To have a career as a millwright, any employee will need to have an extensive amount of mechanical skills. They must understand how machinery works and be comfortable working with nearly any hand tool, as well as many other types of equipment, including forklifts and more. It is an exhausting job that can involve heavy lifting, difficult work environments, and the ability to adjust their work schedule as they are needed when a tear down or set up is planned.
Historically, millwrights were first hired to assist with the building of watermills or windmills. As the industrial revolution expanded, the job responsibilities also grew as they were relied on to help establish lumber mills and feed processing plants. Today, a Millwright in Dallas may work to set up and help keep running all of the equipment in any type of processing or manufacturing facility. They may even work with equipment on oil rigs or in refineries.
Millwrights are often required to read and follow blueprints so they can layout the machinery in new facilities or manage remodels of existing companies. They must also understand the equipment they install so they are capable of constructing, aligning, and troubleshooting all of the machines they are required to handle. Many millwrights also have additional skills they use daily as machinists or welders. These abilities are valuable, but they are not always necessary. In a union-run mill, they may not even be allowed as many millwrights in these environments are assigned particular tasks to perform.
Many times a Millwright in Dallas will also be responsible for inspecting machinery regularly throughout a mill to ensure it is functioning correctly and make any repairs or adjustments necessary when it is not. They may also need to be familiar enough with the mechanics of the machine to provide operating instructions to others or to train other millwrights. Most of these positions require at least some related experience in the field before they can work in a mill, and many will expect the millwright to be certified as well. Millwrights can also be independent contractors, but they need to be certified, insured, and bonded to find work.