# 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.

- **SOC code:** 49-9041.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9041-00
- **Also known as:** Industrial Machinery Mechanic, Maintenance Technician, Mechanic, Overhauler, Industrial Mechanic, Loom Fixer, Loom Technician, Machine Adjuster
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- 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.
- Operate newly repaired machinery or equipment to verify the adequacy of repairs.
- Record repairs and maintenance performed.
- Record parts or materials used and order or requisition new parts or materials, as necessary.
- Observe and test the operation of machinery or equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using voltmeters or other testing devices.
- Analyze test results, machine error messages, or information obtained from operators to diagnose equipment problems.
- Study blueprints or manufacturers' manuals to determine correct installation or operation of machinery.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(transferable_skill)_
- Troubleshooting _(transferable_skill)_
- Repairing _(transferable_skill)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Manual Dexterity _(ability)_
- Finger Dexterity _(ability)_
- Control Precision _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Quality Control Analysis _(transferable_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Equipment Selection _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- BIT Corp ProMACS PLC
- Extranet Machine Tools Suite
- Inventory tracking software
- KEYENCE PLC Ladder Logic
- Maintenance management software
- Maintenance planning and control software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 24th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 13th percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 35th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 31st percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 56th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 16.1% growth (Growing fast); 45.7k annual openings; 439.6k → 510.3k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $63,760; 421,940 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 74% automation, 23% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Enter codes and instructions to program computer-controlled machinery. _(4.0% of measured AI use; directive)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me enter codes and instructions to program computer-controlled machinery.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9041-00_