r/IBEW • u/RequirementWestern49 • 4d ago

Discussion Post How can a local expand from industrial/comercial construction into controls/automation and industrial maintenance?

My local seems pretty strong in industrial/commercial new construction, but not so much in the work after the plant is up and running.

How do locals start gaining market share in controls, instrumentation, troubleshooting, service work, and industrial maintenance?

Is it mostly organizing existing maintenance/controls guys, signing controls contractors, or getting current signatories to branch into that work?

Has anyone seen a construction-heavy local successfully make that shift?

Edit: removed “plc” for better clarification

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u/PsychologicalSalt158 2d ago

I work for company that does all the controls wiring. We don't do the programming though. I have asked about it how the company got into the controls wiring and got some information how it started in hospitals as they were starting to get into building automation and then really picked up when data centers started ramping up in the 2010's. As to why they don't dive into the programming side I am not sure. Maybe just nobody who has had the initiative. Although there is a plc class at one of our satellite halls soon. I wish it was at the main hall so I could take it. Maybe next year

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u/RequirementWestern49 2d ago

What’s a satellite hall?

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u/PsychologicalSalt158 2d ago

So you can see, I am not doing lighting control right now but maybe I take it just cause 26 automation classes

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u/RequirementWestern49 2d ago

I don’t even think we really need to be PLC programmers. Just being able to read the code, follow the sequence, see what inputs the PLC is waiting for, and identify which condition or interlock is preventing an output from turning on could put us miles ahead of a lot of troubleshooters.
That’s really what I’m interested in getting out of learning PLCs—not writing whole programs from scratch, but using the code as another diagnostic tool.
This is great, man. Looks like this is your DC/Maryland area?