Pickle

I've looked through a few web sites and the names of jobs are starting to confuse me.............not very hard to confuse me

want i would like to know is I'm a maintenance electrician, I work on PLC's robots automation and that type of stuff, I don't do house wiring or commercial electrical work although I did do bits during my apprenticship.

What is my job called over there in oz? what sort of license do i need to do my job in queensland? will I need to retrain? ( hope not ).

any info from people who have been through this would be great.
cheers
trev

banjo

should still be called a maintenance electrician.....we have them at the company I work for. I'm a maintenance fitter here although in the UK I was an elec-mech. Here they are seperate and you're classed as either one or the other. I'm not sure what you will need in Qld....but here in Victoria you need an A grade licence. Your best bet might be to contact the ETU....electrical union as they should be able to give you all the latest info. I had to do an S grade licence (restricted disconnect / reconnect licence) to be able to do that part of my job here even though I had been doing it for 12 years in the UK.

Sorry....not very helpful at all I guess.

TRIMIX

For your TRA you could go as special class, but you will need to pass exams when you get there so you can as said before disconnect , reconnect and pass off any work the best I have been quoted for a course as been three months waiting time from when I arrive. You would find it maybe a little harder to get a job without the training in Oz.

Pickle

yeah I'm a elec and mech also but I'm a elec more, if you get what i mean.

I don't need the TRA thing as I'm coming on a spouse visa. anyone know what the elctrical union for queensland is?

lilstewie

I'm pretty sure that you still have to go through TRA to be assessed as an electrician before you even apply for a licence. The TRA will assess you, then you go to the licencing board and ask to apply for the licence.Try this link to the Queensland energy board website - there's all the info you need.
http://www.dir.qld.gov.au/electricalsafety/index.htm
Best of luck.
Lilstewie

Bluerobot

Maintenance Electrician

Not a massive amount of robotics in Qld but its growing all the time, mainly small companies. What sector are you in at the moment, Automotive? Food & Beverage?

As you're from Brum, I'd assume it was Automotive.

Ther are a few alrge companies in QLD with robots. EGR is the biggest Automotive supplier I believe, thay have loads of our machines. Arnotts (food) & Merino (paper), Australian Paper are also decent size companies with this type of kit.

What sort of robots & plc's did you use? I work for a company that deals with Motoman & OTC robots, Motoman is probably the biggest seller in Aus.

To put it in perspective, our main office employs 50 in Melb, 20 in Sydney, & 1 each in Bris & Adelaide. This obviously gives you a clue as to where these type of jobs are most in demand. If your interested, my boss would give you a job tomorrow, but probably not in qld He's actively looking for ex Rover employees at the moment, (every one of the engineers in Sydney is a pom).

Dave

Kelli28

you will need to to a ARTC application same as tra only you are resident in aus then you can apply to get your licence and possibly enrol in the local tafe

Pickle

At the moment I do work in the automotive sector, land rover to be correct. I have also worked in warehousing on auto cranes and sortation equipment with siemens dematic, I've worked on ABB robots and done a few courses down in milton keynes with them but hear that motorman robots are not all that hard to work on.
PLC's I've used and worked on are siemens S7, allen bradley and indramat mostly but also modicon a long time ago and a few other plc's and cnc's.
Although i work in automotive at the moment I have no problem moving out and changing jobs, in fact I think I would like it.

cheers for the info

Pickle

I might just be asking for work around this time next year so will drop you a line and see if your boss is still looking, but got my heart set on brissy.

Bluerobot

I was involved with a few robots in Solihull, was a regular visitor. Twin robot system for liquid gasketing axle seals, Discovery glazing seals and Freelander windscreen seals. All Motoman. Small world eh .

They're Allen Bradley mad over here, personally I don't like em - expensive pile of C**p. The only other main ones you come across regularly are Siemens.

Have a look at www.ragroup.com.au if you're interested.

Dave.

Pickle

sure is a small world, I work with a few of the disco and freelander guys on the new range rover sport and new disco BIW area's. some do speak of motoman robots and a guy who went to oz.................to work for motoman................
can't say I like allen bradley its made by the yanks for the yanks. siemens i like, easier to use and more powerful also. oh and i used to work for em

John Howard

You dont work for MAR by any chance?

Used to work for ABB robotics in Milton Keynes, not one of my best moves! Worked at Peugot in Cov installing and programming robots for the 206 in 1999 all done in french which was interesting! Did a bit at rover, just before the first collapse in 2000 lost my job during this period due to car factories closing and ABB having to pay compensation for lots of sales promises

Wol

Just last week we had a tour of Bowral Bricks, in the Southern Highlands. They have some 10 - 12 robots making bricks so I'm sure there are quite a few around now.

Pickle

we have a few of the ABB guys still working at our place now and quite a few contract robot guys also.
would like to know what robot or PLC work there might be in or around Brisbane or south queensland if anyone knows.

Bluerobot

No, I don't work for MAR. I work for Robotic Automation - at least for the moment, hopefully I'll move on at some point. We used to have a factory unit just across the road from MAR in Silverwater, but we moved up the road to Rydalmere at the end of 2003. You've come across MAR then? Any thoughts? . Last I heard, they'd had a robot kicked out of one of their custromers factories due to it not doing what they promised.