Distribution Centre Technician

Business Area: Distribution

Workplace Type: On-site

Location - Town / City: Cape Town

The DC Technician is an artisan-level maintenance role responsible for the reliability and availability of all mechanical equipment within the distribution centre. The function is execution-driven: planned preventative maintenance, breakdown response, and fault resolution on conveyor systems, drives, motors, gearboxes, and related mechanical infrastructure. This is not an engineering or design role. The technician operates within approved maintenance schedules and procedures, contributing technical input to improvement processes without holding engineering ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Why join us? Work in a modern, highly automated distribution environment. Be part of a supportive, skilled and passionate maintenance team. Opportunities for technical growth and development

• Execute all scheduled planned preventative maintenance (PPM) in accordance with the approved maintenance plan and CMMS task schedules.
• Respond to reactive breakdowns, diagnose faults, and restore equipment to operational condition in the shortest practicable time.
• Perform hands-on fault diagnosis and repair on conveyors, mechanical drives, motors, gearboxes, rollers, and associated systems.
• Conduct pre-shift inspections and condition monitoring checks on assigned equipment and zones.
• Complete job cards, maintenance records, and CMMS updates accurately and on time following every maintenance activity.
• Maintain spares usage records and notify the maintenance supervisor of stock replenishment requirements.
• Record fault history and breakdown data to support maintenance trend analysis by engineering.
• Apply all LOTO (lock-out/tag-out) procedures and relevant safety standards before undertaking any maintenance or repair activity.
• Maintain 5S housekeeping standards within the maintenance workshop and across all assigned equipment zones.
• Report hazards, near-misses, and unsafe conditions immediately through the prescribed reporting process.
• Provide maintenance execution support during equipment installations, upgrades, and approved maintenance projects within defined scope.
• Contribute fault history, breakdown observations, and equipment condition data to root-cause analysis (RCA) processes. Analysis, corrective action design, and engineering decisions remain with the engineering function.
• Participate in reliability improvement discussions as a technical contributor, not as project owner.
• Maintaining a current understanding of the condition and fault history of all assigned assets.
• Prioritising PPM completion and breakdown response within the assigned zone.
• Escalating systemic or recurring faults within the zone to the maintenance supervisor for engineering review.
• Maintaining zone-specific spares levels and reporting shortfalls.

Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications Trade-tested artisan — Red Seal certification required. Qualified as Mechanical Fitter, Millwright, or Fitter & Turner.

Experience 5 to 7 years' post-trade maintenance experience in an industrial, manufacturing, or distribution environment. Demonstrated hands-on experience with conveyor systems, mechanical drives, rotating equipment, gearboxes, and rollers. Proven track record of working in structured, high-throughput operational environments with shift and breakdown response requirements.

Technical Skills Mechanical fault diagnosis and repair at artisan level. Planned preventative maintenance execution and condition monitoring. CMMS system use and maintenance documentation. Basic electrical fault-finding knowledge is advantageous but not required. LOTO and occupational safety procedures.

Behavioural Profile Disciplined and consistent — able to maintain high standards across routine and reactive work. Pressure-tolerant — able to perform effectively under operational urgency without compromising safety or quality. Detail-oriented — accurate documentation and record-keeping are non-negotiable requirements. Team-oriented — functions reliably as part of a coordinated maintenance team.

Work Environment and Conditions The role operates in a highly automated distribution centre environment running on a shift basis, including weekend and public holiday coverage as part of a planned rotation. Breakdown response is on-call within rostered hours and may require rapid response outside normal shift patterns during operational incidents. The role is physically demanding and requires sustained periods of hands-on work in varied conditions across the DC floor. Adherence to all PPE and safety requirements is mandatory.

Competencies

• Mechanical fault diagnosis and repair at artisan level.
• Planned preventative maintenance execution and condition monitoring.
• CMMS system use and maintenance documentation.
• Basic electrical fault-finding knowledge is advantageous but not required.
• LOTO and occupational safety procedures