COOTAMUNDRA OIL SEEDS PROJECT

Location: Cootamundra, NSW
Client: Cootamundra Oil Seeds

RIC Electrics were engaged to carry out the electrical and control installation for the factory.

At the time of being awarded the project the major part of the electrical materials were to be free issued from India via the company that was supplying the seed crushing plant and machinery.

RIC was requested to go to India to inspect the manufacture of the Motor Control Centres (MCC’s) for the project. We cordially declined this offer and advised it would be far cheaper to have the Indian manufacturers issue photos during the construction of the MCC’s and for RIC to discuss the manufacture of the MCC’s via skype and email.

RIC identified several short falls with the manufacture of the MCC’s with colour coding and fault levels within the MCC’s and instructed the Indian manufacturers to alter and upgrade the MCC’s to comply with Australian Standards. This mostly was achieved but not all was completed satisfactorily and when the MCC’s arrived on site RIC still had modifications to do to ensure the MCC’s complied with Australian Standards.

On arrival the MCC’s were fitted with the incorrect PLC’s. As such RIC Electrics was commission to remove the incorrect PLC’s and install and program the specified Allen Bradley PLC’s and SCADA system.

There were no plans or drawing for the plant and machinery installation thus the site electrical installation was a design and construct project as and when machinery and plant were installed. This made day to day work planning a major issue.

RIC was contracted to program the PLC to manage the plant operations and to design the SCADA system for the plant operators. There were no “Plant Functional Descriptions” issued so it was up to RIC to liaise with site staff to sort out start up sequences instrument control and fault alarms.