Are you a project manager, maintenance manager, supervisor, production manager, or the owner of a manufacturing company? Are you in the process of purchasing a control system or equipment that needs to be integrated into your facilities?
This article is for you.
While it is often more cost-effective and relatively efficient to assign an in-house resource to handle small integration projects, certain larger industrial projects inevitably require the involvement of a certified integrator to ensure not only that the systems function properly but also that they are optimized.
It is not easy to determine exactly when it might be best for your company to bring in an industrial integrator, nor is it easy to clearly define the scope of their role. However, when hiring an integrator, you need to decide whether you want them to handle a significant portion of the project or if you prefer that they handle only the integration of specific equipment.
My name is Julien Cyr, president of Cyr Système. From a very young age, I was fascinated by the world of electronics, spending my time playing with remote-controlled cars. Even back then, I was building up the technical knowledge that would soon shape my career. With a degree in electromechanics and certified as an electrician, I continued my training with a major contractor in the field, where I was quickly entrusted with projects in the control division and became a shareholder in the company. Through this document, I offer you the benefit of my many years of experience in industrial automation, programming, and integration.
In this article, I aim to provide you with all the relevant information regarding certified integration, its benefits, and its limitations. This will enable you to make a more informed decision about the scope of work to be entrusted to an industrial installer and, above all, about your choice of subcontractor.
Important to know before you begin
1. Before hiring a certified integrator, you’ll need to define the scope of the project you want to entrust to them. Will you assign them responsibility for electrical distribution and machine-to-machine communication? Will they need to create a wiring list to provide to an electrician? Do you want them to handle machine safety or 3D drawings? In short, are you looking for a turnkey solution or just want to outsource part of the project?
The answer to this question depends largely on the skills of the staff you have available within your company and their availability. If your employees are already busy with other tasks, you may want to expand the scope of the work you outsource.
2. The second question you should ask yourself concerns the type of machinery or system you want to integrate. I cannot stress enough how important it is to hire an industrial integrator with a solid understanding of the equipment you need to integrate. If the installer is familiar with the products, the work will be completed faster, at a lower cost, and, most importantly, to a much higher standard. Often, simply calling the manufacturer to get information on certified integrators for their equipment will be of significant help to you.
If you haven’t decided on a specific brand for the equipment you plan to purchase, you should first determine the type of work to be done and then hire an integrator with proven expertise in that area. Research the technologies you wish to implement. Avoid hiring someone who has never done this before, as you won’t achieve the desired results.
3. Have a clear vision of what you want for your production line and what you expect from your industrial contractor. Define the production rate you want to achieve and the constraints you want to eliminate to streamline or improve the safety of your operations, for example.
Next, compile a list of potential certified integrators. Of course, it’s best to start with specialists you’ve worked with before and who have provided you with satisfactory service. Trust can’t be bought. If they aren’t capable of doing a good job with the technology or brand of equipment in question, they’ll be honest with you about it.
Should we do it in-house or hire a certified industrial integrator?
To save money, it may be tempting to assign as many tasks as possible to your existing team. Before doing so, however, make sure your employees have the necessary skills and abilities to carry out these tasks effectively. Ensure they have solid experience in project management and have successfully completed similar tasks on numerous occasions.
You’ll want to rely on a multidisciplinary team for your project, with access to specialists not only for integration but also for tasks such as installing a control panel, programming, or setting up a robot.
To be honest, it’s quite rare for companies to have access to such specialized resources, and given the current labor shortage, it makes perfect sense to keep employees in their current roles within the company’s day-to-day operations and entrust the integration project to a certified external provider. You’ll achieve optimal results faster and without any oversights.
Your facilities are the most important part of your business. They deserve the very best.
What is a certified integrator?
A certified integrator is an integrator recognized by the manufacturer of a system or piece of equipment for their expertise in the field related to those products. This guarantees the customer high-quality work and optimal results.
Other work related to your project may require certain licenses or certifications, such as the preparation of sealed electrical plans that require the involvement of an engineer or the installation of a new electrical service. For the sake of efficiency, you should choose an integrator who has the necessary authorizations and is capable of handling all tasks related to your project.
What is his role within the company?
Although clients are advised to clearly define the scope of work to be assigned to the certified integrator, certain gray areas often remain. The integrator’s first task will therefore be to guide the client through the project in order to clearly define what will be handled by the company’s own staff and what will be outsourced.
The integrator’s role is to act as a trusted partner. They temporarily join the existing team to provide the specific expertise required for the project, as if they were part of the company. The integrator will ask relevant questions related to the expected outcome and propose solutions. It is at this stage that we will have a better idea of the costs associated with the subcontractor’s involvement.
If your integrator has solid experience in the field—as is the case at Cyr Automatisation—they can guide you through the decision-making process and recommend the systems and equipment that best suit your specific needs. A thorough understanding of the available options is a major advantage at this stage.
For which companies is Cyr certified?
Cyr Automation is certified by or has experience working with equipment from the following manufacturers:
- Phoenix
- Festo
- Allen-Bradley
- Siemens
- Schneider
- Etc.
The Pros and Cons of a Certified Industrial Integrator
Benefits
- Certified integrators are typically multidisciplinary teams that can provide you with a turnkey solution for your project. Do you need to install an electrical connection or set up a robot? They have the right specialists for these tasks.
- Using the services of a certified integrator allows the installation project to be completed without placing additional pressure on a work team that is already very busy amid a labor shortage. The company’s employees can focus on other tasks.
- A certified integrator possesses a higher level of knowledge and experience. They have completed several similar projects. As a result, they will be able to optimize the outcome and avoid oversights that can sometimes be costly in terms of time and money.
- Working with an industrial installer helps preserve project-specific knowledge. The systems are not at risk due to workers retiring or moving to a competitor.
- The timeline is usually shorter when the project is entrusted to a certified integrator. When the company’s own employees are assigned the project, they often carry it out alongside their regular duties, which significantly delays implementation. The fact that they may not necessarily have the skills required to complete the project is another factor that prolongs the timeline.
- Choosing a certified integrator provides an outside perspective on the company, allowing you to gather advice and relevant information that can make a significant difference in the company’s productivity.
- A certified integrator typically assumes the risks associated with the integration project, ensuring that the equipment operates in accordance with the company’s needs (expected performance).
Disadvantages
- The subcontractor is not familiar with the company’s operations. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an overview of the company’s activities and allow for a short adjustment period. It is important to be able to convey information in a structured manner.
- It will inevitably be more expensive to hire a certified integrator than to assign the tasks to existing employees.
What kind of post-installation service can I expect?
A certified integrator doesn’t just disappear once the project is complete. They remain available to answer questions and step in to make adjustments as needed.
Once the integration is complete, the contractor also transfers information and trains the relevant employees (often those assigned to maintenance) so that the company can take over and operate its facilities with a degree of autonomy.
What are the costs associated with a certified industrial integrator?
Costs vary significantly depending on the scope and complexity of the project. However, thanks to the experience Y&Co has gained over the years, clients can obtain a relatively accurate cost estimate during the initial project assessment, thereby avoiding major surprises.
Generally speaking, additional costs for integration can be expected to range from 20% to 30% of the total project value. Given the adjustment period required to adapt to the company’s specific circumstances—which is similar regardless of the project’s size—the larger the project, the more this percentage tends to decrease.
Projects to integrate your equipment into your factory are of the utmost importance. The quality of these installations will impact your production operations and, by extension, your profitability.
Whether you use an in-house integrator or outsource the work, I cannot stress enough how important it is to hire a specialist who is familiar with the equipment and technologies you use. You’ll also benefit from having a team that can handle not only the integration but also other related tasks.
To this end, in addition to possessing decades of combined expertise in the manufacturing sector, Cyr Automatisation relies on a multidisciplinary team of certified integrators working in several complementary fields, as well as specialists capable of drawing up electrical engineering plans or installing electrical connections or control panels.
Since the start of the pandemic, it has often been more difficult to obtain the parts needed for the integration process, which inevitably leads to delays. It is worth noting that Cyr Automatisation also operates a component distribution business, which allows it to source the parts needed for integration very quickly and thus reduce lead times.
If you have any questions about this article or would like more information about Cyr Automation’s certified integration service, please feel free to contact us today by email at info@cyrsysteme.com or by phone at 1-844-358-6035.