The Ultimate Guide to Hiring the Best Controls Engineering Firm

With the application of controls automation in production and high reliability environments, even minor deviations can result in costly downtime, safety incidents, waste, and the need for extensive rework. There are many dynamic factors that must be accounted for such as environmental, mechanical variations and wear, foreseeable misuse of equipment, and electrical failures to name a few.

Controls system engineering addresses these challenges by establishing stable systems that strike the right balance to ensure the production of safe, reliable, and repeatable automation. This process requires a high level of experience and technically-skilled engineers to design, develop and tune systems for optimal performance.

When evaluating a controls engineer to lead your project, you can trust the experts at Pacific Blue Engineering to provide you with the expert guidance you need to implement stable and adaptive controls.

In this article, we will discuss:

  • What project engineers do.
  • What to know when hiring a controls engineer.
  • Questions for hiring a controls engineer.
  • The selection process for hiring a control system engineering firm.
  • How control engineering affects your budget.
  • Solving challenges with control engineering.

What Do Project Controls Engineers Do?

Let’s start with a project controls engineer overview and the role of controls engineers in a machine-driven world.

Controls engineers have several key responsibilities.

Requirements Analysis

System control engineers analyze the requirements and performance specifications for control system development. This involves reviewing technical documentation, observing existing systems and discussing needs with stakeholders to determine the goals and optimal system configuration.

System Design and Modeling

System controls engineers design the architecture to produce the desired outcomes and select the components needed for automation. It is crucial to understand how these different components integrate and any interdependencies created.

Engineers will use modeling techniques to assess components and structure and account for variables in workflow.

Programming and Simulation

System controls engineers conduct simulations and tests to evaluate control system performance before deployment. Engineers will tune control loops to optimize parameters for high-level performance to meet automation objectives.

This process is especially crucial when working with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that monitor inputs and make decisions to control outputs. System controls engineers must account for a wide spectrum of variables that can impact outputs, including conditions that may evolve over time, such as equipment degradation, temperature variations and other environmental factors.

Safety and Security

Program design and tuning will also make sure automated control systems enable safe operation, remain compliant with industry regulations and are secure.

Installation and Integration

System controls engineers manage vendors, installation and integration of control system components.

Documentation

Control engineers will document the system design, operation, troubleshooting procedures, and maintenance requirements throughout the project. Documentation is crucial to capture the details involved that may be needed for future operations.

Operational Support

Depending on how your agreement is structured, system controls engineers may provide ongoing support to ensure optimal performance throughout the system’s operational lifetime.

What to Know When Hiring a Controls Engineer

Controls system engineering is complex, so you need to work with a qualified team of professionals with experience to handle your unique process. Pacific Blue Engineering has experts in every phase of control system engineering, including legacy migrations, turnkey control system integration, machine safety, and panel builds and designs.

Here are some of the other key things you will want to know when hiring a controls engineer.

Industry Experience

Control systems will vary greatly by industry. Look for control system engineering firms that have significant experience in your industry to accelerate the analysis and design process. Controls engineers that have expertise in your industry can save time and money designing projects.

Certified Professionals

When you are searching for a controls engineer near you, look for teams that are certified and active in the industry. For example, groups active in the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) are staying current with emerging technologies and innovative solutions constantly evolving in control system engineering.

Technical Proficiency

You will also want to ensure that controls engineers have deep technical expertise with automation and control tools, including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).

Systems controls engineers will need to apply these technical skills in multiple ways, including:

  • Dynamic modeling to simulate system response to inputs and variables.
  • Stability analysis to ensure reliable, consistent performance amid changing variables.
  • Control strategies to optimize outputs and ensure safe operations.
  • Optimization of control actions, given constraints and desired outputs.
  • Filter design to remove noise and improve accuracy.
  • Fault detection to detect and identify necessary corrective actions.
  • Diagnostic analysis to uncover root causes of anomalies.
  • Parameter tuning to maximize performance.
  • Analysis of potential control system hazards and the impact of failures on risk mitigation.
  • Assessment of control algorithms to determine performance over time.

As you can see, creating intuitive and efficient operations, accounting for safety, considering usability and ensuring consistent performance takes a wide range of technical skills.

Project Management Skills

Besides technical skills, you also need to work with someone that has exceptional communication and project management skills. Developing system controls typically requires working with cross-functional teams to ensure everyone involved in the project agrees to the project scope.

Controls engineers will create detailed plans and documentation for projects and provide regular progress reports, indicate milestones and update any adjustments to the plan as necessary.

As projects progress it is critical to phase work appropriately and coordinate with equipment vendors and worksites to manage projects effectively.

Strong Analytic Skills

Creating efficient system control requires deep analysis. Much of the design work occurs in the analysis phase. Controls engineers must have strong analytic skills along with the ability to implement innovative solutions to problems that arise. This takes experience with predictive modeling, root cause analysis and a comprehensive understanding of system behavior.

Such skills are crucial to examine data, identify patterns, and anticipate potential problems to design safeguards to mitigate the impact of changing variables. System design is an iterative process, and collaborating with controls engineers is key to successful projects.

Questions For Hiring a Project Controls Engineer

Here are some of the key questions for hiring a project controls engineer:

  • What is your experience in systems control engineering in my industry?
  • What strategies do you use to solve complex problems and ensure efficient design?
  • How do you handle unexpected delays or challenges?
  • How do you communicate progress with clients?
  • What steps do you take to mitigate risk in projects?
  • How do you balance the need for efficiency and quality control in project execution?
  • Can you provide industry references for similar projects?
  • How do you stay on top of control engineering innovations in your field?
  • How do you overcome conflicts or disagreements within project teams?
  • Can you explain how you manage projects from start to finish?
  • What happens if you cannot meet all of a company’s objectives?

When asking questions, you are trying to assess technical skills, project management skills and cultural fit. The ability to effectively communicate and explain concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders is important. You also need to know whether someone can adapt and innovate when challenges arise and whether their approach fits your organization well.

The Selection Process

Your selection process should be systematic. When approaching system design integrators, it helps if you spend time developing the parameters for your project.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

You will want to create a detailed request for proposal (RFP) that will inform the project’s scope of work (SOW). It should also include the key problems you are trying to solve, technical and functional requirements, any constraints, and unique variables. If you are creating an RFP for multiple firms, you should also include any specific guidelines you have for submissions and deadlines.

Create Selection Criteria

Before sending an RFP, you will want to establish the criteria you will use for selection. Get agreement from key stakeholders about how you will weigh key items in your RFP, such as budget, timelines and experience. Agreement upfront can save time when proposals are received.

Identifying Potential Partners

Once you identify the key requirements you need, you can investigate potential control systems engineering companies that align with your objectives. You will want to develop a shortlist of those you want to pursue with the appropriate capabilities and certifications.

Once you have identified potential partners, send the RFPs.

An RFP is often the starting point for projects. Engineers may need additional information to craft an accurate response, so make sure to include contact information. If you are unsure of how to get started with this process, most automation control firms can help. You are trying to provide the information they need to define the project scope, so there is likely to be some dialogue about deliverables and processes.

Assess Proposals

As you receive proposals, evaluate each submission against the criteria you established earlier. Employ scoring models to assess key items to account for project requirements. Often, proposals may not provide all the information you need to decide, so you may need further investigation or discussion.

Interviews and References

Next, you will want to interview key members from the firms you are considering. This enables you to assess cultural fit and get answers to very specific questions about your project and the processes used.

You should always include reference checks to understand how companies work. Any reputable firm will happily provide you with references for similar projects they have completed successfully.

Making a Decision

With your due diligence complete, pull together your project team to make your decision. Who you choose will play a significant role in your success, so you want to make a holistic assessment that includes RFP scoring, experience and technical proficiency, cost and timelines, and cultural fit.

How Controls Engineering Affects Your Budget

The decisions you make during design and implementation will impact your budget in several ways. You will need to plan for your investments in the following:

  • Hardware and software, sensors and other components you need to drive automation
  • Design and development of the algorithms.
  • Customization and integration
  • Testing, tuning, and validation
  • Training and documentation
  • Maintenance and support

With any engineering project, you should assess the ROI of your initial investment and account for your total cost of operations (TCO).

When developing a project plan, the scope, requirements, and work should be carefully analyzed. This requires breaking down processes into activities and sub-activities to accurately estimate costs for equipment, materials, labor and any outside contracting that needs to occur.

Nobody wants surprises when it comes to the end of projects, so working with an experienced controls system integrator like Pacific Blue Engineering can prevent this from happening. With decades of experience, the team at Pacific Blue Engineering has the experts to estimate costs accurately and leverage best practices and historical data. The right control systems engineering firms will also have deep connections with equipment vendors and can leverage bulk buying power and relationships to save you money and streamline procurement.

Controls engineers will manage the project and keep you on track to meet your budgetary goals. As projects progress, expect regular reports on deliverables and budget tracking. If changes need to be made to deal with unforeseen events, there should be a formal process to discuss and sign off on any significant changes.

Because items often arise during project design or installation that may affect budgets or timelines, it is always a good idea to reserve some funds for contingencies as part of the initial budgeting process.

Solving Challenges with Control Engineering

With controls, the design must account for a variety of challenges, including variables and changing conditions. Controls systems engineers are skilled at overcoming challenges such as:

  • System instability: Applying the right control methods for stable, consistent operation.
  • Varying trajectories: Creating precise tracking and adaptive methods for optimal control trajectories.
  • Disturbances: Employing feedback controls to recognize anomalies to reject disturbances and mitigate their impact.
  • Inefficient operations: Tuning parameters to provide productivity and operational goals.
  • Conflicting requirements: Balancing competing goals such as speed/accuracy or quality/throughput.
  • Autonomous operation: As control systems work without human intervention, systems must work autonomously with minimal guidance.
  • Interdependencies: Ensuring component work harmoniously.
  • Physical and operational constraints: Designing controls to work despite physical or operational limitations.
  • Unsafe operations: Accounting for variables that can impact safety, such as environmental factors or human-machine interactions.

Security risks have also become an increasing concern with cloud environments, increased use of IoT sensors, expanding endpoints and connected devices. The World Economic Forum (WEF) reports nearly half of all critical infrastructure is at risk of a cybersecurity incident, especially in the manufacturing sector.

Hire the Best Controls Engineering Firm: Choose Pacific Blue Engineering

You need safe, reliable and dynamic system controls to power your automation and meet your production goals. This requires experienced, innovative controls engineers to create solutions. Pacific Blue Engineering is a trusted controls system integrator specializing in tailored automation solutions for industrial manufacturing, entertainment and transportation sectors. We design and build custom panels, create turnkey control system integration, and modernize legacy systems.

Contact the expert team at Pacific Blue Engineering today to request a consultation.