Mechanic

Position Summary

The Mechanic is responsible for maintaining the operational readiness, reliability, and safe condition of Continental Silverline’s production equipment and assigned facility systems. The role performs hands-on inspection, troubleshooting, repair, preventive maintenance, installation, and equipment-support work in a fast-paced, primarily manual, just-in-time manufacturing environment that includes legacy machinery and industrial sewing equipment. Working in coordination with production leadership, the Mechanic responds to breakdowns, identifies root causes, restores equipment to service, documents work performed, and helps reduce recurring failures and unplanned downtime. Success requires a resourceful, self-directed technician who can work through unfamiliar problems with limited external support while balancing production urgency with safety, repair quality, equipment integrity, and appropriate escalation of work requiring specialized expertise or authorization.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

1. Equipment Troubleshooting, Repair & Restoration

1. Troubleshoots and repairs production machinery and supporting equipment, including industrial sewing machines, conveyors, motors, bearings, belts, drives, pneumatic components, hydraulic components, sensors, switches, compressed-air connections, and other mechanical or electromechanical systems within the position’s training and authorization.
2. Responds promptly to equipment breakdowns and performance issues; gathers information from operators and supervisors, observes equipment operation, isolates the probable cause, and completes or coordinates corrective action.
3. Uses appropriate tools, meters, schematics, equipment manuals, parts information, and manufacturer guidance to diagnose malfunctions and determine repair requirements.
4. Repairs or replaces worn, damaged, or defective components and makes appropriate mechanical adjustments to restore equipment function, alignment, performance, and reliability.
5. Tests repaired equipment before returning it to service, verifies that guards and safety devices are in place and operating, and communicates equipment status and any operating limitations to production leadership.
6. Escalates complex, high-risk, or specialized work—including work requiring a license, certification, advanced controls expertise, or manufacturer-authorized service—to the Production Supervisor or other designated leader.

2. Preventive Maintenance & Equipment Reliability

1. Performs scheduled preventive maintenance, lubrication, adjustment, cleaning, inspection, and component-replacement activities according to established schedules, equipment requirements, and manufacturer recommendations.
2. Inspects equipment for abnormal wear, vibration, heat, noise, leaks, looseness, misalignment, damaged guards, air loss, or other conditions that could cause failure, unsafe operation, product-quality issues, or production disruption.
3. Identifies recurring failures and contributing conditions; recommends practical corrective actions, equipment modifications, maintenance-frequency changes, operator practices, or replacement needs.
4. Supports the development and continuous improvement of preventive maintenance schedules, equipment histories, inspection checklists, and reliability standards.
5. Coordinates preventive maintenance timing with production leadership to reduce operational disruption while ensuring required work is not deferred without authorization.

3. Installation, Relocation & Equipment Improvement

1. Assembles, installs, connects, relocates, levels, aligns, and tests machinery and related equipment within assigned scope and training.
2. Assists with production-line changes, equipment moves, new-equipment setup, and commissioning activities while protecting equipment, utilities, the facility, and surrounding work areas from damage.
3. Fabricates, modifies, or repairs brackets, guards, work surfaces, frames, fixtures, or other components when qualified and authorized to do so.
4. Recommends practical equipment or workflow improvements that may improve safety, uptime, maintainability, product quality, ergonomics, or production efficiency; obtains required approval before implementation.

4. Production Support & Work Prioritization

1. Coordinates with the Production Supervisor and other designated production leaders to review maintenance priorities, production constraints, equipment condition, and anticipated repair timelines.
2. Evaluates repair urgency based on employee safety, equipment condition, production impact, product quality, risk of additional damage, availability of parts, and the feasibility of temporary versus permanent corrective action.
3. Communicates repair status, estimated downtime, parts or vendor needs, and unresolved risks promptly so production leadership can make informed scheduling decisions.
4. Provides operators and supervisors with appropriate guidance regarding equipment condition, safe operation, basic care, and conditions that should be reported before they develop into failures.
5. Supports urgent repairs, schedule changes, overtime, weekend work, or other maintenance coverage when reasonably required by production demands.

5. Facility & Building-System Support

1. Performs assigned routine maintenance and minor repairs involving facility equipment and systems, which may include air compressors, ventilation components, lighting, plumbing fixtures, doors, dock equipment, and general building hardware.
2. Inspects assigned facility systems and reports damage, deterioration, unsafe conditions, or repair needs involving electrical service, HVAC, plumbing, roofing, structure, fire/life-safety equipment, security systems, or other specialized systems.
3. Supports qualified contractors, equipment manufacturers, and service vendors by providing access, equipment history, observed symptoms, and on-site coordination as directed.
4. Does not perform licensed, regulated, or specialized work beyond the position’s demonstrated qualifications and company authorization; secures direction before arranging external services or committing company funds.

6. Maintenance Records, Parts & Vendor Coordination

1. Documents inspections, preventive maintenance, breakdowns, repairs, replaced parts, equipment condition, downtime, follow-up needs, and work completion accurately and timely.
2. Maintains an organized maintenance work area and helps ensure tools, manuals, schematics, equipment records, and repair materials are protected and readily available.
3. Monitors commonly used spare parts, consumables, and repair supplies; reports usage and replenishment needs before shortages create avoidable downtime.
4. Obtains part specifications, pricing, availability, or technical information as requested, while following established purchasing, vendor-contact, and expense-approval requirements.
5. Assists external technicians and manufacturers with diagnostics and repair work and communicates findings, recommendations, and unresolved issues to the appropriate leader.

7. Safety, Hazard Control & Compliance

1. Performs all maintenance work in accordance with company safety requirements, equipment procedures, required PPE, and applicable energy-control practices, including Lockout/Tagout.
2. Verifies that equipment is properly isolated from hazardous energy before servicing and does not bypass, defeat, or remove guards or safety devices except as permitted during controlled maintenance work.
3. Immediately removes equipment from service or stops affected work when the Mechanic reasonably identifies an imminent equipment-related safety hazard; secures the area or equipment and notifies the Production Supervisor or designated leader without delay.
4. Reports unsafe conditions, damaged guards, exposed wiring, leaks, chemical or lubricant concerns, fire hazards, and other maintenance-related risks and supports timely corrective action.
5. Uses tools, welding equipment, ladders, lifts, forklifts, and other equipment only when trained, qualified, and authorized; follows hot-work and other applicable permit requirements.
6. Participates in required safety meetings, inspections, incident reviews, and job-specific training and helps reinforce safe equipment operation through personal example.

8. General Responsibilities

1. Works cooperatively with production employees, supervisors, vendors, and other departments; communicates clearly and maintains professionalism during urgent or high-pressure repairs.
2. Maintains dependable attendance and readiness to respond to assigned maintenance priorities.
3. Performs duties in accordance with company policies, procedures, quality expectations, and established approval requirements.
4. Performs other related duties consistent with the purpose and level of the position, as assigned.

Decision Authority & Role Boundaries

• May stop or remove equipment from service when an immediate equipment-related safety risk is identified and must notify production leadership promptly.

• May complete repairs, adjustments, and part replacements within demonstrated competence, assigned scope, established procedures, and company authorization.

• Must obtain approval before making material equipment modifications, committing company funds, engaging outside services, or implementing a temporary repair that changes normal equipment operation or safeguards.

• Does not have employee hire, discipline, evaluation, or termination authority and does not directly supervise employees. The Mechanic may provide technical guidance regarding safe equipment use and maintenance-related work coordination.

• Must escalate work that requires a licensed trade, specialized controls expertise, manufacturer authorization, engineering review, or resources beyond the position’s qualifications or authority.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.

• Five (5) years of hands-on industrial maintenance, equipment-mechanic, or comparable manufacturing maintenance experience; or an equivalent combination of relevant education, technical training, and experience.

• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and repairing mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems in a production environment.

• Ability to obtain and maintain company-required forklift certification and any other job-specific equipment qualifications.

• Ability to read and interpret equipment manuals, parts diagrams, mechanical drawings, basic electrical diagrams, safety instructions, and maintenance procedures.

• Ability to document maintenance work clearly and communicate equipment status, risks, and repair needs to employees, supervisors, vendors, and leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience maintaining industrial sewing machines, mattress or textile-production equipment, conveyors, compressors, and other equipment used in a labor-intensive manufacturing environment.

• Technical coursework, apprenticeship, or recognized training in industrial maintenance, mechanics, mechatronics, electrical systems, welding, machining, HVAC, or a related field.

• Experience with maintenance work-order systems, preventive maintenance scheduling, parts inventory, root-cause analysis, and equipment-improvement projects.

• Bilingual English/Spanish communication capability.

Core Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Technical Troubleshooting – Systematically isolates equipment failures and applies practical mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and basic electrical knowledge within authorized scope.

• Judgment Under Production Pressure – Balances speed, safety, repair quality, equipment protection, production needs, and the need to escalate specialized work.

• Equipment Reliability – Recognizes failure patterns and supports preventive actions that reduce recurrence, unplanned downtime, and avoidable repair cost.

• Planning & Prioritization – Organizes multiple requests, communicates changing priorities, and follows work through testing, documentation, and return to service.

• Technical Communication – Explains equipment condition, repair status, risks, and next steps clearly to both technical and nontechnical personnel.

• Safety Discipline – Consistently applies energy control, guarding, PPE, tool safety, and hazard-recognition practices without allowing production urgency to override safe work.

• Resourcefulness & Accountability – Uses sound judgment, available documentation, manufacturer support, and appropriate escalation to resolve problems and owns the quality of completed work.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described below are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable requirements.

• Regularly stands, walks, reaches, bends, stoops, kneels, crouches, and uses hands and arms to handle tools, parts, controls, and equipment.

• Frequently works in, under, beside, and around machinery and may climb ladders or access platforms and elevated work areas when trained and authorized.

• Frequently lifts, carries, pushes, pulls, or positions tools, parts, and materials weighing up to 50 pounds independently and up to 80 pounds with appropriate assistance or material-handling equipment.

• Requires sufficient manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, near and distance vision, color differentiation, depth perception, hearing, and ability to adjust focus to inspect equipment, identify abnormal operation, and perform precision work.

• Must be able to wear required PPE and work for extended periods in physically demanding positions.

Work Environment & Schedule

• Work is performed primarily in a non-climate-controlled manufacturing environment and may include outdoor or facility-support work.

• Regular exposure may include moving mechanical parts, industrial equipment, loud noise, vibration, dust, lint, grease, lubricants, compressed air, fumes, sharp edges, varying temperatures, and other conditions typical of manufacturing and maintenance work.

• Work may occur near energized systems or hazardous energy sources; required procedures, safeguards, authorization, and PPE must be followed at all times.

• The normal schedule is established by the Company. Overtime, early starts, extended shifts, weekends, holidays, or emergency repair response may be required based on production and operational needs.