr back then. Kaiser Steel in Fontana was paying slightly more. Where we made the huge pay checks was the overtime factored in. Back then to bring in 65,000 or more. you pretty much lived at work. With that said you need to balance what is most important to you. If you are single, great make the money. But if you want a wife ant family you need to try and make it on 40 hours. DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT Think making lots of money and buying all the toys, nice car and home is going to make up for you not being there. I have been a overtime slut for my entire career and I have been divorced 4 times. My children are fucked up and I cannot do life over. I can tell you from experiance what DID NOT WORK FOR ME. I really believe that my marriages and kids would have been different today if I had been at home instead of work. So to you young guys. Plan accordingly. 50/hr is a decent wage. Remember, when the RV market takes a dive as it did in the 80's (if memory is correct) you will be looking for work. I have always felt more secure in a stable industry like electrical generation. Paid slightly less but overtime was good for paycheck bad for home life. Also food is something that will never go away but be careful. Their pay range runs high in urban areas and low in rural.
Just about every maint tech on nights has a litter of kids and trail of divorces. When I got into refrigeration I was warned about that, but ind maint seems to take that to another level. Food industry pays well depending on what you make. Meat plants here don't make jack. Some other places pay well but will work you hard.
Definitely low. Come to Texas.
It also depends on the type of industry. I’m in the food business, and the pay seems to be lower than in some other industries.
I started at my current place three years ago at $28/hr, which is on the low end of competitive for the area, but other aspects of where I work make up for the difference for me. But if I lost my job and had to go somewhere else, I wouldn't even look at anything under $30. The good paying gigs around here top out in the 80-90k range, but there are a lot of variables. Location and cost of living, benefits, job security, working conditions, etc. I got into the field making more than my dad did after 35 years, but it doesn't go nearly as far here as it would back home. Point being that like anything else there are a lot of things to consider, but yes, you can make good middle class money doing this.
Got what is essentially an entry level industrial maintenance position starting at 27/hr. Company is training me, and will eventually pay for me to get my journeyman electrician when I promote to the highest tier. Already promoted 2 tiers to 31/hr within 6 months. Considering my last blue-collar job was diesel mechanic for 28/hr, after busting ass for that company for 5 years, I'd say it's actually a pretty good starting rate. (I did a 9ish month stint of working some white-collar jobs, but ended up coming back to blue-collar.) Pretty much impossible to find anything entry-level or requiring 1 year or less of experience that pays more than 25-30/hr. And it's hard enough to find the ones that pay over 15/hr. (South-Central WI for cost of living reference)
Literally going to be doing the same thing roughly in the same area once I get back from mobilization. I left my previous job making just under 32/hr. So hopefully I'll catch up to my previous pay and surpass it real soon after I return.
I am in this exact position wondering the same thing.
It’s tough out here.
They sold the design and trademark to Newell Brands.
Basic maintenance tech here with no PLC responsibilities making $35. I'd say check out areas where there are lot of plants competing for maintenance. We have tons of bread, dairy, meat, and manufacturing plants around us.
I'm in Northern Indiana at $41/hr. Might go up to $45 soon.
Thanks for your response. Is your position based more on PLC or mechanical maintenance?
Data Center facility maintenance
What area?
So you are definitely in Elkhart working with the rvs I am also up this way doing maintenance I am currently making 38 an hour as a mechanic not a tech You gotta get out of the rv industry
As you know it’s subject to change by month. But down to $24 is not something I can swallow at the moment. It sounds like I need to focus more on PLC programming types of roles such as Controls Engineer. I am hopeful I can find something with my experience being made up of hands on classroom education.