An industrial electrician performing industrial electrical services in Atlanta

What is an Industrial Electrician?

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Simply put, industrial electricians support an industrial plant’s electrical needs, whether these are monitoring the electrical controls via PLC panels, monitoring energy usage, wiring and maintaining the plant’s electrical infrastructure, or working with the installed industrial equipment.

Because of the nature of this type of work, industrial electricians require a broad range of skills and experience to perform their jobs effectively. This means that they need to have a lot of experience working with different types of highly specialized industrial equipment, advanced troubleshooting skills, the ability to read and interpret drawings and blueprints, awareness of electrical codes, industrial control system operation, and much more. They also need skills and experience outside of working with electrical equipment. For example, industrial electricians need to coordinate with other contractors working on the equipment or building, work with vendors to order parts and troubleshoot issues, collaborate with inspectors and regulatory agencies, so having good communication and “people” skills are a must.

An industrial electrician performing industrial electrical services in Atlanta

Why Industrial Electricians Are Important

Industrial companies must have equipment and facilities that operate smoothly. Any downtime can cost the company thousands, even millions of dollars. In addition, failing to follow the proper electrical codes and standards may result in expensive penalties and fines and perhaps endanger the company’s equipment, facilities, or the lives of its employees. For these reasons, an excellent electrical electrician is essential for any industrial operation.

Job Requirements for Industrial Electricians

As you can see, industrial electricians are a unique breed of electricians who need a broad range of experience and skills. They need more training and experience than other electricians and need to be constantly learning to perform their jobs well. Some of the training an industrial electrician may need include:

  • At least a high-school diploma
  • Completion of an electrician apprenticeship program
  • Specialized training for electrical equipment (installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, etc.
  • A journeyman electrician license
  • Several years of experience working closely with a senior industrial electrician

Because industrial electricians have to lift, move, and sometimes work in tight, cramped spaces, they should be reasonably physically fit and strong. They also need to be comfortable working in hectic, noisy, dirty work environments under stressful conditions. For these reasons, the ability to handle stress is a must. This makes good industrial electricians a valued resource for all companies.

Tri-State Electrical Provides Best-in-Class Industrial Electrical Services in the Southeastern US

Tri-State Electrical Contractors understands what modern industrial companies need in the ever-changing, complex, world. We provide superior industrial electrical services, including equipment installation, troubleshooting, PLC installation and programming, installing electrical equipment in new industrial plants, and much more. We can handle any commercial or industrial electrical work you need to be completed quickly and competently. For more information, give us a call at (423) 800-2134, fill out our simple online form, or email us at info@tristateec.com today.

A commercial electrician performing commercial electrical services in Atlanta

How Do You Find the Best Commercial Electrical Contractor?

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There are a lot of commercial electrical contractors out there. So how do you choose the best one for your electrical project? Here are a few suggestions:

A commercial electrician performing commercial electrical services in Atlanta

Ask Around

Who do you know who might have had some commercial electrical work done for them lately? Talk to friends, family members, or local business owners or managers about who they used for the electrical work. Ask them a few questions such as:

  • What was the quality of the work done for the project?
  • Was it done on time and budget?
  • Did they show up at the scheduled time, or were they late?
  • Did they clean up after the project was completed?
  • Would they use the company again for future commercial electrical work?
  • Do they recommend them for your project?

Word-of-mouth is still the best way to find the best commercial electrical contractors. So, use this resource.

Read Online Reviews

If your network can’t help you come up with any good recommendations, then use the next best thing: online reviews. There are several different review sites you can use to get your information about the best commercial electrical contractors:

  • Google Reviews – Google Reviews are quickly becoming the best known and most respected source of online business reviews.
  • Angi – Formerly known as Angie’s List, Angi provides some of the best-curated business reviews available online, including commercial electrical contractors.
  • Yelp – Better known for restaurant and motel reviews, Yelp has been branching out into other business areas.
  • Buildzoom is a newcomer to the online review game but focuses specifically on construction businesses. The site has you enter details about your project, work with a dedicated project consultant, and they do the legwork to present you with vetted and qualified contractors.

Best Practices for Using Online Reviews

When using online reviews within your decision-making process, try to use a couple of different sources for the reviews. Read all of them. Pay special attention to the one- and two-star reviews. How many are there? If there are only one or two, and it is a small percentage of the total number of reviews you might be able to write them off as disgruntled customers or former employees. But if there are several low reviews and a pattern emerges, then steer clear of that commercial electrical contractor. Some of these sites also allow the contractor to respond to positive and negative reviews, so take a look at those as well. Does the contractor handle the complaint professionally or seem combative and assign blame?

Get a Free Project Estimate

Once you’ve selected a commercial electrical contractor, many of them provide free estimates, so have them take a look at your project and give you a quote. Pay close attention to them throughout the process. Are they prompt and courteous? Do they answer your questions to your satisfaction? Do they seem easy to work with? At this point, you should know which commercial electrical contractor you want to hire.

Tri-State Electrical Contractors Provide Best-in-Class Commercial Electrical Services in the Southeastern US

Tri-State Electrical Contractors understands what modern commercial companies need in the ever-changing, complex, world. We provide superior commercial electrical services including generator installations, high-voltage wiring for equipment, and much more. We can handle any commercial or industrial electrical work you need to be completed quickly and competently. For more information, give us a call at (423) 800-2134, fill out our simple online form, or email us at info@tristateec.com today.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Commercial Electrical Services Contractor?

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When you look up “electricians” online, there are many to choose from, and there are many electrical services companies that provide commercial electrical services, but what are the benefits of hiring a commercial electrical contractor over a more general electrician? Here are a few of them:

A commercial electrician performing commercial electrical services in Atlanta

Access to Better Tools and Equipment

Because commercial electricians handle larger scale projects with more complexity than the average residential electrical job, they need better equipment and knowledge in order to get the job done, and chances are, a good commercial electrical company would have that equipment on-hand and not require someone to get and find it in order to complete a job. Not to mention that the electricians on staff will be familiar with the equipment and know how to use it properly to get the job done fast.

Superior Knowledge and Training

Commercial electricians are familiar with the “typical” needs of commercial electrical projects and see them every day. Where a general electrician might not be as familiar with the needs of a large commercial project such as a PLC panel installation, high-voltage wiring, or motor control installation work. They can probably still get the job done, but it will take longer and there is a greater risk of mistakes. The result of hiring a commercial electrical contractor with superior knowledge and training is that it will save you time and money in the long run.

Better Quality Work

The combination of both elements above, the access to better tools and equipment and superior knowledge and training result in a higher quality of work which means energy efficient installations, fewer equipment breakdowns which saves you both time and money.

Tri-State Electrical Contractors Provide Best-in-Class Commercial Electrical Services in the Southeastern US

Tri-State Electrical Contractors understands what modern commercial companies need in the ever-changing, complex, world. We provide superior commercial electrical services including generator installations, high-voltage wiring for equipment, and much more. We can handle any commercial or industrial electrical work you need to be completed quickly and competently. For more information, give us a call at (423) 800-2134, fill out our simple online form, or email us at info@tristateec.com today.