PLC cabinet price

Charbel

Member
C
Join Date
Jan 2012
Location
Beirut
Posts
307
Dear,

I need a quick cost estimation for a PLC cabinet serving a well pump, it will be located underground, near the pumps, it will be wall mounted and connected to a fiber optic network using spliced patch panel.
it rating is specified to be IP65 and anti-corrosion. it will house the following item:
1- PLC, power supply, PLC software
2- communication modules
3- HMI
4- modem router with wireless antenna located outside the chamber
5- splicing patch panel
5- fan, lighting, outlet socket, breaker and terminals.

PLC and PLC components will be either schneider, siemens or allen bradley.
Panel should be similar to rittal.
other components will be from well proven vendors

i have estimated it to be 19000 dollars as supply only (installation and configuration and testing/commissioning i will multiply by 1.3), kindly advice about the estimated price.

thank you!

charbel
 
Dear,

What can I say :unsure:, i was just asking for a quick estimate (due to time shortage) not a detailed quote and expecting some help from your valuable experience.

The purpose was for checking if my estimate price falls within reasonnable range. I was surprised to get answers in this manner.

Anyways thanks for your advice and supposedly :) funny comments...

regards,
 
Step back and take a look at what you are asking for.

You don't specify:

The model of the PLC, nor its baseline capabilities.
How much I/O, and what type.
The size of the pump motor.
The brand and size of the HMI.
Etc...

And you wonder why you are getting these responses? :)

The best way to do a sanity check is to put it out for bid and see what your *local* vendors are willing to do it for. They will know availability, cost of shipping, local wages, who would actually be able to build the panel for you, and local codes and regulations to name a few variables.

Anyone outside of Lebanon who takes this on as an intellectual challenge is going to realize that they aren't going to end up with the job, so motivation is an issue as well.
 
Dear rootboy,

You are right in principle but the problem was timing (quick answer, quick estimate, this was the requirement), percentage of error in estimation is tolerated (say 20%) anyways.

I already gave my answer (19,000 dollar)

Thank you!

Charbel
 
It sounds like you arent looking for an actual answer, but for someone to agree with you. So Ill say $19,000.
 
as stated earlier, you have left off some important details.

if you keep everything to the bare bones, you might be allright. I think the software might get you.

if you did not ask the customer / others what they wanted, I think you will be in trouble because they will want a lot of features that you have not thought of.

I don't know the labor rates and pricing in your area, so I am unable to help there.

regards,
james
 
This is not something you want to ask other people to do for you. We don't know how much you pay for components, what kind of discounts your vendors are giving you, what brands you're using, how much you pay your panel builder, how much you are paid, how long it will take you to design/draw the panel. What PLC? What software? What HMI? Are you using a $1,000 C-More or a $4,000 Panelview Plus? Does your Rockwell rep give you a better discount than your Siemens rep or vice versa? There are thousands of dollars of difference in JUST hardware cost depending on what brands you use. Not to mention the ramifications of programming time, build time, etc.

As much as we'd like to help you, there is a ton of information you need that only *you* know.

What you should do is get a spreadsheet going. Make a list of every component you can think of that will go into this panel. Some things you won't know until you design it, like panel size, so estimate that and go a little bigger (panels always fill up faster than you think). Get specific part numbers, and get pricing from your vendors. Tack on whatever percentage profit you desire to each item (10-20% is pretty standard here), and add up all of the results. Also, add a portion for miscellaneous items like DIN Rail, fuses, terminals, and other things you don't have exact counts/costs on. Once you've done that, you now know what your hardware costs are and the costs of the job are. From there, estimate how many hours it will take you to draw prints, program, and have your panel builder build the panel. Figure in time for installation, etc. Find out what your labor costs are and choose a labor rate above that to charge your customer.

I've found that the general rule of thumb is that materials are, usually, around half the cost of the job. If you're doing a quick estimate, I would get the material cost, double it, and then add another 10% for contingency. Take that total and add whatever profit % you'd like and that should at least get you in the ball park. But when you're estimating, be as detailed as you possibly can. It's well worth spending a few extra hours being thorough than it is forgetting a major cost in your quote because you were in a hurry.
 
FactoryTalktotheHand said:
This is not something you want to ask other people to do for you. We don't know how much you pay for components, what kind of discounts your vendors are giving you, what brands you're using, how much you pay your panel builder, how much you are paid, how long it will take you to design/draw the panel. What PLC? What software? What HMI? Are you using a $1,000 C-More or a $4,000 Panelview Plus? Does your Rockwell rep give you a better discount than your Siemens rep or vice versa? There are thousands of dollars of difference in JUST hardware cost depending on what brands you use. Not to mention the ramifications of programming time, build time, etc.

As much as we'd like to help you, there is a ton of information you need that only *you* know.

What you should do is get a spreadsheet going. Make a list of every component you can think of that will go into this panel. Some things you won't know until you design it, like panel size, so estimate that and go a little bigger (panels always fill up faster than you think). Get specific part numbers, and get pricing from your vendors. Tack on whatever percentage profit you desire to each item (10-20% is pretty standard here), and add up all of the results. Also, add a portion for miscellaneous items like DIN Rail, fuses, terminals, and other things you don't have exact counts/costs on. Once you've done that, you now know what your hardware costs are and the costs of the job are. From there, estimate how many hours it will take you to draw prints, program, and have your panel builder build the panel. Figure in time for installation, etc. Find out what your labor costs are and choose a labor rate above that to charge your customer.

I've found that the general rule of thumb is that materials are, usually, around half the cost of the job. If you're doing a quick estimate, I would get the material cost, double it, and then add another 10% for contingency. Take that total and add whatever profit % you'd like and that should at least get you in the ball park. But when you're estimating, be as detailed as you possibly can. It's well worth spending a few extra hours being thorough than it is forgetting a major cost in your quote because you were in a hurry.
Click to expand...
Yes being detailed in your bid can help you to get extra change orders with cost changes as opposed to doing it "for free"
Also Excluding things that are very variable on a cost can help you from losing money on a bid as well.
 

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