When Should You Recruit Maintenance Engineers for a New Production Line?

When should you recruit Maintenance Engineers for a new production line?

Manufacturers should ideally begin recruiting Maintenance Engineers three to six months before a new production line enters full production.

Where possible, key engineers should be appointed early enough to take part in Factory Acceptance Testing, installation, commissioning and equipment training.

Recruiting before the line is operational gives engineers time to understand the machinery, build relationships with equipment suppliers and learn how the line should perform before they become responsible for maintaining it.

Waiting until commissioning has finished can leave a manufacturer trying to recruit under pressure while production targets, breakdown risks and reliance on external technical support are already increasing.

The exact recruitment timeline will depend on the complexity of the equipment, the number of engineers required, candidate availability and the notice periods of the people being hired. However, engineering recruitment should form part of the capital-project plan from the beginning rather than becoming a reactive requirement shortly before launch.

Why engineering recruitment should be part of capital-project planning

A new production line is rarely just an equipment purchase.

It can change:

• The technical complexity of the site
• The number of assets the engineering team must support
• The balance of mechanical, electrical and controls work
• Planned maintenance requirements
• Spare-parts management
• Shift coverage
• Training requirements
• Contractor and equipment-manufacturer support
• The level of engineering resource needed during production ramp-up

Despite this, engineering headcount is sometimes considered much later than equipment selection, building work, installation planning and production forecasting.

That creates a risk.

The machinery may arrive on schedule, but the people who will maintain it may not.

Including recruitment in the original project plan gives the business time to define the engineering structure, secure budget approval, benchmark salaries and reach suitable candidates before the need becomes urgent.

It also allows engineering capability to be considered alongside the technical design of the line.

For example, a heavily automated packaging line may create a greater requirement for PLC fault-finding, controls knowledge, robotics or servo-drive experience. A process-led installation may place more emphasis on pumps, valves, pipework, instrumentation, utilities or hygienic production systems.

The recruitment plan should reflect the equipment being installed rather than simply adding another engineer using an existing job description.

Should maintenance engineers be recruited before FAT or after commissioning?

Where circumstances allow, key maintenance engineers should be recruited in time to attend Factory Acceptance Testing, commonly known as FAT.

FAT takes place before the equipment is delivered to site. It gives the manufacturer an opportunity to inspect the machinery, test its operation and confirm that it performs against the agreed specification.

Having maintenance or controls engineers involved at this stage can be extremely valuable.

They can:

• See the equipment operating before it is dismantled and transported
• Ask technical questions directly to the manufacturer
• Review component accessibility and maintainability
• Identify potential maintenance issues
• Understand how the control system operates
• Review alarms, guarding and fault conditions
• Begin developing planned maintenance requirements
• Identify critical spare parts
• Observe recurring faults during testing
• Understand why particular design decisions were made

Recruiting after commissioning means new engineers may miss much of this knowledge.

They join when the machinery is already expected to perform, often with only manuals, second-hand explanations and limited supplier support available to help them understand it.

Not every maintenance engineer needs to attend FAT. For larger teams, it may be enough for an Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager, Controls Engineer or senior Maintenance Engineer to attend and transfer the knowledge to the wider team.

The important point is that somebody who will remain responsible for the equipment after handover should be involved before the installation is complete.

Which engineers should be involved at each stage?

The engineering support required will change as the project progresses.

Equipment specification and supplier selection

At the earliest stage, the business may benefit from the involvement of:

• Engineering Managers
• Maintenance Managers
• Project Engineers
• Controls and Automation Engineers
• Reliability Engineers
• Senior Maintenance Engineers

Their role is not simply to select equipment. They can also assess whether the proposed machinery will be practical to maintain within the available engineering structure.

Questions at this stage may include:

• Can components be accessed safely and quickly?
• Are the control platforms familiar to the existing team?
• Will specialist software or licences be required?
• Are critical parts readily available in the UK?
• What training will the supplier provide?
• What remote or on-site support is included?
• Can the existing shift team maintain the equipment?
• Will additional controls, electrical or mechanical capability be required?

Factory Acceptance Testing

FAT usually requires fewer people, but those involved should have enough technical knowledge to challenge the supplier and understand what they are seeing.

This may include:

• A Project Engineer
• An Engineering or Maintenance Manager
• A Controls Engineer
• A senior multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer
• An operator or Production Manager

The engineer who attends should remain involved during installation and commissioning wherever possible. This provides continuity between what was tested at the supplier’s facility and what is eventually installed on site.

Installation and commissioning

The engineering requirement generally increases once machinery arrives on site.

The project may need:

• Project Engineers
• Mechanical and Electrical Fitters
• Installation Engineers
• Controls Engineers
• Commissioning Engineers
• Maintenance Engineers
• Engineering contractors
• Health and safety support

Permanent maintenance employees should not necessarily carry out every part of the installation. However, they should work alongside the supplier and installation team so they understand how the machinery has been assembled, connected and configured.

Production ramp-up

Once production trials begin, the focus moves from installation to reliability, output and repeatable performance.

The site may require:

• Shift Maintenance Engineers
• Controls or Automation Engineers
• Reliability Engineers
• Maintenance Planners
• Engineering Team Leaders
• Technical operators
• Short-term engineering contractors

This is often when previously hidden problems begin to appear.

A machine may operate successfully during controlled testing but behave differently when running continuously, processing varying products or interacting with upstream and downstream equipment.

Engineers who were involved during installation are better placed to understand whether the problem relates to mechanical setup, programming, sensors, product flow, operator use or the wider line integration.

Benefits of involving engineers during installation and training

Recruiting Maintenance Engineers before installation is not simply about having more people available.

It helps the business retain technical knowledge.

During installation and commissioning, engineers learn details that may never appear in the formal operating manuals. They see how the equipment has been assembled, which adjustments were made and where problems occurred.

They may also learn:

• Which sensors are particularly sensitive
• Which settings affect product quality or throughput
• How the equipment responds to different products
• Where jams or blockages are most likely
• Which alarms commonly appear during start-up
• How to recover the machine safely after a fault
• Which components require regular inspection
• Which parts are difficult to access
• Which software changes were made during commissioning
• How different machines communicate across the line

This knowledge can shorten fault-finding time once production begins.

Early involvement can also create stronger relationships between the site engineering team, equipment supplier, production team and project management team.

Instead of receiving responsibility for an unfamiliar line at handover, the maintenance engineers become part of the project and develop a sense of ownership before full production starts.

Reduced reliance on external support

Equipment manufacturers and commissioning engineers will usually provide support during installation and initial production trials.

That support may become more limited or more expensive after the agreed commissioning period ends.

A business that has not built enough internal capability can remain dependent on the supplier for relatively routine faults, software changes or mechanical adjustments.

Recruiting and training engineers earlier can reduce this long-term dependency. Supplier support will still be valuable for specialist issues, but the internal team should be able to diagnose and resolve a greater proportion of day-to-day problems.

Typical recruitment lead times

As a practical rule, manufacturers should allow three to six months to recruit and onboard permanent maintenance engineers for a new production line.

Specialist or senior positions may require longer.

A recruitment timeline needs to account for:

• Agreeing the team structure
• Securing budget and headcount approval
• Defining the roles
• Benchmarking the salary and shift package
• Advertising and approaching candidates
• Completing interviews
• Making and negotiating offers
• Candidate notice periods
• Pre-employment checks
• Site induction
• Equipment and safety training

A candidate may be available immediately, but manufacturers should not base the project plan on finding somebody who can start at once.

Many experienced engineers will need to give notice to their current employer. Engineering Managers, Controls Engineers and other senior specialists may have longer contractual notice periods.

A suggested recruitment timeline

Six to nine months before production

Review the existing engineering structure and determine whether the current team has enough capacity and technical capability to support the new line.

Define the likely requirement for permanent employees, contractors and supplier support.

Four to six months before production

Begin recruiting Engineering Managers, Team Leaders, Controls Engineers and other difficult-to-find specialists.

Confirm the salary, shift pattern, responsibilities and training plan.

Three to four months before production

Recruit the wider maintenance team. Aim for key employees to start in time for FAT, installation or supplier training.

One to three months before production

Fill any remaining gaps and arrange contract support where permanent recruits will not be available in time.

Confirm shift coverage during commissioning and production ramp-up.

During ramp-up

Review the actual engineering workload. The number of breakdowns, improvement projects and planned maintenance tasks may be different from the original estimate.

Skills to look for in automated food and FMCG environments

The right skills will depend on the equipment, products and production process, but automated Food and FMCG lines often require a combination of mechanical, electrical and controls knowledge.

Relevant experience may include:

• High-speed packaging machinery
• Conveying and product-handling systems
• Filling, sealing, labelling and inspection equipment
• Depositors, mixers, ovens and process machinery
• Robotics and automated handling
• PLC-controlled equipment
• HMIs and industrial networks
• Variable-speed drives and servo systems
• Sensors, encoders and vision systems
• Pneumatics and hydraulics
• Pumps, valves and pipework
• Refrigeration, steam, compressed air and other utilities
• Planned preventive maintenance
• Condition monitoring
• Root-cause analysis
• Continuous improvement
• Computerised maintenance management systems

Technical knowledge is only part of the requirement.

Engineers working in food and FMCG manufacturing also need to understand the pressures of a production-led environment. They may have to diagnose faults quickly, communicate with operators and production managers, manage competing priorities and work safely around hygiene, quality and food-safety requirements.

Look beyond the word “multi-skilled”

Many manufacturers advertise for a Multi-Skilled Maintenance Engineer without clearly defining what that means.

One candidate may be mechanically biased but capable of replacing sensors and carrying out basic electrical fault-finding. Another may be an electrically trained engineer with strong PLC diagnostic skills but limited mechanical rebuilding experience.

Both may describe themselves as multi-skilled.

The job specification should explain the actual balance of work expected on the new line.

It should also distinguish between PLC fault-finding and PLC programming. Many maintenance engineers can use a PLC to trace inputs, outputs and fault conditions. Far fewer can write or modify complex software safely.

Where the installation relies heavily on automation, robotics or integrated control systems, a dedicated Controls or Automation Engineer may be required alongside the shift maintenance team.

Common recruitment mistakes manufacturers make

Waiting until the machinery is operational

This is the most common mistake.

Once production has started, every vacancy becomes urgent. The business may accept a weaker match, overuse contractors or place unrealistic expectations on the existing team.

Using an old job description

A job description written for existing machinery may not reflect the technology being introduced.

The new line could require stronger controls, robotics, instrumentation or process experience than the current equipment.

Underestimating notice periods

Finding a suitable candidate does not mean they can start immediately. Recruitment must account for notice periods and the possibility of counteroffers.

Failing to benchmark the package

Salary is not the only factor engineers consider.

Shift pattern, overtime, holiday allowance, pension, training, travel, callout expectations and progression can all affect whether the role is competitive.

Relying too heavily on one person

A single engineer may become the only person who understands the new line.

Knowledge should be documented and shared across shifts so the site is not left exposed during holidays, absence or staff turnover.

Excluding maintenance from supplier discussions

Project and production teams may focus on output, speed and product quality. Maintenance engineers bring a different perspective, including accessibility, component life, spare parts, diagnostics and recovery after faults.

Assuming supplier training is enough

A short training course does not replace practical involvement during installation and commissioning.

The most valuable learning often happens while real faults and integration issues are being resolved.

Failing to plan knowledge transfer from contractors

Contract engineers can provide valuable support during installation and ramp-up, but the permanent team needs to learn from them.

Without a structured handover, important knowledge can leave the site when the contract ends.

New production-line recruitment checklist

Use this checklist when planning the engineering team for a new production line.

Engineering structure

• Has the additional engineering workload been assessed?
• Can the existing team support the new equipment?
• Is additional shift coverage required?
• Does the site need a dedicated Controls or Automation Engineer?
• Is an Engineering Team Leader or Maintenance Manager required?
• Will contractors be needed during installation or ramp-up?

Skills and responsibilities

• Has the equipment’s mechanical, electrical and controls content been reviewed?
• Does the job description reflect the new machinery?
• Are PLC fault-finding and programming requirements clearly separated?
• Are utilities, refrigeration or process skills required?
• Does the role include planned maintenance development?
• Who will manage critical spare parts and technical documentation?

Recruitment timeline

• Has recruitment been included in the capital-project schedule?
• Are key engineers expected to attend FAT?
• Will permanent employees be available during installation?
• Have candidate notice periods been considered?
• Is there a contingency plan for delayed permanent hires?

Salary and attraction

• Has the salary been benchmarked against comparable employers?
• Is the shift pattern competitive?
• Are overtime and callout expectations clear?
• Is supplier training included in the opportunity?
• Can the business explain the project and the engineer’s role in it?
• Is the interview process quick enough to secure strong candidates?

Installation and handover

• Who will attend supplier training?
• How will knowledge be shared across shifts?
• Will engineers receive PLC backups, drawings and manuals?
• Has a critical-spares list been created?
• Who owns the planned maintenance schedule?
• Is there a documented handover from suppliers and contractors?

Frequently asked questions

How early should we recruit maintenance engineers for a new production line?

Manufacturers should generally begin recruitment three to six months before the planned production start date. Key engineering employees should ideally be in place before FAT, installation, commissioning or supplier training.

Should maintenance engineers attend Factory Acceptance Testing?

At least one engineer who will remain responsible for the equipment should attend FAT where possible. This could be an Engineering Manager, Controls Engineer, Project Engineer or senior Maintenance Engineer.

Their involvement helps the business retain technical knowledge and identify maintenance concerns before the equipment reaches site.

Is it too early to recruit before the machinery has been installed?

No. Recruiting before installation gives engineers an opportunity to learn the equipment alongside the supplier.

The job specification should be based on the confirmed equipment design, control systems and expected maintenance requirements.

What happens if permanent engineers cannot start before commissioning?

Contract engineers can provide interim support during installation, commissioning and production ramp-up.

The business should still continue permanent recruitment and create a structured handover so that knowledge gained by contractors is transferred to the long-term team.

Do we need a dedicated Controls Engineer?

That depends on the complexity of the automation and the skills already available within the maintenance team.

A dedicated Controls Engineer may be justified where the line uses complex PLC software, robotics, servo systems, machine vision or multiple integrated control platforms. They can support fault-finding, software changes, optimisation and communication with equipment suppliers.

How many maintenance engineers will a new production line require?

There is no universal number.

The requirement will depend on operating hours, shift pattern, equipment complexity, planned maintenance workload, existing site capability and the level of support available from the equipment supplier.

The engineering workload should be assessed before the final team structure is approved and reviewed again during production ramp-up.

Should we recruit permanent engineers or use contractors?

Many projects benefit from a combination of both.

Permanent engineers provide long-term ownership and site knowledge. Contractors can add short-term capacity or specialist installation and commissioning expertise.

The correct balance depends on the project schedule, the skills available internally and how quickly permanent employees can be recruited.

Can the existing engineering team absorb the new line?

Possibly, but this should be assessed rather than assumed.

Even when the existing team has the right technical skills, the new equipment will add planned maintenance, breakdown response, spare-parts management, improvement work and training responsibilities.

Adding another line without increasing engineering capacity can reduce the level of support available across the whole site.

How SimWest supports engineering teams during site expansion

SimWest Engineering Recruitment helps food, FMCG, packaging and machinery manufacturers recruit the engineering people required to install, commission, maintain and improve automated production equipment.

We support permanent and contract requirements across areas including:

• Maintenance Engineering
• Engineering Management
• Controls, PLC and Automation
• Project Engineering and Project Management
• Installation and Commissioning
• Mechanical and Electrical Fitters
• Reliability and Continuous Improvement
• Manufacturing and Process Engineering

Our involvement can begin before the equipment arrives on site.

We can help manufacturers define the roles required, assess candidate availability, benchmark the proposed package and build a recruitment timeline around FAT, installation, commissioning and production ramp-up.

Because we specialise in engineering recruitment across food, FMCG, packaging, automation and special-purpose machinery, we understand the difference between recruiting for an established production environment and building a team around newly installed equipment.

The earlier the recruitment requirement is identified, the more opportunity there is to secure engineers with the right experience and involve them during the most valuable stages of the project.

Plan the engineering team before production begins

The best time to recruit maintenance engineers is not when a new line begins breaking down.

It is early enough for them to understand the equipment before they become responsible for its performance.

For most manufacturers, that means beginning recruitment three to six months before production and aiming to have key engineering employees involved during FAT, installation, commissioning and supplier training.

Treating engineering recruitment as part of the capital-project plan can improve knowledge transfer, strengthen internal technical capability and reduce the risk of entering production without the people required to support it.

Planning a new production line, factory expansion or automation project?

Speak to SimWest Engineering Recruitment about the permanent and contract engineering support needed during installation, commissioning and production ramp-up.

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About the Author

Stephen Simpson

Stephen Simpson is Director and Engineering Recruiter at SimWest Engineering Recruitment, a specialist recruitment business supporting UK manufacturers with engineering, maintenance, design, automation and technical recruitment.

With over 17 years’ experience in engineering and manufacturing recruitment, Stephen works closely with businesses across the Food & Beverage, FMCG, Special Purpose Machinery and wider industrial sectors.

Through the SimWest blog, Stephen leverages his extensive network and market data to share industry insights, hiring advice and career guidance to help engineering professionals and manufacturing businesses make better recruitment decisions.

Speak with Stephen directly: 07508 636 230

Email Stephen: stephensimpson@simwestengineering.co.uk