AUTOMATION & CONTROLS
Automation and controls engineering support embedded into your team.Caliber’s Automation & Controls engineers provide design-led support, working within your team to help deliver projects from concept through to commissioning.
WHAT WE DO
Degree-qualified engineers with 8-15 years of electrical and automation experience.
- Functional descriptions and control philosophies
- Electrical schematics, cable schedules, and protection selection
- Panel layouts, internal and external, with component placement
- I/O allocation and wiring diagrams
- Hardware specification: sensors, actuators, drives, motors, switchgear
- Compliant to AS/NZS and IEC standards
Program architecture is reviewed with client teams before core logic is developed. Pre-programming and simulation allows core PLC programs to develop in parallel with machine build, decreasing overall project length.
- PLC programming and commissioning
- Program flow chart development for client review
- Pre-programming and simulation in parallel with build
- HMI and SCADA development
- Variable speed drive and servo configuration
- FAT and SAT testing and documentation
A typical commissioning approach: develop the checklist, verify installation against design, complete I/O testing, set up drives and motion, run functional testing, optimise, and run full system tests at FAT and SAT to confirm throughput per specification.
- Commissioning checklists and installation verification
- I/O testing, loop checks, and calibration
- Drives and motion setup
- Functional testing and optimisation
- FAT and SAT to throughput specification
- Operator training, manuals, and as-built packs
We design and integrate control systems that achieve verified functional safety and comply with applicable electrical safety standards. Where structured risk assessment is performed by others, we can design a control system that meets the required Performance Level.
- Safety-related control architecture design
- Performance Level (PL) selection and validation
- E-stop circuits and safety relay integration
- Safety light curtains, scanners, and interlocked access
- Safety PLC systems
- Validation against assessments performed by others
INDUSTRIES WE WORK IN
Machine building, packaging and processing lines, materials handling, logistics systems, and broader industrial plant. Our engineers have delivered projects across food processing, conveyor systems for airports and logistics, automated storage and retrieval, automated guided vehicles, robotics for pick-and-place and computer vision, and naval vessel integration.
FOOD & BEVERAGE PROCESSING
AUTOMATED STORAGE (ASRS)
PACKAGING LINES
PICK-AND-PLACE ROBOTICS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MACHINE BUILDING (OEM)
LOGISTICS & CONVEYING
NAVAL & DEFENCE
HOW WE DELIVER
Our engineers stay involved across the lifecycle of an automation project, from early concept through to handover. The aim is fewer surprises at commissioning and a shorter overall programme.
CONCEPT & REQUIREMENTS
We work early with the mechanical team to align on operating philosophy, system architecture and I/O lists, so controls decisions land while changes are still easier to make.
DETAILED ELECTRICAL DESIGN
Schematics, panel layouts, cable schedules and hardware specifications are prepared to AS/NZS and IEC standards, ready for the panel builder.
SOFTWARE IN PARALLEL
Program flow charts are developed for client review, then core PLC code is pre-programmed and simulated alongside the machine build to compress the overall programme.
COMMISSIONING & HANDOVER
I/O testing, drive and motion setup, optimisation, FAT and SAT support, operator training and as-built documentation help move the project into operation.
SOFTWARE
Our Automation & Controls engineers work across PLC, HMI, SCADA, robotics, and motion control platforms, supporting software development, review, testing, validation, and commissioning within your existing systems and standards.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Our engineers support both industrial sites and OEM machine builders, from controls upgrades and plant integration to new machine development and commissioning.
Industrial sites
- Controls upgrades for ageing PLCs, drives, HMIs, and networks
- Electrical and controls design for equipment relocations or line expansions
- SCADA and HMI improvements and standardisation
- Integration of new plant into existing control architecture
- Support during shutdowns, changeovers, and commissioning
- Plant-wide I/O schedules, network drawings, panel layouts, and hardware specification
OEMs & machine builders
- Electrical and controls design for new machines or product lines
- PLC and HMI development aligned to your software standards
- Motion control, robotics, and high-speed automation tuning
- FAT support, documentation packs, and customer-facing manuals
- Scalable, compliant code templates and libraries
- Machine vision, inspection, and robotic integration where part of the wider solution
ENGINEERING DESIGN & DELIVERY TEAM – WHEN & WHERE YOU NEED IT
Caliber brings mechanical design, automation and controls, and project engineering together through one team, with one point of contact. Through the same seconded engineering model, clients can access experienced engineers who integrate into their team, work within their systems and standards, and help reduce handover gaps from concept through to commissioning.
Naval Vessel Integration
BABCOCK
Electrical design and systems integration support for NZ Navy vessels operating under maritime classification standards.
Caliber provided design-led Automation & Controls support, acting as the technical bridge between the client and global OEMs while developing custom panel designs and integration documentation.
Delivered a compliant, fully integrated system with clear maintenance and operational documentation.
Machine Automation Logic
FACTEON
Development of core control logic for complex machine build programmes.
Caliber supported PLC architecture and programming, translating operational philosophy into structured code and optimised I/O for efficient machine cycles.
Delivered a clear, scalable program structure that supported smoother commissioning and handover.
THE CALIBER DIFFERENCE
Whether you need more engineers to get the job done, or targeted support to solve a specific problem, we make it easier to access the right capability and keep projects moving.
STRONG SOFT SKILLS
Practical engineers who communicate well and work effectively with client teams.
BACKED BY THE CALIBER NETWORK
Every engineer is supported by a wider team, so clients get more than one person’s experience.
DEGREE-QUALIFIED & ADAPTABLE
Engineers with strong technical foundations who can get up to speed quickly and work within your systems and standards.
LED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE WORK
Caliber’s Automation & Controls service is backed by people who understand engineering delivery, client relationships, and the pressure of getting projects over the line.
DAN MARQUART | Automation & Controls Lead
Dan leads Caliber’s Automation & Controls offering with hands-on experience across industrial automation, PLC systems, electrical design, safety systems, commissioning, and site support. He is an NZ registered electrician and has a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Dan’s project experience includes machine builds in food processing, conveyor systems for airports and logistics companies, automated storage and retrieval systems, automated guided vehicles, and robotics involving pick-and-place and computer vision. He has strong grounding in both implementation and design, delivering successful projects across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and Asia, including machine automation, conveyor systems, robotics, and computer vision applications.
WAYNE LE SUEUR | Board Member & Client Development
Wayne has been part of Caliber since the beginning, including nine years as CEO. He now works with new and existing clients to understand their projects, identify the right support, and connect them with the right Caliber capability. Wayne is leading the introduction of Automation & Controls into Caliber’s wider client offering.
Talk to Wayne about Automation & Controls support
wayne.lesueur@caliberdesign.co.nz
+64 21 140 4944 | +64 9 379 7357
Contact Us
Auckland | +64 9 379 7357
Christchurch | +64 27 385 9091
Waikato | +64 7 949 8899
© Caliber Design Ltd
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