May 2026 – Present · ND Paper, Rumford, ME
Industrial Controls, Drives & Motor Protection
PLC (GE / ABB / Allen-Bradley) · MCC · VFD · EtherNet/IP · Profibus
Plant-floor controls engineering supporting production equipment: PLC logic validation, industrial communications, and inspection and troubleshooting of motor-protection, MCCs and VFDs.
- Problem
- Mill production equipment spans three PLC vendors and two fieldbus standards, and has to keep running while controls and drives are changed.
- Role
- Electrical Engineer Intern: modify and validate PLC logic and motor-protection settings, and troubleshoot the drive and protection hardware.
- Tools
- GE / ABB / Allen-Bradley PLC · RSLogix 5 · EtherNet/IP · Profibus · MCC · VFD (to 400 HP) · AutoCAD
- Outcome
- Validated logic changes supporting production equipment, and AutoCAD schematics documenting protection upgrades and equipment replacement.
Text description of this diagram
Generic industrial-controls architecture. An engineering workstation programs a PLC (GE, ABB or Allen-Bradley). The PLC communicates over EtherNet/IP and Profibus networks to a motor-protection relay and a Motor Control Center. A Variable Frequency Drive, rated up to 400 horsepower, drives the process motor. This is an illustrative diagram and does not represent any specific plant network, logic or drawing.
Generic illustrative architecture drawn for this portfolio. It is not the mill's network or a client drawing, and contains no plant data.
01Context & engineering problem
In a paper-mill environment, the work supports production equipment through PLC logic changes, industrial communication networks and drive-system maintenance.
Responsibilities span the controls stack: from PLC platforms and motor-protection settings down to MCCs, VFDs and the motors they drive.
Production equipment must run reliably; controls changes and drive maintenance have to be done carefully to keep processes stable and minimize unplanned downtime.
The equipment base spans multiple PLC platforms and communication standards, which have to work together.
02My role
- Modify and validate PLC logic on GE, ABB and Allen-Bradley platforms to support production equipment, including motor-protection settings.
- Configure industrial communication networks, including EtherNet/IP and Profibus, to support reliable process control and system integration.
- Inspect, maintain and troubleshoot motor-protection systems, MCCs, VFDs rated up to 400 HP and industrial drive systems.
- Produce AutoCAD schematics and wiring diagrams for mill distribution and drive systems supporting protection upgrades and equipment replacement.
03System architecture
- An engineering workstation programs and monitors PLCs across GE, ABB and Allen-Bradley platforms.
- PLCs communicate over EtherNet/IP and Profibus to field devices.
- Motor-protection relays and Motor Control Centers feed Variable Frequency Drives, which in turn drive the process motors.
04Methodology & validation
- PLC logic is modified and then validated to confirm it behaves as intended before it supports production.
- Drive systems and motor protection are inspected and troubleshot to maintain reliability.
- Distribution and drive changes are documented with AutoCAD schematics and wiring diagrams.
- PLC logic changes are validated to confirm intended operation.
- Motor-protection and drive systems are inspected and troubleshot as part of maintaining equipment reliability.
05Engineering considerations
- Changes to production controls are made with reliability and safe operation as the priority.
- Motor-protection settings and drive configurations are handled as part of keeping equipment within safe operating limits.
06Outcomes
- Ongoing support of production equipment across PLC platforms, motor protection and drive systems.
- AutoCAD schematics and wiring diagrams supporting protection upgrades and equipment replacement.
07Tools & skills
Tools & platforms
- GE PLC
- ABB PLC
- Allen-Bradley PLC
- RSLogix 5
- EtherNet/IP
- Profibus
- VFD
- MCC
- AutoCAD
Skills demonstrated
- PLC programming & validation
- Motor protection
- VFD / drive troubleshooting
- Industrial communications
- Electrical documentation
- Reliability-oriented engineering
Confidentiality note
This case study describes engineering capabilities only. It does not reproduce any employer-specific PLC logic, protection settings, network architecture, plant or production data, or proprietary drawings. The diagram below is a generic, illustrative architecture.