A comparison of Industrial Electrician and Commercial Electrician may seem strange, especially to those that are not familiar with the process of being an electrician, however, there is a substantial difference. All electricians aren’t the same and cannot be categorised with a “One size fits all” approach. Both commercial and industrial-based electricians possess a similar skill-set of electrical knowledge, having learned through hands-on education. It’s their work experience, application of techniques and the function of their training that defines each role in a distinct manner. Ultimately, the key differences in their roles relate to the daily tasks they’re undertaking and where the electricians perform their work.
What is an Industrial Electrician?
Industrial electricians need to be highly skilled, flexible and adaptive to handle high voltage systems and vital electrical components in an array of equipment. Industrial Electricians are trained to install, maintain and repair electrical and data & communications systems for a diverse array of clients. These large industrial projects include manufacturing and production facilities, mines, and even power plants. Although the educational background associated with these two roles provide electricians with many transferable skills, across the electrical sectors, electricians that work in an industrial setting require a different and more in-depth education than that of a commercial electrician due to the nature of the work being undertaken. This education delves deeper into things like advanced motor control, robotics, and sensor fault finding on industrial machines or even power factor correction on large manufacturing sites.
The role carries a large responsibility, ensuring the safety and efficiency of large electrical systems while maintaining and repairing complex equipment. Industrial Electricians are imperative at the construction phase of any industrial build, usually tasked with, installing and testing new equipment and systems to ensure they meet the relevant regulations and standards. The team at Teoma are regularly called upon to, design and install new electrical panels, troubleshoot, repair and maintain electrical equipment. With an entire in-house team dedicated to Industrial projects, the team are able to routinely complete an assortment of projects of any size.
What is a Commercial Electrician?
Commercial electricians are an essential part of businesses and organisations being able to operate. They’re tasked with the sole responsibility of ensuring the safe and efficient installation, maintenance and repair of their client’s electrical needs. This could cover anything from security installations and lighting control systems, to switchboard alterations and upgrades. From schools to shopping centres, supermarkets, offices and even government projects, Commercial Electricians are diverse, well rounded and highly skilled.
Work performed by commercial electricians is very hands-on, however, they can design, plan and diagram electrical systems specific to the individual site. Regularly working with such a broad range of clients, commercial electricians are responsible for wiring the instruments that control the power, lighting, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration units in commercial buildings, as opposed to the machinery and production lines found within a building. The team at Teoma are also regularly engaged to complete maintenance on behalf of local City Council’s, update and maintain emergency lighting.
Industrial and commercial electricians both require basic knowledge of the electrical profession. However, while this knowledge is the cornerstone for both professions, their specialty lies in two different areas. While industrial electricians are skilled at troubleshooting problems within the manufacturing industry, Commercial electricians are skilled at electrical repairs and maintenance within the mainstream workplace.
What Makes Teoma Unique?
Teoma has the combined capability to execute projects at any size completely in-house. With two dedicated teams of industry professionals across the Commercial and Industrial sectors, Teoma has seen the successful delivery of projects by the team for over thirty years. Widely regarded as industry leaders, the team have established themselves as electrical experts in their field working on projects with advanced automation and motor controls.
Recently the Commercial Electrical and Industrial Automation teams at Teoma assisted in upgrading and relocating two manufacturing facilities into a larger scale site. With a critically limited project timeline and a multitude of complexities associated with decommissioning and establishing multiple production lines, the team demonstrated their capability in completing the project seamlessly. You can view the project HERE.
