Are electrical and instrumentation systems combined into one workshop?
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Back when I was working in a state-owned enterprise, electrical systems were handled by one department and instrumentation systems by another; the wiring was well organized as well – electrical equipment had its own cabinets, while instrumentation equipment, including DCS systems, had its own separate setup. But later, after some problems arose, the instrumentation team said that the DCS was fine and that it was an electrical issue, while the electrical team claimed that the on-site equipment was working properly (it could be started on-site) and that it was a problem with the instrumentation signals. In short, more time was spent arguing than actually working. Eventually, the management merged the electrical and instrumentation teams into a single control room team, making all electrical tasks part of that team’s responsibilities. After that, both electrical and instrumentation operations ran smoothly, without any delays in work. In fact, good companies these days still separate the instrumentation from the electrical systems; everyone can discuss what would be appropriate in this regard.
It seems that our company is organized in a way that makes it impossible for them to fit their electrical and instrumentation cable trays in my ductwork; they didn’t coordinate with each other, so they had to ask my team of process engineers to figure out the problem
Whether it fits or not is not the main thing; what’s important is, first, that the division of tasks be clear, and second, that there be a strong leader who has some knowledge of both electrical and instrumentation aspects. Now, some company leaders, in order to save themselves trouble, merge these two specialties; in fact, each specialty still handles its own area of responsibilities, with only the conflicts and coordination tasks that used to require handling at the factory level being delegated to others.
It is necessary to emphasize both division of labor and cooperation. In the fields of instrumentation and electrical systems, there are many tasks whose responsibilities are not clearly defined, and I believe everyone is aware of this. Therefore, instrumentation and electrical teams need to work together in order to complete various tasks; this also helps workers develop an awareness of collaboration, which contributes to the formation of a corporate culture. Our instrumentation and electrical systems are in one workshop.
It’s now split in two here. The key to whether to divide tasks or not is to have a detailed breakdown of responsibilities, with clear duties assigned, so as to avoid shirking responsibilities or arguing over them.
In fact, whether electrical and instrumentation systems are combined or not is not the key to solving the problem; what matters is that the responsibilities within these systems need to be clearly defined. With the advancement of technology, in some areas it has become difficult to distinguish between electrical systems and instrumentation. This requires organizations to define more clearly the scope of work and responsibilities associated with these two fields, so that responsibilities are well-defined and there is no room for shirking duties or arguments.
I don’t think electrical and instrumentation systems should be separated. The reasons are as follows: 1) Many problems aren’t related to just one area; they require cooperation between the two areas in order to be resolved properly. 2) If they are separated, it might take time to have someone from the electrical department fix the issue, only to find that it’s not their problem; then it has to be handed over to the instrumentation team, who will have to start checking from scratch again, which also takes time. This can result in significant delays in production
Our company is a combination of electrical and instrumentation fields
We are separated because of assessments; there are so many issues related to electricity, instruments, processes, and fitting work that it’s impossible to deal with them all.
I tend to favor the integration of electrical systems and instrumentation. The reason is simple: in the future, maintenance work related to electrical systems will mainly involve lighting and motors, while instrumentation-related tasks will focus on field instruments and actuators. As for automation, it will primarily rely on DCS systems, PLC systems, and other similar technologies. So why can’t these two fields – electrical systems and instrumentation – move closer to each other and overlap in some aspects? In the past, instrumentation specialists developed from the electrical engineering field; they had a good understanding of electrical systems and were even more knowledgeable than electrical engineers themselves, which earned the respect of those in the electrical engineering field. Today’s instrumentation specialists start working in their specialized area right after graduation, and they don’t have much knowledge of electrical systems. Coupled with poor division of responsibilities among managers, this leads to conflicts between electrical engineers and instrumentation specialists.