A millwright is a skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. They work in industrial environments such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, and factories, and on construction sites to advise on using, moving, assembling, and disassembling machinery. Millwrights use a combination of skills, tools, and equipment to complete work, including moving, assembling, and installing machinery and equipment such as shafting, precision bearings, gearboxes, motors, mechanical clutches, conveyors, and tram rails, using hoists, pulleys, dollies, rollers, and trucks. They may also perform all the duties of a general laborer, pipefitter, carpenter, and electrician, and some of the duties of a welder, such as arc welding, MIG welding, and oxyacetylene cutting. Millwrights are also involved in routine tasks such as lubrication of machinery, bearing replacement, seal replacement, cleaning of parts during an overhaul, and preventative maintenance.

To become a millwright, it typically takes four years to earn the credentials required, which includes completing an apprenticeship designed to provide hands-on experience and classroom-based training, which totals about 8,000 hours of work. Following this initial period, it can take an additional 2 to 3 years to become familiar with each aspect of the work and achieve a level of comfort with operating and maintaining heavy machinery that comes with being an advanced millwright.

In summary, a millwright is a skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in industrial environments such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, and factories, and on construction sites. They use a combination of skills, tools, and equipment to complete work, and it typically takes four years to earn the credentials required to become a millwright.