Maintenance Engineer Spotlight

Maintenance Engineers are part scientist, part mathematician and part detective. They use their specific set of skills to make sure that all of the equipment and machinery used in the oil and gas industry is working properly at all times. Their role covers everything from making sure the correct equipment and parts are purchased to overseeing the installation, operation, and maintenance of the machinery. 

What a typical day looks like:

When a new part or machine is needed, Maintenance Engineers jump in to research which design, model, and performance model is the best fit. They also look at the costs associated with the full life cycle of the equipment, which includes planned maintenance, to determine what their company should purchase. Maintenance Engineers work closely with technicians and technologists to review and approve designs, calculations and cost estimates. They then work closely with engineers to make those designs a reality and manage projects. 
 
When the equipment arrives at site, they oversee the installation to make sure that everything works as it should. Once a system or machine is in place, they also monitor the operation and make emergency repairs as needed. They are constantly looking for ways to make processes more efficient, designing processes to improve performance, and developing extensive maintenance schedules. 
 
Maintenance Engineers usually work within a larger team, and oversee the work done by the maintenance or asset integrity departments.  

The kinds of problems a Maintenance Engineer solves at work:

Maintenance Engineers know why problems arise in their facilities and know how to properly solve them. When equipment isn’t working properly, they step in to investigate the cause, to diagnose faulty operations and recommend solutions. They also develop alternate designs or processing methods to find if there are better ways to operate existing machinery. They are key to keeping everything running smoothly. 

Skills used most on the job:

Since this role involves solving difficult engineering problems, a Maintenance Engineer must have a strong understanding of the engineering design of their equipment and the science of their processes. It requires a person with the scientific knowledge to analyze the physics of a situation and the mathematically capability to model and calculate the engineering and process dynamics occurring. 
 
Maintenance Engineers make sure that all of the equipment, machinery, systems, and infrastructure are reliable and ready to work when they are needed.