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Akkerman, Inc., headquartered in Brownsdale, Minnesota, is a privately-owned, worldwide manufacturer of pipe jacking and tunneling equipment that accurately installs a variety of underground infrastructure.
Current Openings
Job Summary:
This position involves providing ideas, inputs, and analysis as an engineering team member. This position is responsible for leading and managing the development of new or improved products and/or process. This position could include supervision of engineers, designers, and technicians.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead projects and products in a manner which supports Akkerman’s company mission
- Communicate information and provide direction to engineers, technicians, sales, purchasing, manufacturing, and customers
- Perform or aid engineering analysis to support selection of parts, components, and materials
- Create and maintain project/product documentation
- Design to and ensure products are designed to applicable standards
- Establish priorities and delegate tasks
- Follow product development process as required
- Evaluate products for performance, safety, and reliability
- Assist in troubleshooting and resolve product problems in manufacturing or field
- Perform analysis of products including performance, features, cost, etc.
- Research and analyze competitive products, suggest new or improved products
- Review instruction manuals and product literature
- Provide ideas, input, and analysis of Akkerman equipment and processes
- Prepare layouts, drawings, specification and bills of material
- Other duties as required or assigned
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelors Degree in Engineering related field
- 7-plus years of technical and project management experience
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
- Self-motivated and the ability to work well with others
- Strong verbal and written communications skills
- Ability to interact with all levels of personnel
- Ability to make decisions in a timely manner
- Ability to travel domestic and abroad (10-25%)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Business and/or Project Management experience
- Experience with design and manufacturing of industrial and/or heavy equipment
- Experience with industrial and/or heavy equipment hydraulic and electrical systems
- Experience with CAD systems
Pay: $85,000 – $110,000 annually
Benefits:
- HDHP Medical Plan with Company HSA contribution
- Dental Insurance
- 401(k) Plan with Company Match
- Paid time off
- Weekly pay
- Paid Basic Life insurance
Job Summary:
Base rate dependent on skill level and relevant experience
Akkerman Inc. is a third-generation family-owned business and is NOT a typical high-volume assembly line. Akkerman Inc. manufactures tunneling and pipe jacking equipment used to install a variety of underground infrastructure throughout the world. Our employees possess our core values of Teamwork, Integrity, Quality, Innovation, and Safety. It is these qualities that enable our American-made products to consistently outperform those of our foreign competitors.
An Akkerman employee will experience a variety of work that requires a high level of accuracy and quality. In addition to a generous wage and benefit package, employees can expect a clean, modern, safe, and personable working environment. The average tenure of an Akkerman employee is 14 years – people like working at Akkerman.
Akkerman Inc. is currently seeking to add experienced 1st SHIFT CNC MACHINISTS to its team of outstanding employees. Candidates must have either 2 years relevant experience OR a 2 year certificate in a machining program. Day Shift operates from 6:30AM to 5:00PM Mondays through Thursday with the overtime as needed on Friday.
- Familiarity/experience with setup and operation of Okuma and Mazak brand machines is a priority
- Review instructions, take precise measurements & samples to ensure accurate production
- Plan proper sequence, and maintain neat & orderly workstation to produce parts timely and with 100% accuracy in all respects.
- Knowledge of CNC mills, lathes, VTLs, G-code, tool selection, fixturing, and precision measuring tools.
- Ability to read and interpret complex blueprints, GD&T, and technical drawings.
Pay: $26 – $30/hour
Benefits:
- HDHP Medical Plan with Company HSA contribution
- Dental Insurance
- 401(k) Plan with Company Match
- Paid time off
- Weekly pay
- Paid Basic Life insurance
Location: Brownsdale, MN
Full-time | On-site | Brownsdale, MN
About Akkerman Inc:
Akkerman specializes in low-volume, highly differentiated equipment for the trenchless construction industry. We focus on quality, innovation, and real-world performance. If you take pride in precise mechanical work and solving problems that others walk past, you’ll fit right in.
Job Summary:
We’re looking for skilled hands-on mechanics who can assemble, refurbish, and service complex equipment. Ideal candidates come from agricultural mechanics, auto/diesel shops, or industrial maintenance backgrounds and are comfortable working across hydraulic, electrical, and mechanical systems.
What You’ll Do
- Assemble new tunneling equipment and completely refurbish used units to exacting standards.
- Work daily with hydraulic, electrical, and mechanical systems, plus light plumbing and fabrication.
- Read and interpret blueprints, hydraulic/electrical schematics, and technical drawings.
- Perform testing, inspections, troubleshooting, and root-cause diagnostics.
- Maintain high attention to detail and quality throughout every build.
- Collaborate with the team to deliver equipment that meets Akkerman’s performance standards.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong mechanical aptitude with hands-on experience in hydraulics, electrical systems, and mechanical assembly.
- Ability to confidently read blueprints, schematics, and technical drawings.
- Proven problem-solving skills and a quality-first mindset.
- Comfortable with light plumbing, fabrication, or related shop work (a plus).
- 2+ years of relevant experience or completed post-secondary training in a mechanical, diesel, agricultural, or industrial maintenance field.
Especially strong backgrounds:
- Agricultural (ag) mechanics
- Auto / diesel mechanics
- Industrial maintenance technicians
Why Join Akkerman
- Work on varied, specialized builds instead of high-volume repetitive assembly.
- Direct customer interaction and the chance to see your work perform in the field.
- Collaborative, safety-focused environment in a modern manufacturing facility.
- Competitive pay with respect for work-life balance.
- Opportunity to grow your skills across multiple systems and equipment types.
In addition to a generous wage rate that will be based on applicable qualifications, Akkerman Inc. offers a well-rounded benefit package that includes health insurance, life insurance, 401k, profit sharing, vacation/holidays, and a team-oriented, supportive work environment.
How to Apply:
Apply through the Indeed platform, or online at akkerman.com
Pay: $26 – $32/hour
Benefits:
- HDHP Medical Plan with Company HSA contribution
- Dental Insurance
- 401(k) Plan with Company Match
- Paid time off
- Weekly pay
- Paid Basic Life insurance
About Akkerman Inc:
Akkerman Inc., is a leading manufacturer of underground construction equipment. Akkerman produces tunneling and pipe jacking equipment for domestic and international markets, out of its factory in Brownsdale, Minnesota. This equipment ranges from four inches to fourteen feet in diameter.
Job Summary:
Provides leadership and direction for the administration, coordination, and continuous improvement of Akkerman’s technical support, field service, refurbishment, and technician development programs.
Primary facilitator for customer technical support requests, Requests for Information (RFIs), field service activities, and refurbishment projects while ensuring effective communication and collaboration between customers and internal subject matter experts (SMEs). Responsible for maintaining efficient support processes, developing technician competencies, administering technical resources, and supporting initiatives that enhance customer experience.
Works closely with Sales, Aftermarket Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Technical Publications, and Field Service personnel to ensure customer service requirements are effectively executed and fulfilled.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
Technical Support Request Management
- Administer and maintain Akkerman’s technical support processes and communication channels, tracking activities from initiation to closure.
- Receive, triage, prioritize, assign, and monitor technical support requests.
- Facilitate communication between customers and internal SMEs to ensure timely follow-up, issue resolution, and proper documentation.
- Monitor support metrics, identifying service responsiveness and effectiveness improvement opportunities.
- Assist with troubleshooting and technical problem resolution as required.
- Serve as the primary coordinator for technical RFIs.
- Coordinate support activities and responses from departments and other SMEs while monitoring and ensuring timely completion.
- Identify recurring technical inquiries and opportunities for documentation improvements.
- Improve organizational access to technical information through knowledge management initiatives.
Technician Services Management
- Lead and maintain Akkerman’s field technical service programs.
- Evaluate service requests and determine appropriate technical resources based on project requirements.
- Coordinate technician assignments based on customer needs, project scope, technician competencies, and business priorities.
- Manage technician scheduling, travel coordination, and customer communications.
- Confirm project requirements, customer responsibilities, location readiness, and service expectations prior to deployment.
- Coordinate changes to service schedules resulting from customer requests, project delays, or resource constraints.
- Support service project closeout activities including documentation, reporting, and billing coordination.
- Maintain technician resumes, certifications, training records, and competency records.
- Monitor technician utilization and workload planning.
Technician Development and Certification
- Create and maintain standardized training curriculum for Akkerman products, systems, troubleshooting procedures, and application methods.
- Develop onboarding programs and training resources for new technicians.
- Conduct technical training seminars, workshops, and hands-on learning sessions.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and one-on-one technical development support.
- Establish and administer technician competency assessments and certification programs.
- Assess, document, and monitor technician skill progression and proficiency levels.
- Measure technician performance through established competency and development programs.
- Maintain current and coordinate new technical training materials and learning resources related to product changes and introductions.
- Support the future development of customer training programs as organizational priorities evolve.
Refurbishment Program Management
- Coordinate and manage refurbishment and rebuild activities for both customer and company-owned equipment.
- Evaluate refurbishment opportunities and assist in establishing project scope, schedules, resource requirements, and technical needs.
- Coordinate and monitor refurbishment schedules, activities and milestones between technicians, production, engineering, supply chain, and quality functions.
- Utilize refurbishment projects as opportunities for technician development and skill advancement.
- Ensure refurbishment documentation, inspections, and records are properly maintained.
- Recommend improvements to refurbishment processes and workflows.
- Support project completion activities and customer communications as required.
Technical Resources and Knowledge Management
- Develop, organize, and maintain technical references, troubleshooting guides, service procedures, and support documentation.
- Ensure technical resources remain accurate, accessible, current, and easy to locate.
- Collaborate with Technical Publications, Product Management, and Engineering to improve service documentation and support resources.
- Capture and document lessons learned from technical support cases, RFIs, field service activities, and refurbishment projects.
- Promote effective use of technical resources throughout the organization.
- Support the development of self-service technical information resources for internal and external stakeholders.
Continuous Improvement and Support Technology
- Support implementation and maintenance of support technologies, ticketing systems, knowledge management tools, and service platforms.
- Utilization of customer feedback to assist in developing more efficient support workflows, escalation processes, and information-sharing practices.
- Evaluate emerging technologies that may improve technical support effectiveness, including AI-enabled support tools.
- Monitor technical team capabilities related to customer and market needs.
- Define, monitor, and report key support and service performance metrics.
- Support quality, operational excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with Engineering and Product Management to communicate field observations and product improvement opportunities.
Required Qualifications
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, Construction Equipment Technology, Business Management, related field, OR equivalent experience
- 5+ years of experience in technical support, field service, equipment maintenance, product support, heavy equipment operations, or a related field.
- Demonstrated leadership, training, mentoring, or supervisory experience.
- Valid driver’s license and passport for required domestic and international travel.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and business software systems.
- Excellent communication, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.
- Strong organizational and time-management abilities.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. Akkerman is unable to sponsor or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with trenchless construction equipment, heavy industrial equipment, or similar capital equipment.
- Experience developing technical training and certification programs.
- Experience managing technical field service operations including technical support systems, ticketing systems, or knowledge management platforms.
- Experience coordinating refurbishment, rebuilding, or equipment overhaul projects.
- Familiarity with learning management systems, AI-enabled support tools, and modern support technologies.
Pay: $85,000 – $115,000 annually
Benefits:
- HDHP Medical Plan with Company HSA contribution
- Dental Insurance
- 401(k) Plan with Company Match
- Paid time off
- Weekly pay
- Paid Basic Life insurance
Apply Today
For consideration, please complete the online application below or submit completed resume and application to mziebell@akkerman.com.
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Akkeman, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.