Automation Hardware & Control System Engineer

JOB DESCRIPTION

§ Position Title: Automation Hardware & Control System Engineer – Rockwell and Siemens

§ Department: Application Engineering / Industrial Automation / Project Execution

§ Location: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, with travel to customer sites as required

§ Reporting To: Project Manager / Head – Application Engineering

§ Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Purpose

-         The Automation Hardware & Control System Engineer will be responsible for electrical engineering, control-panel design, preparation of drawings, hardware selection, panel wiring supervision, factory testing, and commissioning of industrial automation systems based on Rockwell Automation and Siemens platforms.

-         The engineer shall coordinate with panel technicians, electricians, programmers, mechanical engineers, instrument vendors, and customers to ensure that the complete control system is manufactured, wired, tested, and commissioned in accordance with approved drawings, technical specifications, and applicable electrical standards.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical and Control-System Design

The engineer shall:

-         Study customer specifications, P&IDs, process descriptions, equipment layouts, motor lists, instrument lists, and input/output requirements.

-         Prepare complete electrical and control-system drawings.

-         Develop control-panel general arrangement drawings.

-         Prepare power distribution diagrams and single-line diagrams.

-         Prepare control schematics and interconnection drawings.

-         Prepare PLC, HMI, SCADA, VFD, MCC, and instrumentation wiring diagrams.

-         Prepare terminal block diagrams and terminal allocation schedules.

-         Prepare cable schedules and inter-panel cable details.

-         Prepare input/output wiring diagrams.

-         Prepare panel internal component layouts.

-         Prepare bill of materials for control panels and automation systems.

-         Prepare load calculations for control transformers, SMPS units, UPS systems, and panel power supplies.

-         Select suitable circuit breakers, contactors, overload relays, relays, terminals, isolators, power supplies, cables, and panel accessories.

-         Ensure appropriate segregation of power, control, analogue, communication, and safety wiring.

-         Review customer drawings and identify technical discrepancies before manufacturing.

Control-System Hardware Knowledge

The candidate should have practical knowledge of:

Rockwell Automation

-         CompactLogix PLC systems.

-         ControlLogix PLC systems.

-         Micro800 PLC systems.

-         POINT I/O and Compact I/O systems.

-         Allen-Bradley PanelView HMI systems.

-         PowerFlex variable-frequency drives.

-         Ethernet/IP communication networks.

-         Remote input/output panels.

-         Rockwell PLC and HMI hardware configuration.

-         FactoryTalk View and FactoryTalk Optix hardware architecture.

-         Industrial Ethernet switches and fibre-optic communication systems.

Siemens Automation

-         Siemens S7-1200 PLC systems.

-         Siemens S7-1500 PLC systems.

-         ET 200SP and other Siemens remote I/O systems.

-         Siemens Basic, Comfort, and Unified HMI panels.

-         Siemens SINAMICS variable-frequency drives.

-         PROFINET and PROFIBUS communication networks.

-         Siemens PLC, HMI, VFD, and remote I/O hardware configuration.

-         TIA Portal hardware configuration and diagnostic tools.

Electrical Drawing Responsibilities:

The candidate must be able to independently prepare and modify drawings using Capital panel design or equivalent electrical design software.

Drawings may include:

-         Control-panel general arrangement.

-         Internal component layout.

-         Single-line diagram.

-         Power wiring diagram.

-         Motor feeder diagram.

-         DOL starter wiring diagram.

-         Star-delta starter wiring diagram.

-         VFD feeder wiring diagram.

-         Soft starter wiring diagram.

-         PLC input/output wiring diagram.

-         Relay logic diagram.

-         Instrument loop diagram.

-         Terminal block diagram.

-         Interconnection diagram.

-         Cable schedule.

-         Input/output list.

-         Network architecture diagram.

-         Panel-to-field wiring diagram.

-         Earthing and shielding details.

-         Bill of materials.

-         Ferrule and wire-numbering schedule.

The engineer shall ensure that all drawings are accurate, properly numbered, revision-controlled, and suitable for panel manufacturing and site installation.

Panel Wiring Supervision

The engineer shall:

-         Guide electricians and panel wiring technicians during panel manufacturing.

-         Explain wiring drawings, terminal schedules, and interconnection requirements.

-         Verify correct placement of PLCs, VFDs, MCCBs, contactors, relays, terminals, switches, and instruments.

-         Check wire sizes, cable sizes, ferrule numbering, lug selection, and terminal connections.

-         Ensure proper routing and dressing of wires.

-         Ensure segregation between AC power, DC control, analogue signals, communication cables, and safety circuits.

-         Verify earthing, shielding, and grounding arrangements.

-         Check installation of cable glands, ducts, DIN rails, terminals, and panel cooling arrangements.

-         Ensure that all wiring is completed in accordance with approved drawings.

-         Identify and rectify wiring errors during panel manufacturing.

-         Conduct continuity testing and point-to-point checking.

-         Verify torque tightening of power and control terminals.

-         Ensure proper labelling of all panel components, terminals, cables, and field devices.

-         Supervise modifications and red-mark corrections during panel testing.

The candidate must be capable of directing wiring personnel practically and should not be limited to office-based drawing work.

Factory Testing and Commissioning

The engineer shall be responsible for factory testing of control panels and connected equipment.

Responsibilities include:

-         Conduct panel pre-power checks.

-         Verify incoming power supply, phase sequence, voltage levels, and earthing.

-         Check control transformer and SMPS output voltages.

-         Perform insulation resistance and continuity checks.

-         Verify PLC input/output wiring.

-         Conduct digital input and digital output loop checking.

-         Conduct analogue input and analogue output loop checking.

-         Verify sensor scaling and signal conversion.

-         Test relay logic, interlocks, permissives, and alarms.

-         Conduct simulation of field inputs and outputs.

-         Test emergency-stop circuits and safety interlocks.

-         Verify communication between PLC, HMI, SCADA, VFD, remote I/O, and instruments.

-         Support Factory Acceptance Testing.

-         Prepare FAT checklists and test records.

-         Maintain punch-point lists and close observations before dispatch.

-         Support pre-dispatch inspection by customers or consultants.

PLC, HMI, and Network Support

The candidate is primarily responsible for hardware engineering but should possess sufficient software knowledge to support testing and commissioning.

-         The candidate should be able to:

-         Configure PLC hardware modules.

-         Assign PLC and HMI IP addresses.

-         Configure remote I/O racks.

-         Configure basic Ethernet/IP and PROFINET networks.

-         Download PLC and HMI programs under the guidance of the software engineer.

-         Monitor PLC input/output status during testing.

-         Force or simulate input/output points during controlled testing.

-         Identify hardware faults using diagnostic LEDs and software diagnostics.

-         Replace and configure faulty PLC, HMI, I/O, communication, or drive hardware.

-         Take backups of PLC, HMI, and drive configurations.

-         Perform basic online troubleshooting in Studio 5000, Connected Components Workbench, and Siemens TIA Portal.

-         Coordinate with PLC programmers for logic changes and sequence testing.

-         Advanced PLC programming experience will be considered an advantage but is not mandatory where strong hardware, wiring, and commissioning skills are available.

Site Commissioning Responsibilities

The engineer may be required to travel to customer sites for installation supervision and commissioning.

Site responsibilities include:

-         Verify panel installation and incoming power supply.

-         Check field cable termination.

-         Verify cable identification and termination against drawings.

-         Conduct point-to-point testing.

-         Coordinate with electricians, mechanical teams, and process teams.

-         Conduct motor rotation trials.

-         Conduct pump, blower, agitator, conveyor, valve, and actuator trials.

-         Commission PLC, HMI, VFD, remote I/O, and instrumentation systems.

-         Check communication networks.

-         Resolve wiring and hardware faults.

-         Support process trials and sequence testing.

-         Record site modifications and prepare as-built drawings.

-         Prepare daily commissioning reports.

-         Maintain punch-point and pending-work lists.

-         Obtain customer sign-off after successful commissioning.

-         Train customer operators and maintenance personnel on basic hardware operation and troubleshooting.

Documentation Responsibilities

The engineer shall prepare and maintain:

-         Approved electrical drawings.

-         Bill of materials.

-         Input/output lists.

-         Instrument lists.

-         Motor lists.

-         Cable schedules.

-         Terminal schedules.

-         Network architecture diagrams.

-         FAT procedures.

-         FAT reports.

-         SAT and commissioning reports.

-         Drive parameter sheets.

-         Instrument configuration sheets.

-         Test certificates.

-         As-built drawings.

-         Operation and maintenance manuals.

-         Hardware backup records.

-         Project handover documentation.

All documents shall be revision-controlled and maintained according to company procedures.

Required Technical Skills

The candidate should possess:

-         Strong understanding of industrial electrical control systems.

-         Ability to read and prepare electrical schematics.

-         Practical knowledge of PLC control panels.

-         Knowledge of MCC and VFD panel construction.

-         Understanding of industrial instrumentation.

-         Knowledge of 230 VAC, 110 VAC, and 24 VDC control circuits.

-         Knowledge of three-phase motor wiring.

-         Knowledge of electrical protection and isolation.

-         Understanding of analogue and digital signals.

-         Knowledge of 4–20 mA instrumentation loops.

-         Knowledge of RTD and thermocouple wiring.

-         Understanding of relay logic and electrical interlocks.

-         Knowledge of Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, Modbus RTU, and Modbus TCP.

-         Understanding of earthing, shielding, and electromagnetic interference prevention.

-         Knowledge of panel heat-load management and ventilation.

-         Ability to use multimeters, clamp meters, insulation testers, loop calibrators, and communication diagnostic tools.

-         Ability to troubleshoot electrical, instrumentation, drive, and communication faults.

Software Knowledge

Preferred knowledge of:

-         AutoCAD Electrical.

-         EPLAN Electric P8.

-         Studio 5000 Logix Designer.

-         FactoryTalk View Studio.

-         FactoryTalk Optix.

-         Connected Components Workbench.

-         Siemens TIA Portal.

-         Siemens STARTDRIVE.

-         Rockwell DriveExecutive or drive configuration tools.

-         Microsoft Excel.

-         Microsoft Word.

-         PDF drawing and document review tools.

Educational Qualification

Preferred qualification:

-         Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

-         Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering.

-         Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumentation and Control Engineering.

-         Equivalent industrial automation qualification with relevant practical experience.

Experience Requirements

Preferred Experience

-         3 to 8 years of experience in industrial automation, control-panel engineering, electrical design, panel manufacturing, testing, or commissioning.

-         Candidates with 1 to 3 years of strong practical panel wiring and commissioning experience may also be considered for a junior position.

Experience should preferably include:

-         Rockwell Automation PLC systems.

-         Siemens PLC systems.

-         Industrial control-panel manufacturing.

-         VFD commissioning.

-         Field instrumentation.

-         Factory Acceptance Testing.

-         Site commissioning.

-         Water, wastewater, food and beverage, process, pharmaceutical, power, utility, or manufacturing automation projects.

Preferred Additional Skills:

The following will be considered advantageous:

-         Experience with industrial networking and managed switches.

-         Experience with fibre-optic communication.

-         Knowledge of machine-safety circuits.

-         Knowledge of safety PLC systems.

-         Experience with servo drives and motion-control systems.

-         Experience with MCC panels and motor control centres.

-         Experience with SCADA system hardware.

-         Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity basics.

-         Experience with panel estimation and cost preparation.

-         Experience with tender specifications and technical offers.

-         Knowledge of applicable IEC and Indian electrical standards.

-         Experience in preparation of operation and maintenance manuals.

-         Ability to conduct customer training.

Tools and Test Equipment:

The candidate should be comfortable using:

-         Digital multimeter.

-         Clamp meter.

-         Insulation resistance tester.

-         Phase-sequence meter.

-         Loop calibrator.

-         RTD and thermocouple simulator.

-         Portable pressure calibrator.

-         Network cable tester.

-         Laptop with PLC, HMI, and VFD software.

-         Ethernet diagnostic tools.

-         Hand tools required for electrical troubleshooting.

-         Torque screwdriver and torque wrench where applicable.

Travel Requirement:

-         The position requires travel to customer sites for installation supervision, commissioning, troubleshooting, and service support.

• -         The candidate should be willing to travel within India and stay at project sites for the duration required for commissioning.