Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between machine maintenance technicians and preventive maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a machine maintenance technician and a preventive maintenance technician. Additionally, a machine maintenance technician has an average salary of $42,187, which is higher than the $40,935 average annual salary of a preventive maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a machine maintenance technician include preventative maintenance, hand tools and PLC. The most important skills for a preventive maintenance technician are customer service, hand tools, and HVAC.
| Machine Maintenance Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,187 | $40,935 |
| Hourly rate | $20.28 | $19.68 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 156,225 | 170,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Machine Maintenance Technician will conduct machinery and equipment maintenance routinely. As a Maintenance Technician, you will help troubleshoot and repair any electrical or mechanical issues that may arise. Your duties may day-to-day duties may vary but typically include installing new manufacturing equipment, performing equipment calibration, and addressing safety hazard risks. Part of your duty is to communicate potential and existing problems with your supervisor and comply with safety policies and measures. Additionally, you will also need to maintain a clean and safe working environment.
A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage. They keep the facility operating. It is their job to conduct quality assessments, maintain inventory, and schedule repairs. Also, they see to it that machines are up and running at all times. They are expected to be equipped with skills in customer service, problem-solving, reading comprehension, business operation, and mechanical aptitude.
Machine maintenance technicians and preventive maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Machine Maintenance Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,187 | $40,935 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $57,000 | Between $31,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Coon Rapids, MN | Owatonna, MN |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Kennametal | Kiewit |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a machine maintenance technician and a preventive maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Machine Maintenance Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 42% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between machine maintenance technicians' and preventive maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Machine Maintenance Technician | Preventive Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |