Worker attributes and training needs for maintenance technicians: insights from lithium-ion battery production

Journal article, 2026

This study examines maintenance technicians in Sweden's emerging lithium-ion battery industry, focusing on desired worker attributes and training needs. Using a single case study at a gigafactory, we collected qualitative data from 21 interviews and two site visits and interpreted them using narrative and thematic analysis. Drawing on industrial maintenance and strategic human resource management literature, we first develop a conceptual framework of the individual-level capacity of maintenance technicians and their Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics (KSAOs). We then empirically derive the first LIB-specific KSAO profile for technicians by identifying, describing, and classifying 21 worker attributes, as well as uncovering training-related challenges and opportunities. By synthesizing theory and findings into practical KSAO and training frameworks, we provide a rich understanding of worker attributes and training in a novel, dynamic, and highly technical industrial environment, along with a new research foundation linking industrial maintenance and strategic human resource management.