PLC vs DCS experience

I am a SI for a small company been in the game more than 20years. Tired of the travelling so applied for a job close by, they were looking for a control engineer with ABB DCS experience. I have extensive SCADA, HMI and PLC control engineering experience. They turned me down due to lack of ABB DCS experience. Great so DCS must be soooo different from PLC's then eh! I think not any thoughts?
Where can I now gain DCS experience the difference is so blurred!

Here's an online manual for the ABB DCS system, I've no experience of the system but it may be of use to you to get an insight. I'm not sure if this is what you need?

Maybe they just really needed one that could get it straight up. Its not so big difference at all. Dont get let down by it.

I say move on. There could be a million reasons why you were passed over. The problem is different DCS have difrerent way of programming, unlike PLC which uses mostly ladders. It's a easy fix with a 2 week training class.

If i'm the employer, I would hire the best controls person I can and if needed, sent the person to training.

-an old DCS guy.

Having worked on PLC's & DCS's systems, the main difference I see is the DCS's use of non ladder programming. Function block, structured text, SFC's ... The other point is most DCS systems are heavy in process controls PID's, cacaded loops.. more so than many PLC systems I've worked on.

A word of advice is I would promote your understanding of process controls..if you have a good foundation, learning a DCS system should not be a problem.

Good luck!

muttleydoo said:

Here's an online manual for the ABB DCS system, I've no experience of the system but it may be of use to you to get an insight. I'm not sure if this is what you need?

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ABB has serveral different DCS systems since they have aquired different companies with different DCS.

You need to find out what ABB DCS.

Anyway, if you have worked with Process control in different PLCs and SCADA you will catch up. If you have worked mainly with machine control you have to learn more but that is more about Process control than the DCS itself.

I feel your pain.

It seems that many employers have a job description and if you don't fit it exactly, then they think it would take too much to learn. I've seen open positions for close to a year because they couldn't find someone with experience on a certain piece of equipment (I've applied for several). Their shortsightedness is the fact that many of the people they passed up would have been able to learn that equipment and become very good on it in that time frame.

I wish I could give you better insight. I have been searching for 6 weeks and I finally landed a job. I was turned down by a couple of companies because I didn't have specific experience on some foriegn specialty machine.

Good luck in your searching and I hope you find soemthing. Remember, it is better to have a job while you are searching (that is definately from experience).

Good luck in your searching and I hope you find soemthing. Remember, it is better to have a job while you are searching (that is definately from experience).

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Yea at least I have a job. Oh well thanks to forum for the feedback was a little upset but hey its there loss.
unemployed i am happy for you and I programmed that 12 stage conveyor system just like you said - it works like a charm so again thanks to all on this terrific forum.

to the OP: I'd be curious-
Did the interview/selection process involve another controls person ?

I would think that any of "us" would realize that while you didnt have ABB (Bailey net90 ?) experience, if you have other HMI/PLC/SCADA/PI experience you can pick it up quickly and get the job done.

If you were interviewed by a bunch of mechanical engineers or plant managers, then they will dismiss you because they expect more specific experience.

Thoughts ?

-John

They were looking for someone to service 2 plants 15 miles and 13 miles from my location. They even said I was ideally situated. They were definitely looking for specific experience. I do think they got a past employer who had worked in the industry as there candidate, He didn't have as much work experience but he had worked in a process industry.

There would of been 1-2 weeks training in colorado - this would of be brilliant anyway in the past now. Maybe I should go it alone again.