Control System Design
Licensed electrical design, in-house panel manufacture, and PLC system architecture. Professional engineering documentation from day one.
Complete In-House Engineering
From initial drawings to final handover, every step under one roof.
Electrical schematics, layouts, cable schedules, I/O lists
In-house workshop, not subcontracted
Cable installation and termination
Mechanical and electrical plant fit-out
Testing, tuning, handover
Most industrial electrical contractors handle two or three of these steps and subcontract the rest. All Plant Engineering carries the full chain under one roof: one point of responsibility, one consistent documentation set, and no gaps between design intent and what gets built on site.
From Schematic to Switchboard
When we say "control system design," that means something specific. It starts with professional electrical design software that produces a complete engineering documentation set: electrical schematics, panel layouts, cable schedules, I/O lists, terminal diagrams. This is not hand-drawn sketches or a single-line diagram scanned to PDF. It's the documentation set that compliance teams require, that maintenance electricians actually need on the floor, and that future contractors need when you're upgrading the plant in ten years.
Panel design goes deeper than the schematic. Component selection matters: overload sizing for each motor, contactor ratings with derating for ambient temperature, VSD selection matched to the load profile. Thermal management determines how long the panel lasts under continuous duty. Busbar layout affects fault level withstand and future expansion. Cable entry planning means the installation team isn't improvising on site. These decisions get made at the design stage by our engineers, not worked out by an electrician standing in front of an open panel.
Our in-house workshop means the person who designed the panel and the person who builds it work in the same building. That matters more than it sounds. Problems that look fine on a schematic (a wire route that's too tight, a component that won't clear the door swing, a terminal block count that's off) get caught at build stage, not discovered on site when the client is waiting for commissioning to start. The documentation set and the physical panel leave our workshop in agreement with each other.
PLC and SCADA system architecture is the third leg of control system design. Platform selection (Beckhoff, Siemens, Allen Bradley, Omron, Mitsubishi) depends on the application, the client's existing install base, and long-term support requirements. I/O mapping defines how the physical world connects to the controller. Network topology (EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP) determines how the controller communicates with the rest of the plant. Getting this architecture right at the design stage costs far less than redesigning it when the system is already in the field.
What We Design and Build
Specific capabilities we deliver on control system projects, from initial design through to commissioned and documented system.
Electrical Design
Full engineering documentation: electrical schematics, panel layout drawings, cable schedules, I/O lists, terminal diagrams. Professional documentation that meets compliance requirements and that maintenance teams can actually use. Not simplified sketches, the real documentation set.
Panel Manufacture
In-house workshop build, not subcontracted. Component selection including overload sizing, contactor ratings, and VSD specifications. Thermal management design, busbar layout, cable entry planning. Panels are wired, tested, and inspected before they leave the building. Design and build under one roof means problems get caught early.
PLC Architecture
Platform selection matched to application requirements: Beckhoff, Siemens (S7-1200, S7-1500, TIA Portal), Allen Bradley (CompactLogix, ControlLogix), Omron, Mitsubishi. I/O design, network topology specification (EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP), and hardware selection. Architecture documentation produced before programming begins.
SCADA System Design
Ignition system architecture. Screen design philosophy: what operators need to see and when, not just what data is available. Alarm philosophy design to avoid alarm floods in fault conditions. Historian configuration for production reporting and trend analysis. All Plant Engineering is a Certified Inductive Automation integrator for Ignition.
Have a design project in mind?
Whether it's a new system design, a panel upgrade, or a SCADA architecture review, talk to our engineers about what you need.
Or call us directly: 1300 595 915