Commissioning — Site Testing and Handover in Running Condition
Site testing, I/O verification and handover in running condition for installed automation and electrical systems.
Commissioning is where a project moves from paper into real production. Even with the panel built, the cables pulled and the software written, a system can only be run safely once it has been verified step by step on site. Contech commissions systems it has built itself as well as installations carried out by other companies. The aim is not simply to start the line, but to prove that every signal, every protection and every emergency stop behaves exactly as expected.
Commissioning begins before power is applied. Panel and field wiring are compared against the drawings, terminal connections are checked for tightness, insulation resistance is measured and earth continuity is verified. A fault found at this stage costs far less to close than the same fault found live. I/O verification follows: every digital input is triggered individually from the field and confirmed to appear at the correct PLC address, and every output is forced to check it drives the right equipment. Analogue signals get scale verification, calibrating what engineering value each field 4-20 mA signal corresponds to in the PLC. The safety chain comes next. Emergency stop buttons are tested one by one, door switches and light curtains are triggered to confirm the relevant motion genuinely stops. Safety functions are verified at hardware level, not from software. Motors are first turned unloaded, with direction of rotation and drive parameters checked, then brought under load progressively. After each process stage has run individually, the line is switched to automatic and a trial production run is made with real product. At this point cycle times, synchronisation points and alarm thresholds are fine-tuned against actual conditions. Handover completes with training for operators and maintenance staff: how to start the line, what to do on common alarms, and which maintenance falls due at which interval. The commissioning report, I/O list and updated drawings are delivered to the plant.
- Pre-energisation checks: drawing comparison, tightness, insulation resistance, earth continuity.
- I/O verification — every input triggered from the field, every output force-tested.
- Scale calibration on analogue signals (4-20 mA to engineering value).
- Safety chain verified at hardware level: e-stops, door switches, light curtains.
- Motor rotation direction and drive parameters checked unloaded, then loaded progressively.
- Trial production with real product; cycle times and alarm thresholds fine-tuned.
- Operator and maintenance training; commissioning report and updated drawings handed over.
- Handover of newly installed production lines in running condition
- Completing systems installed by another company but never commissioned
- Recommissioning relocated factories and machines at the new location
- Revalidating an expanded line after a capacity increase
- Function testing after a safety chain revision
Will you commission a system installed by another company?
Yes. Drawings and installation are first checked for agreement, and missing or incorrect items are reported. Scope and duration are agreed after that assessment.
Does production stop during commissioning?
On new lines production has not started yet. For revisions in a running plant, work is scheduled around weekends or planned shutdowns to keep production loss to a minimum.
Is operator training included?
It is. At handover, operators and maintenance staff are taken through starting the line, responding to common alarms and periodic maintenance intervals.
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