Plant that runs to occupancy
Schedules and occupancy inputs stop lighting and HVAC running outside working hours, which is where most commercial energy gets wasted.
Derby · BMS, control panels and process
Commercial And IndustrialAutomation In Derby, BuiltOn Control Panel Discipline
Building management, lighting and HVAC control, control panels and production line systems. Designed and commissioned by an engineer who spent years building control systems for food-handling sites worldwide.
16+ years across industrial control and building services · £10m public and employers' liability · RAMS issued for any project on request
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16+ years
Domestic, commercial and industrial experience
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Full Scope
NAPIT registered for all aspects of electrical work
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6-year
NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee on qualifying installs
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£10m
Public and employers' liability cover
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Free
Initial consultation, no obligation
The service
The same discipline whether it's an office floor or a production line
Commercial and industrial automation covers building management systems that bring lighting, HVAC, access and energy monitoring under one platform. It also covers control panel design and build, and process control on production lines. We design and commission on Loxone, Trend, KNX and Schneider depending on the site and what your maintenance team can support.
Before founding the company, Ross Hutchinson spent years designing and commissioning control panels and conveyor systems for food-handling plants installed worldwide. That work builds habits. Schematics that match the panel. Terminals labelled to the drawing. Sequences proved before handover. Those habits carry straight into commercial building services.
The difference shows at commissioning. Equipment going in doesn't finish a job. What finishes it is every sequence, interlock and alarm proved under real conditions, with the documentation matching what's actually in the enclosure.
Who this is for
- Offices wanting lighting, HVAC and access on one management system
- Retail and hospitality needing scheduled trading modes and energy control
- Landlords with plant that fails silently and no reporting
- Manufacturers needing control panels designed, built and commissioned
- Production lines needing conveyor, sequencing and machinery control work
- Sites with legacy BMS installations nobody local can support
What it costs to leave it
Plant that fails quietly costs more than plant that fails loudly
Nobody notices the most expensive faults. Heating and cooling fighting in the same zone all winter. Ventilation running round the clock because a schedule was never updated. Lighting at full output in rooms nobody uses any more. None of it triggers a call-out. It just shows up as an energy bill everyone stopped questioning.
Undocumented systems make it worse. Once the original installer is gone and the schematics don't match the enclosure, every change becomes an investigation. Facilities teams stop touching anything, controls get bypassed to keep production running, and within a few years the building is run manually despite having a system installed to run it automatically.
On the industrial side the cost shows up as downtime. A panel with no labelling and no as-built drawings turns a simple component failure into hours of diagnostics while the line stands idle. Getting the design and documentation right at build stage is what stops that happening.
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- Schedules left on installer defaults years after occupancy changed
- Heating and cooling active in the same zone with no interlock
- Panels built with no labelling, schematics or as-built drawings
- Alarms configured to nobody, so faults are found by occupants
- Controls bypassed as a temporary fix and never reinstated
- Proprietary systems specified with no local support
How the job runs
A fixed sequence, so nothing
gets decided on the fly
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01
Site survey and brief
We look at the existing plant, controls and documentation, and work out what the system actually needs to do.
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02
Design
Control philosophy, points schedule, panel schematics, interlocks and alarm strategy, issued for comment before anything gets built.
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03
Build and install
Panels built to the schematics with labelled terminals, then installed with containment, field wiring, sensors and actuators.
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04
Commission and prove
Every point checked, every sequence and interlock demonstrated under real conditions, alarms tested, set points tuned to the actual load.
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05
Document and support
We hand over as-built drawings, panel schedules, operating instructions and staff training, with maintenance available afterwards.
What you actually get
Measurable outcomes, not adjectives
Faults reported before they're discovered
Alarms and runtime logging flag a failing component before occupants complain, so an emergency becomes a planned visit instead.
Panels your team can work on
Labelled terminals, schematics that match the panel and a decent spares list usually mean a failure is a short swap, not a hunt.
Evidence for energy reporting
Zone-level runtime and consumption logging gives you data to justify changes and prove the savings afterwards.
Work around your operation
We phase installation around trading hours, shift patterns and shutdown windows, and issue RAMS on request.
Fully insured contractor
£10m public liability, £10m employers' liability and £1m professional indemnity, backed by NAPIT Full Scope registration.
In detail
BMS platforms, panel building and process control
Commercial and industrial work splits into three areas that share the same discipline. Here's what each involves across Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Building management systems
A BMS earns its keep when it cuts running hours and reports faults. That's what we design around.
- Loxone, Trend, KNX and Schneider design, installation and commissioning
- Lighting zoning with daylight linking, occupancy detection and trading schedules
- HVAC, AHU and heat pump control with setbacks and optimum start
- Access control integrated with occupancy and alarm states
- Energy and runtime metering logged per zone or plant item
- Remote access for facilities teams and our own diagnostics
Control panel design and build
Panels get built strictly to drawings. Every terminal is labelled to the schematic, and we hand over the as-built set so the panel is still maintainable in five years.
- Panel design with schematics and general arrangement drawings
- Distribution, motor control and PLC panels for plant and process
- Correctly rated protection, isolation and emergency stop arrangements
- Labelled terminals, wire numbering and a documented spares list
- Thermal management and ingress protection for the environment
- Factory testing before delivery, then site commissioning against the sequence
Process and machinery control
Production line work is where the business started. We design conveyor sequencing, interlocks and safety circuits so the line fails safe and restarts predictably.
- Conveyor and handling line control, sequencing and interlocking
- Machinery power, isolation and control connections
- Sensor, actuator and drive integration with clear fault reporting
- Safety circuits and emergency stops proved at commissioning
- Modifications to existing lines phased into planned shutdowns
Working on live commercial sites
Most commercial work happens in a building that can't stop. Getting the phasing and isolations right is as much the job as the engineering.
- RAMS issued on request and reviewed before work starts
- Out-of-hours and phased working to avoid disrupting trading or production
- Temporary supplies and staged isolation planned with your site team
- Coordination with M&E consultants, main contractors and facilities providers
- Handover documentation and training so your team can run the system
Before you enquire
Commercial & industrial questions,
answered straight
How much does a commercial automation or BMS project cost?
Every site differs in plant, points count and access, so we don't publish prices. The initial consultation and site review are free, and the design work is included. You always get a written quote first.
How long does a project take?
A single-floor lighting and HVAC control project typically takes a few weeks, including design, installation and commissioning. Panel build and process work depends on lead times and shutdown windows, and we programme it with your site team.
Can you work with our existing BMS?
Usually. We work with Loxone, Trend, KNX and Schneider and will look at what's installed before recommending extension, partial replacement or a full change.
Will the work disrupt trading or production?
We plan it so it doesn't. Work is phased around trading hours, shift patterns and shutdown windows, with temporary supplies and isolations agreed in advance.
Do you provide RAMS and insurance documentation?
Yes. We issue RAMS on request, and we hold £10m public liability, £10m employers' liability and £1m professional indemnity cover.
What documentation do we receive at handover?
As-built schematics, panel and points schedules, the control philosophy, operating instructions and staff training, so the system stays maintainable without us.
How long does a control panel last?
A well-built panel in a suitable environment serves for years. Contactors, drives and control components are the wearing items, and we supply a spares list at handover.
Do you offer emergency or out-of-hours support?
Available on request for commercial and automation clients. Remote diagnostics often sort issues without an engineer travelling at all.
What guarantee applies to commercial work?
Qualifying installation work carries a 6-year NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee, with a minimum one-year guarantee on other work, plus maintenance packages beyond that.
Which areas do you cover for commercial projects?
Derby, Nottingham, Burton upon Trent, Chesterfield, Sheffield and the wider East Midlands. Commercial projects often travel further than our domestic radius, so ask if you're outside it.
Related services
Where we work
Derby · Nottingham · Duffield · Belper · Burton upon Trent · Sheffield · Ilkeston · Long Eaton and the wider East Midlands. See areas covered, read more about the company or return to the homepage.
Get the plant running
to the hours you operate
Book a free site review and we'll tell you where your controls are costing you money, and what it takes to fix it.
NAPIT Full Scope · Official Loxone Partner · 6-year workmanship guarantee on qualifying installations · £10m public liability