Commissioning and accelerated start-up

Control system commissioning that gets your plant into production sooner

We test your control system before it reaches site, commission it in step with your other disciplines, and stay through start-up and ramp-up. The sooner your plant is online, the sooner production starts.

29
Years in mining OT
730+
Projects delivered
110
Processing plants supported
55
Countries globally

Commissioning across Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Yokogawa, Schneider Electric, AVEVA and more.

The cost of delay

Every week of delay is a week of lost production

Once construction finishes, the clock is running. Each day the plant isn't producing costs you production and revenue. The control system is often one of the biggest risks to the start-up schedule: logic that hasn't been tested against the process, package interfaces that don't talk to each other, and loops that won't settle once ore arrives.

Accelerated start-up is how we approach commissioning. We find control system problems before site, work through dry and wet commissioning alongside the other disciplines, and stay with your operators until the plant runs stably. That takes the control system off the critical path, so it isn't the reason first production slips.

Operators in hi-vis monitoring control room screens
How we work

Choose how we work with your commissioning team

We fit the way your project is set up. Many projects combine these, such as remote logic work before site with engineers on site through start-up.

01 / LEAD

Lead the control system commissioning

We take responsibility for commissioning the process control system, either as part of a Main Automation Contract or as a standalone package. We plan and run PCS commissioning, coordinate vendor packages and report progress against your commissioning schedule.

PCS commissioning leadVendor package integrationClose-out documentation
02 / IN YOUR TEAM

Engineers in your commissioning team

Our control systems engineers join your commissioning team and work to your commissioning manager, alongside operations, process, electrical and mechanical disciplines. They handle loop checks, cabinet and interlock testing and loop tuning, and bring in vendors when packages need integration testing.

Works to your commissioning managerCoordinates across disciplinesVendor engagement
Two Mipac engineers talking on a plant walkway
03 / REMOTE

Remote commissioning

Not every task needs an engineer on site. We can transfer and update logic, prepare the site project and support testing remotely over secure access, and add site attendance when the work calls for it.

Remote logic transfer and updatesSecure remote accessSite attendance on request
Commissioning scope

What we commission

Control systems

PLC, DCS and SCADA cabinet inspections, functional testing, cause and effect verification, and interlock and permissive testing on Siemens (including PCS7), Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Yokogawa and Inductive Automation platforms.

Instruments and drives

Instrument and drive setup, loop checks and site acceptance testing (SAT), so every field device reports and responds as designed.

OT networks and infrastructure

Communications and OT network testing, plus the site PCS infrastructure commissioning depends on, including access and system configuration.

Vendor packages

Interface checks between equipment packages and the PCS, with gaps found and closed early, and integration testing with package vendors.

Sequence testing, control loop validation and tuning carry through dry and wet commissioning, so your control strategy has been tested before ore goes in.

Before site

We find the problems before your plant does

With virtual commissioning in the plan, your control system has already been tested against a model of the process when the first ore arrives.

A control system fault is cheapest to fix before it reaches site. Before commissioning starts, we can:

  • Test control logic against a simulated process (virtual commissioning), so faults show up on a screen instead of in the plant

  • Train operators on a simulator that uses the real HMI screens, so the control system is familiar before start-up

  • Run factory acceptance testing (FAT) and review the system architecture before hardware ships

  • Set control system standards early, so vendor packages integrate with fewer surprises on site

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How it works

From preparation to stable production

  1. 01

    Prepare before site

    Virtual commissioning, simulator training and FAT catch control system faults early.

  2. 02

    Ready the site

    We verify equipment and package interfaces with the PCS, set up the site PCS infrastructure, and agree progress reporting and documentation.

  3. 03

    Dry commissioning

    Loop checks, instrument and drive SAT, network and communications testing, cabinet inspections, cause and effect verification, and interlock and permissive testing.

  4. 04

    Wet commissioning

    With the plant running on water, we carry out functional and sequence testing, validate and tune control loops, and balance the plant.

  5. 05

    Start-up and ramp-up

    Once ore is introduced, we refine logic, tune loops and support your operators through the first production phases. We then hand over with input to commissioning dossiers and knowledge transfer to your engineers.

Next step

After stable operations

Once the base control layer is stable, advanced process control (APC) can build on it to lift performance further. After handover, our Operations Support team keeps the control system, data and software running.

Proven at Cobre Panama

Operators ready before the plant is.

At First Quantum Minerals' Cobre Panama copper project, a rapid ramp-up to nameplate capacity was a key requirement. Mipac developed an operator training simulator so control room operators could prepare on the real HMI screens and faceplates, working through fault scenarios against process models built in Siemens SIMIT before start-up. It was also designed to train new operators as they joined the operation.

Proof, not promises

Commissioning in action

The Quellaveco site, 3,500m above sea level
GreenfieldCopper

Siemens PCS7 · Start-up support

PCS7 start-up support: Quellaveco concentrator

Mipac supported the start-up of Quellaveco's new copper concentrator from May 2022. The first production line started in July 2022 and both lines reached full capacity in October 2022. The moly plant hit full capacity in the month it started production, and coarse particle flotation began ramping up in January 2024.

Anglo American · Peru

Read the case study
MMG Dugald River operation, Queensland
Fast-trackedZinc

Schneider M580 · Wonderware · Plantwide

Fast-tracked commissioning: Dugald River concentrator

Plantwide control system configuration, HMI design and commissioning for the zinc concentrator, from crushers to thickeners and filters. The fast-tracked project achieved first production ahead of schedule, with a smooth move from commissioning into operational support.

MMG · Queensland

Read the case study
Ernest Henry Mine site, Queensland
GreenfieldCopper and gold

Yokogawa · Plantwide commissioning

Plantwide control system commissioning: Ernest Henry Mine

Design, configuration and commissioning of the plantwide Yokogawa control system for the $310M greenfield copper and gold mine and concentrator. The plant made a rapid start-up to nameplate capacity, with very stable process control.

Ernest Henry · Queensland

Read the case study

Mipac has played a key role in commissioning Anglo American's newest digital mine. Their expertise in control systems (PCS7), copper concentrator process knowledge and also the ability to assess and evaluate our most modern virtual OT infrastructure and digital field networks was unique.

Juan Cahuana · Process Manager, Quellaveco
Not sure where to start?

Where do you want to start?

Operations

I run the plant

Operators trained before start-up, and support through ramp-up until production is stable.

Control systems

I look after the control system

Logic tested before site, and engineers who commission alongside your team on the platforms you run.

Running plant

Our plant is already running

Remote, 24/7 and onsite support for control systems, data and software after handover.

Did you know?

Common questions about commissioning

What is accelerated start-up?

It's how we describe our approach to commissioning, not a separate service. Once construction is complete, the sooner the plant is online, the sooner production and revenue start. We focus on taking the control system off the critical path: we test it before site, commission it in step with the other disciplines and support your operators through ramp-up.

What's the difference between dry and wet commissioning?

Dry commissioning tests the control system without process material. It covers loop checks, instrument and drive setup, cabinet testing, and interlock and permissive testing. Wet commissioning runs the plant on water, so we can test sequences, validate and tune control loops, and balance the plant before ore is introduced.

What is virtual commissioning?

Virtual commissioning tests control logic against a simulated model of the process before it reaches site. Faults in sequences, interlocks and control strategies show up in the simulation, where they're quicker and cheaper to fix than on a live plant. The same approach can be used to train operators before start-up.

Can commissioning be done remotely?

Some of it can. Logic transfer, project updates and parts of testing can be done over secure remote access, with engineers on site for work that needs hands on the system. Most projects use a mix.

Do you work with our commissioning manager and vendors?

Yes. Our engineers coordinate with operations, process, electrical and mechanical disciplines as your commissioning manager directs, and engage equipment vendors for package integration testing and verification.

Can you commission a control system Mipac didn't configure?

Yes. At Quellaveco, our team supported start-up on a plant-wide control system configured by another contractor, which meant first getting to know its customised library.

When should advanced process control come in?

After the base control layer is stable. APC relies on well-tuned regulatory control, so during commissioning and ramp-up we focus on stable loops, then look at APC once the plant is running consistently.

What happens after handover?

We provide input to commissioning dossiers and close-out documentation, and transfer knowledge to your engineers. For ongoing help, our Operations Support team offers remote, 24/7 and onsite support.

Not ready to call?

Download our capabilities guide

A concise overview of how Mipac works, what we've delivered and where we can help. Useful if you're building a business case or evaluating OT partners.

Ready to talk

Plan a faster start-up for your plant

Tell us where your project is up to and how commissioning is set up. We'll show you where the control system can come off the critical path.

Brisbane

+61 7 3212 5600 · sales@mipac.com.au

Perth

+61 8 6424 9900 · sales@mipac.com.au

Tucson

+1 520 320 9796 · sales@mipac.global

Vancouver

sales@mipac.global

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