Tapping into industrial market?
- Thread starter Benton
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petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- Semi-retired engineer
It is a completely different animal from the residential market, with radically different approaches to things.
It is not something that you would want to get involved in as a sideline IMO. You just cannot be competent and competitive in a market where you are just dabbling. True for any business, not restricted to EC.
It is not something that you would want to get involved in as a sideline IMO. You just cannot be competent and competitive in a market where you are just dabbling. True for any business, not restricted to EC.
Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
ongoing work in industrial is all about relationships with plant managers.
about the best work their is, from my point of view.
new work (bidding with a herd of contractors) is a most excellent way
to lose your butt, if you don't have a bunch of experience with it, and
good sources for materials.
pricing for control stuff makes bids on lighting packages look like a
level playing field by comparison. the good part is, you are usually
dealing with professionals on the customer side of the equation, who
have realistic ideas of what something costs to do.
PEDRO ESCOVILLA
Senior Member
- Location
- south texas
what type of work will you be doing? are you set up with a pipe treader for rigid pipe ? have you done this kind of work before? you will also need to be aware of the plant safety rules, which , in many places can be way more restrictive than " in the field". i used to work for a place that did lots of new and service work for paper mills in nh. steel toed boots, wsafety glasses, tie off if more than 6 feet off the ground ( step ladder) had to real careful about what we shut down and when. chemicals in environment to be cautios and aware of. there are tons of variables/ find a place to get a foot in thwe door. give a price you won't loose your can on, and GO for it
renosteinke
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Arkansas
Just what do you think "industrial" EC work is?
It makes a very real difference as to your expectations, and your abilities.
"Industrial," to me, means you're serving a large operation on an as-needed basis. This often means having a large crew working like mad for a few weeks - then sitting idle for awhile. The customer thinks they 'own' you, and are not the least bit shy about bringing in others. Every clown working for the customer feels a need to 'manage' your operation.
You'll be expected to conform to their schedule- which often means 20-hr shifts and weekend operations. The paperwork hoops can be daunting - for example, you may be required to send each guy for a day of 'safety training' every year.
On the financial side, you can easily be exposed to millions of dollars responsibility for materials - while the customer will often take 100 days to pay. You'll still be expected to bid stuff. You'll do all the legwork 'designing' something, only to see purchasing put it out to bid.
Then there's the matter of scale. Threading pipe, bending large pipe, and pulling big wires is almost routine.
It makes a very real difference as to your expectations, and your abilities.
"Industrial," to me, means you're serving a large operation on an as-needed basis. This often means having a large crew working like mad for a few weeks - then sitting idle for awhile. The customer thinks they 'own' you, and are not the least bit shy about bringing in others. Every clown working for the customer feels a need to 'manage' your operation.
You'll be expected to conform to their schedule- which often means 20-hr shifts and weekend operations. The paperwork hoops can be daunting - for example, you may be required to send each guy for a day of 'safety training' every year.
On the financial side, you can easily be exposed to millions of dollars responsibility for materials - while the customer will often take 100 days to pay. You'll still be expected to bid stuff. You'll do all the legwork 'designing' something, only to see purchasing put it out to bid.
Then there's the matter of scale. Threading pipe, bending large pipe, and pulling big wires is almost routine.
stevenje
Senior Member
- Location
- Yachats Oregon
Have you ever worked in the industrial side of this business? If not, you should get your feet wet by working for a company who does this type of work. Industrial is a whole different animal.
Yes I do have industrial experience. I worked in Chemical plants for years. But my whole objective as an EC is to do more control work and automation. I know that I would have to run rigid conduit and all that comes with. I will be looking for small to medium-size PLC jobs. The industrial world just seems to be somewhat of a secret society and I'm just trying to get my foot in the door.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- Semi-retired engineer
The thing is that most plants won't deal with someone who cannot provide full service. If all you are looking to do is wire up what you consider to be small to medium size PLC jobs, I think you are going to have trouble finding that niche.
Most PLC jobs are a small part of a project that may require you to have 10 guys on site for a few weeks to get it done. Often the timing is over holidays and other inconvenient times like weekends and 3rd shift.
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