Queensland-wide commercial switchboard project delivery
- info@commercialswitchboards.com.au
Distribution boards, motor control centres and plant power for manufacturing and industrial sites. Specified, built and installed around production schedules, with changeovers measured in hours, not days.
Initial project reviews returned within one business day.
When you may need it
Most industrial board conversations start with production interruptions, new plant or an ageing MCC, raised by a maintenance manager, production manager, plant engineer or site owner.
Direct answer
An industrial switchboard distributes power to plant, machinery and services across a manufacturing or industrial site. A motor control center (MCC) is a specialized switchboard that groups motor starters, VSDs and control gear in one assembly, typically one bucket per drive.
Industrial board works can include distribution boards, MCC sections and buckets, motor starters and VSDs, PLC and control integration and protection coordination, built and verified to AS/NZS 61439.
Commercial Switchboards designs, builds and installs industrial boards around production windows. Where the work uncovers an end-of-life main switchboard, we confirm the upgrade path before anything proceeds.
Every industrial switchboard and MCC we build is type-tested to AS/NZS 61439, the Australian standard for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies, so operators get verified fault ratings and a documented industrial switchboards handover pack.
The real risk
On a production site the board is cheap compared to the hours it can cost. A failed MCC bucket can stop a line. An unplanned shutdown can cost more than the entire board replacement. Industrial board work is planned backwards from one number: how long production can stop.
Undocumented wiring found during an industrial board review
Scope
Grouped by stage so maintenance and production managers can see exactly what we manage. The documentation we hand over keeps the plant maintainable long after the works finish.
01
Board condition, load and protection review – Production windows and shutdown limits mapped first – Existing drawings and circuit schedules reviewed – Staging plan agreed with site management
02
Protection coordination and fault ratings – MCC bucket and starter selection – VSD and control integration requirements – AS/NZS 61439 verification where applicable
03
Manufacturer-independent: Schneider, NHP, IPD or custom build – MCC sections and buckets sourced or built – Workshop pre-build and testing where possible – Long-lead items ordered early to protect the program
04
Staged changeovers around production – After-hours and shutdown-window works – Temporary supply for critical plant where needed – Testing and commissioning before handback
05
As-installed drawings and circuit schedules – Test results and certificates – Spares recommendations for critical buckets – Maintenance and thermal baseline options
Cost factors
Every plant is different, so pricing is confirmed after the board and the production constraints are assessed. These are the factors that drive cost.
A single distribution board is one job. A multi-section MCC with dozens of buckets is another. Scale drives equipment cost more than any other factor.
Legacy MCC buckets and starters with no available parts need retrofits, adaptations or section replacements rather than like-for-like swaps.
Night and weekend changeovers carry premium labour but are usually cheaper than the production they protect.
PLC integration, VSDs and interlocked control add design and commissioning time compared to straight power distribution.
Boards pre-built and tested in the workshop cut site time dramatically. Site-only builds extend the shutdown.
A plant with current drawings is faster to work on. Undocumented sites need investigation time before anything is touched.
Our approach
Detailed plant assessments, protection studies and engineering reports are scoped separately depending on project requirements.
DELIVERY PROCESS
From first contact through build, changeover and documentation, we manage the moving parts so production management stays focused on production.
Related pages
If the works point to a bigger board problem or a specific site type, these pages may help.
Related services
Why us
Backed by 10 years of practical switchboard depth: 6 years building and commissioning LV, MV and HV switchboards on the iPower factory floor, 3 years underground at Lady Loretta running 11kV substations and live HV switching, and end-to-end delivery of a remote open-cut gold mine in central Africa.
An industrial distribution board typically costs $15,000 to $60,000 installed, depending on rating, protection and site conditions. MCC works range from $20,000 for bucket and starter replacements to $250,000 and above for full multi-section MCC replacements with control integration. Pricing is confirmed after a site review and production constraints are understood.
A switchboard distributes power to circuits and equipment. A motor control centre is a specialised switchboard built to run motors: starters, VSDs, protection and control gear grouped in withdrawable buckets, typically one per drive. Most industrial sites run both, with the MCC fed from the main or a distribution board.
Often, yes. Where the MCC design allows bucket-level isolation, individual buckets and starters are swapped with only that drive offline. Where the design does not allow it, the work is staged into the shortest possible shutdown windows agreed with production.
Three paths, in rising order of scope: retrofit kits and current-equivalent starters adapted into existing buckets, replacement of the worst sections while the rest stays in service, or a staged full MCC replacement. The right path depends on parts availability, condition and how much downtime the site can take. We confirm it after assessment.
The staging plan starts with your production calendar, not our availability. Changeovers run after hours, on weekends or in planned maintenance shutdowns, with temporary supply for critical plant where needed. The target on every industrial job is changeover windows measured in hours.
Yes. VSD installation, PLC and control integration, interlocks and field wiring are part of industrial board scope. Control requirements are confirmed during design so the board arrives ready to commission, not ready to modify.
Yes, and it should be wherever possible. Workshop pre-build and testing means the site shutdown covers installation and changeover only, not construction. That is often the difference between a weekend window and a week of disruption.
Industrial switchboards and MCCs are specified, built and verified to AS/NZS 61439 and installed to AS/NZS 3000. Protection coordination and fault ratings are matched to the installation, and verification documentation is part of the handover.
Yes. As-installed drawings, circuit schedules and labelling are part of every industrial handover. Where the site has no current drawings, the works include documenting what exists so the next job, and the next breakdown, starts from facts.
That is the design goal of the staging plan. Temporary supply for critical plant, bucket-level isolation where possible and changeovers in agreed windows keep production running through the program, with any full outages compressed and scheduled.
No. Commercial Switchboards delivers commercial and industrial work only: manufacturing, plant, multi-tenant and commercial sites. Residential work belongs with a general electrical contractor.
Handover includes drawings, certificates, test results and spares recommendations for critical buckets. Maintenance contracts with scheduled inspections and thermal baselines are available so the board stays off the breakdown list.
Send through photos, drawings if you have them and your production constraints. We review the details and confirm the right path within one business day.
