Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Also called: Industrial Machinery Mechanic, Industrial Mechanic, Loom Fixer, Loom Technician, Machine Adjuster, Machine Mechanic
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $75,200
- $36.16/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 4,060
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +17.1%
- 670 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Long-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,260 | $60,830 | $75,200 | $87,320 | $99,960 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
- Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
- Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
- Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
- Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.
- Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure18 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 12
- Language-model AIOE 10
- GPTs-are-GPTs 31
Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is on the lower end, and observed AI use is some. AI tools may help with looking up repair information and spotting machine problems. Taking machines apart, replacing parts, cleaning, lubricating, and putting everything back together are hands-on tasks that AI tools do not do.
Likely to change
- Looking up repair steps and equipment information
- Spotting what is wrong with a machine
Still relies on people
- Taking machines apart and reassembling them
- Replacing broken parts with your hands
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
Repairing worn parts and testing equipment carry over to heavy mobile machines. Median pay is slightly higher at $76,770, with long-term on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$1,570 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +4.9%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Hand tools, inspections, and mechanical repair skills carry over to trucks and buses. Median pay is $75,770, and the work has a very low AI exposure.
- Pay difference
- +$570 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Your mechanical skills and work with pipe systems carry over. Median pay is much higher at $96,760, but it requires an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- +$21,560 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.5%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
- Millwrights
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach