Motor Control Centres (MCCs): Improving Reliability, Safety and Performance

/in /by

Your Motor Control Centre (MCC) is one of the most critical pieces of electrical infrastructure in your facility. It controls, protects and distributes power to the motors that drive your production, meaning when an MCC fails, the impact can range from lost productivity through to complete plant shutdown.

Whether you’re operating a dairy processing plant, manufacturing facility, water treatment plant or industrial process line, a well-designed and properly maintained MCC is essential for safe, reliable and efficient operations.

What is a Motor Control Centre?

A Motor Control Centre is a centralised assembly that houses the equipment used to control and protect electric motors throughout your facility.

An MCC typically contains:

  • Circuit breakers
  • Motor starters and contactors
  • Overload protection
  • Variable Speed Drives (VSDs)
  • PLC and control equipment
  • Power monitoring devices
  • Protection relays and control circuits

By bringing these components together in one organised system, an MCC provides operators with greater control, improved safety and simplified maintenance.

Why Modern MCCs Matter

Many industrial facilities are operating MCCs that have been in service for 20 years or more. While these systems may still be functional, ageing components, obsolete equipment and changing production demands can increase the risk of unexpected failures.

Modern MCCs provide far more than simply starting and stopping motors.

  • Better Visibility of Your Electrical System
    Modern MCCs can incorporate monitoring and diagnostic capabilities that provide valuable insight into how your electrical system is performing.These features can include:
  • Improved Reliability
    A well-designed MCC helps reduce unplanned downtime by providing reliable motor protection and allowing faults to be identified quickly.
    Modular construction also allows individual motor starters or functional units to be serviced or replaced without affecting the entire system, reducing maintenance time and improving plant availability.
  • Remote monitoring
  • Alarm notifications
  • Fault diagnostics
  • Energy monitoring
  • Performance trendingThis information helps maintenance teams identify developing issues before they become expensive failures.
  • Improved Safety
    Motor Control Centres incorporate multiple layers of electrical protection to safeguard both personnel and equipment.Protection devices such as circuit breakers, overload relays and interlocking systems help minimise the risk of electrical faults while providing a safer working environment during maintenance activities.
  • Designed for Future Growth
    As your business grows, your electrical infrastructure needs to grow with it.A well-designed MCC makes it easier to integrate additional motors, Variable Speed Drives, PLC equipment and process automation without requiring a complete redesign of your electrical distribution system.

Preventative Maintenance Protects Your Investment

Like any critical plant equipment, an MCC should be inspected and maintained regularly.

Preventative maintenance helps identify developing issues before they lead to costly breakdowns and extends the life of your electrical infrastructure.

A typical maintenance programme should include:

  • Visual inspections for signs of overheating, corrosion or damaged components.
  • Inspection and tightening of electrical connections.
  • Testing and calibration of protective devices.
  • Cleaning of enclosures and internal components.
  • Inspection of cooling fans, filters and ventilation systems.
  • Thermal imaging to identify hot spots and failing connections before they become critical.

For many facilities, thermal imaging is one of the most valuable maintenance tools available, allowing faults to be detected safely without interrupting production.

EAS Experience

EAS has extensive experience delivering Motor Control Centre solutions across New Zealand’s industrial sector.

Our team has successfully completed MCC installations, upgrades, refurbishments and modifications for manufacturing, food processing, dairy and infrastructure facilities.

Our experience includes:

  • MCC upgrades to support expanding production facilities.
  • PLC installation and commissioning within existing MCCs.
  • Integration of new automation and control systems.
  • Communications and control wiring modifications.
  • Protection system upgrades, including current transformers and power monitoring equipment.
  • Electrical distribution and industrial lighting upgrades integrated with existing MCC infrastructure.
  • Planned shutdown work delivered safely and efficiently to minimise disruption to production.

We understand that every hour of downtime costs money. That’s why we focus on delivering practical solutions that improve reliability while working around your operational requirements.

How EAS Can Help

Whether you need a new Motor Control Centre, an upgrade to an existing system or a preventative maintenance programme, EAS has the expertise to help.

Our experienced industrial electricians and automation specialists design, build, install, modify and maintain MCCs that improve the reliability, safety and performance of your electrical systems.

If you’d like to discuss your Motor Control Centre requirements or arrange an inspection of your existing equipment, contact the EAS team on 07 834 0505.

Together, we’ll help keep your plant running safely, efficiently and reliably.

aug-2026-mcc