Please check your email for your login details.How to Become an Industrial Machinery Mechanic or Millwright in Detroit
When a production line stops, these are the people who get it running again. Metro Detroit's plants need mechanics and millwrights who can fix hydraulics, controls and robots. Here is the pay and the path.
- Median pay $34.19 an hour in Metro Detroit
- Paid apprenticeships and short certificates
- No state license required
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Industrial machinery mechanics and millwrights at a glance
Pay figures are for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. BLS counts millwrights as a separate occupation, so both are shown.
| Topic | Industrial machinery mechanic | Millwright |
|---|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $34.19 | $44.16 |
| Median yearly wage | $71,100 | $91,850 |
| Pay range (10th to 90th percentile) | $23.45 to $45.02 an hour | $37.31 to $45.45 an hour |
| Workers in the metro area | About 6,520 | About 1,490 |
| Typical training path | Employer sponsored apprenticeship with college classes, or a mechatronics or maintenance certificate | Union or employer apprenticeship |
| Michigan license | None from the state Bureau of Construction Codes | None from the state Bureau of Construction Codes |
| Union route | Employer sponsored registered apprenticeships | Detroit Union Carpenters and Millwrights Skilled Training Center |
What industrial machinery mechanics and millwrights do
Industrial machinery mechanics, also called maintenance mechanics or maintenance technicians, keep factory equipment running. They troubleshoot breakdowns, replace bearings, belts and seals, repair hydraulic and pneumatic systems, read electrical schematics and follow preventive maintenance schedules. In modern plants the job increasingly includes PLCs, sensors and robots.
Millwrights install, align, take apart and move heavy machinery. The carpenters and millwrights union describes the work as rigging and hoisting equipment, assembling and dismantling machinery, and aligning systems to tolerances as fine as a thousandth of an inch, on assembly lines, pumps, conveyors, compressors, generators and turbines. See services like industrial machinery installation, precision alignment, conveyor installation and machinery relocation.
Both jobs are physical and hands-on, with lifting, climbing and work around moving equipment. Plant mechanics often work shifts, weekends and shutdown periods when lines are down for repairs.
Where they work around Detroit
Maintenance mechanics work inside auto assembly and supplier plants, metal and plastics shops, food and beverage plants, warehouses with automated conveyors, hospitals and utilities. Millwrights often work for contractors that install and move equipment, going from plant to plant for new lines, retooling projects and shutdowns. If you like variety, contractor work moves you around. If you want one home base, plant maintenance keeps you on the same equipment and team.
Skills that help you get hired
- Mechanical aptitude. You like knowing how machines work and why they fail.
- Strong math and geometry. Millwright alignment and layout depend on it.
- Basic electrical and controls. Reading schematics and PLC basics set you apart.
- Welding and fabrication. The carpenters and millwrights union lists welding knowledge as a key skill.
- Safety habits. Lockout and tagout, rigging and working around heavy equipment.
How to become an industrial machinery mechanic or millwright in Michigan
- 1
Finish high school or a GED
Take math, shop and any electronics classes you can. A free Detroit training program or pre-apprenticeship can fill gaps.
- 2
Build a base with a certificate
Mechatronics, facility maintenance and robotics certificates teach hydraulics, electrical controls and PLCs. Schoolcraft College says its mechatronics training can take as little as one to two semesters.
- 3
Get into a plant or a union
Apply for maintenance helper or apprentice jobs with manufacturers, or apply to the carpenters and millwrights union, which offers a Build MI Future pre-apprenticeship for people 18 and older.
- 4
Complete an apprenticeship
Employer apprenticeships pair on the job training with college classes, often at Henry Ford College or Macomb Community College. The carpenters and millwrights union describes its apprenticeship as a paid, four year program.
- 5
Keep adding skills
Advanced controls, robotics, welding and rigging raise your value. Experienced mechanics can move into maintenance supervision, controls or engineering technician roles.
Millwright and maintenance training near Detroit
Programs come from each organization's own website. Check start dates and admissions directly.
| Program | Type | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Union Carpenters and Millwrights Skilled Training Center | Union training center, Detroit | Run by the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters at 11687 American Ave. Trains carpenter and millwright apprentices. |
| Henry Ford College | College, Dearborn | Trade and Apprentice Education with millwright, machine repair and industrial electrician concentrations for working apprentices. |
| Wayne County Community College District | College, Detroit | Mechatronics technology, facility maintenance and robotics and automation programs. |
| Schoolcraft College | College, Livonia | Mechatronics training with a Smart Automation Certification Alliance credential. |
| Macomb Community College | College, Warren | Classroom side of company sponsored registered apprenticeships. |
Industrial machinery mechanic and millwright salary in Detroit
The median industrial machinery mechanic in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area earned $34.19 an hour, or $71,100 a year, in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest paid 10 percent earned under $23.45 an hour and the top 10 percent more than $45.02.
Millwrights, counted separately by BLS, had a median of $44.16 an hour, or $91,850 a year. Apprentices start lower. Shift premiums, overtime during shutdowns, controls skills and union benefits all affect take-home pay. Compare trades on the Detroit trade jobs page.
What training costs, and how to pay less
Apprenticeships pay you while you learn, and Macomb Community College notes that apprenticeships in many cases come with free tuition. For certificates, Michigan Reconnect can make in-district community college tuition free for eligible adults 21 and older, and Detroit Promise helps Detroit high school graduates attend local community colleges. See every option in our trade school funding guide.
Where this career can go
Maintenance helper or apprentice
Learn the plant, the equipment and safe repair work.
How apprenticeships work →Journeyman mechanic or millwright
Diagnose, repair, install and align equipment on your own.
Controls or mechatronics tech
Specialize in PLCs, robots and automation.
Mechatronics guide →Maintenance supervisor
Lead crews and plan maintenance for a plant.
Supervisor guide →Companies hiring maintenance mechanics and millwrights
Employers shown here pay to appear and are labelled. Rebuild Detroit does not rank or endorse employers. Browse more on the companies hiring in Detroit page.
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Industrial machinery mechanic and millwright FAQ
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- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS May 2025 data, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (occupations 49-9041 and 49-9044)
- Michigan LARA: Bureau of Construction Codes Licensing Section
- Michigan Reconnect: About
Updated September 2026. Rules and procedures change; confirm with the responsible office before a decision.