Determining the Optimal Size of Your Maintenance Team

Years ago, I sought approval to add another machinist. My boss cautioned, “If you had twice as many men, they’d stay busy. If you had half, the mill would keep running.” The experiment that followed proved him right: after trimming the maintenance crew, the plant’s reliability rose and output increased.

So how many skilled tradespeople are truly required? The answer depends on several variables, but a core group of experienced technicians who can diagnose and repair most on‑line issues, combined with sufficient staff for routine inspections, is essential. The primary factors influencing staffing levels include:

Plant Design and Equipment Choice

Maintenance is a backup, not a cure. Selecting inherently reliable equipment, installing it correctly, and operating it with trained personnel dramatically reduce maintenance demands.

Plant Condition

Preventive maintenance is only as effective as the equipment’s condition. Bearings and components that exceed wear limits have a short remaining life, making early intervention crucial.

Location and Climate

Remote sites with limited access to external expertise, or harsh climates that accelerate wear, require a larger onsite team.

Regulatory Requirements

Compliance inspections and mandated replacements can consume a significant portion of maintenance effort, especially in heavily regulated industries such as nuclear power.

Experience and Turnover

Skill matters. A seasoned tradesperson completes a complex repair faster and more reliably on subsequent attempts. High turnover forces you to hire more to maintain coverage.

Planning

Meticulous planning is half the job. Detailed job sheets and clear priorities ensure the minimum workforce delivers maximum reliability.

Scheduling

Poor scheduling is a productivity killer. Over‑allocating staff or rigidly assigning two electricians to every job wastes effort. A flexible scheduler who understands the work and the team can pair single‑handed tasks and share heavy lifts, improving throughput.

Tools and Equipment

Having the right tools—lift trucks, cranes, specialized wrenches—available on demand accelerates work and raises quality.

Materials Management

Pre‑assembled “work kits” stocked with the exact parts and consumables required for a job eliminate search time and reduce downtime.

Maintenance‑Operations Partnership

Close collaboration on priority setting and scheduling prevents the trade team from being pulled into low‑value or emergency work.

Access to Information

Maintenance information systems should provide real‑time, actionable data to the people who need it, not just cost records that do not aid daily operations.

Work Restrictions (Tradelines)

Union‑driven tradelines that restrict which tradesperson can perform a task often double the man‑hours needed and stifle innovation. Removing such constraints—when communicated as benefits to the workforce—improves job quality, motivation, and overall productivity. A recent initiative that focused on trade‑level benefits, rather than corporate gains, was celebrated by the crew. Conversely, a poorly managed change sparked a 10‑month strike.

While there is no single formula for the “right” number of tradespeople, the gap between a well‑managed and a poorly managed maintenance department can be a factor of two or more.