B1216 - Industrial maintenance at industrial sites

Operational Details
Plant maintenance contractors are in the business of providing a variety of tradecrafts, usually not less than five, to the industrial sector including: pipefitters, electricians, insulators, millwrights, carpenters, sheet metal workers, welders and general labourers. Services provided include supporting maintenance programs initiated by the owners of the facilities in which they work. Regular duties involve repairing and servicing of equipment, components and pipe runs, which are undertaken to avoid costly breakdowns. A plant is dynamic and there is an ongoing process of equipment wearing out, being repaired and replaced.

Maintenance contractors disassemble and replace valves, compressors, motors, and turbines on an ongoing basis. This is not a janitorial activity, but one where expertise and trade craft knowledge is essential. De-bottlenecking is also an activity in a gas plant or processing plant that requires the continual replacing and restructuring of pipe to improve production. Larger pumps are removed, new ones installed, valves and gates are repaired or replaced.

Maintenance contractors may provide their own safety programs, safety personnel, engineering staff, act as backup operators for the plant and supply small power and hand tools. Usually the plant owners provide the materials and facilities to repair the equipment including a sheet metal shop, welding facility, and millwright shop. The maintenance contractor on site often has an advantage over other maintenance contractors when a shut down occurs because the contractor on site is familiar with the plant. The management personnel are already in place, and it is only a matter of hiring additional staff. Whereas, other contractors must move entire crews onto the site, and they are often unfamiliar with the plant, making it a more risky proposition.

SIC Codes
000000087 - Industrial maintenance