Design and Construct – Switchroom
Boral Construction Materials
Sectors: Mining and Quarrying
The Challenge
Boral’s quarrying facility faced critical risks from deteriorating electrical infrastructure including recurring failures, compliance gaps, flooding vulnerability, safety hazards, and costly unplanned downtime.
The Solution
Hitech expertly executed a strategic, phased electrical infrastructure upgrade—installing a flood-resistant containerized switchroom at higher elevation, reconfiguring all electrical systems, and ensuring Australian standards compliance while minimizing operational disruption.
The Impact
Hitech’s proactive staged solution dramatically improved facility reliability, safety, and compliance while maintaining production, resulting in greater efficiency and significantly reduced maintenance costs and outage risks.
The Challenge
Hitech provided ongoing maintenance services for a quarrying facility when recurring issues with the Main Switchboard (MSB), Motor Control Centre (MCC), and switchroom infrastructure became evident.
The existing setup posed significant risks to operations, compliance, and worker safety:
- Aging Equipment: Frequent failures of the outdated MSB and MCC led to operational inefficiencies and downtime.
- Compliance Issues: The existing switchroom did not meet modern electrical and safety standards.
- Flooding Risk: Water ingress posed a continuous threat to electrical systems, increasing the risk of failures and hazards.
- Employee Safety: The deteriorating infrastructure had potential to create electrical hazards for onsite personnel and contractors.
- Plant Downtime: Unplanned outages due to system failures disrupted production and increased maintenance costs.
Key Facts:
- Industry: Mining & Quarrying
- Scope: Proactive switchroom relocation, MSB & MCC upgrade, staged cable rerouting
- Challenges Addressed: Compliance, safety, aging equipment, downtime
- Outcome: Reliable, compliant, and flood-resistant electrical infrastructure with minimal production impact.
- Completion Date: 2024
The Solution
Leveraging its expertise in electrical infrastructure and compliance, Hitech executed a staged switchroom upgrade and replacement to maintain plant operations throughout the process:
- Proactively Designed & Installed a New Switchroom: A containerised switchroom with MSB and MCC was installed at a higher elevation to eliminate water ingress risks. This was done in a staged approach minimising plant downtime.
- Rerouted All Cables to the New Location: Electrical systems were carefully reconfigured to ensure a seamless transition with minimal operational disruption.
- Ensured Full Compliance & Safety: The solution was designed to meet current Australian electrical and safety standards while enhancing worker protection.
- Minimised Downtime & Production Loss: Each stage of installation and commissioning was strategically planned to prevent major disruptions, ensuring the facility remained productive.
The Impact
Recognising these risks, Hitech proactively developed a staged solution to enhance reliability, improve safety, and ensure compliance with Australian standards while minimising downtime and production loss. By relocating the switchroom and upgrading critical electrical infrastructure in phases, the facility now operates with greater efficiency, safety, reduced maintenance needs, and minimal risk of unplanned outages.