Introduction

Preparing an industrial facility for electrical and network infrastructure is a complex process that demands rigorous planning and coordination with multiple technical disciplines. Unlike office buildings, the industrial environment presents specific challenges: extreme temperatures, dust, moisture, vibrations, and electromagnetic interference from heavy equipment.

Proper preparation during the construction or renovation phase makes the difference between infrastructure that functions reliably for decades and one that generates constant problems and unexpected costs. In this guide, we systematically walk through the steps necessary for complete preparation.

Step 1: Power Requirements Analysis

The first step in any industrial infrastructure project is a complete inventory of electrical power needs. This involves:

Equipment Inventory

Every piece of equipment to be installed in the facility must be documented with:

  • Rated power (kW) — consumption during normal operation
  • Starting power (kVA) — electric motors can have starting currents 5-8 times higher than rated current
  • Supply type — single-phase (230V) or three-phase (400V)
  • Special requirements — uninterruptible power supply (UPS), voltage stabilizers, surge protection

Total Power Calculation

Based on the inventory, calculate:

  • Total installed power — the sum of all rated powers
  • Simultaneity factor — not all equipment operates at the same time; the typical factor for industrial facilities is 0.6-0.8
  • Design power — total power corrected with the simultaneity factor, plus a minimum 25% reserve for future expansion
  • Power factor compensation — equipment with electric motors has a low power factor that requires compensation with capacitor banks

Distribution Board Design

Based on calculations, the following are sized:

  • Main distribution board (MDB)
  • Secondary boards per zone or production line
  • Power circuits (for equipment) and lighting circuits (separate)
  • Auxiliary socket circuits for tools and mobile equipment

Each circuit must be individually protected with correctly sized circuit breakers and residual current protection where required.

Step 2: Cable Routing Design

Cable routing in an industrial facility is more complex than in an office building. Specific challenges include:

Route Separation

International standards and Romanian regulations (NP-I7) require physical separation of cable routes:

  • Power cables — dedicated routes, with cross-sections calculated for maximum load
  • Data cables — separate routes, at minimum distance from power cables (minimum 300mm for Cat.6A, per EN 50174-2)
  • Control cables — for industrial automation, sensors, PLCs
  • Safety cables — fire alarm and evacuation circuits, with fire-resistant routes (E30/E90)

Route Types

Depending on the facility structure and access requirements:

  • Metal cable trays — the standard solution for industrial facilities; mounted at height on the steel structure or on brackets
  • Protective conduits — for zones exposed to mechanical impact or at floor level
  • Floor channels — for feeding equipment in the center of the facility
  • Wall-mounted routes — for perimeter zones, with junction boxes at regular intervals

Route Sizing

Routes must be sized not only for current requirements but also for expansion:

  • The 40% fill rule — cable trays should be filled to a maximum of 40% capacity at installation, leaving space for additional cables
  • Accessibility — all derivation, junction, and termination points must remain accessible for maintenance
  • Supports at correct intervals — maximum distance between supports varies depending on tray type and load (typically 1.5-2m)

Step 3: The Grounding System

Correct grounding is fundamental for personnel safety, equipment protection, and proper operation of data networks.

Protective Grounding

  • Earth electrode — vertical electrodes (rods) or horizontal electrodes (strip) with dispersion resistance below 1 ohm for industrial facilities
  • Grounding ring — copper or galvanized steel strip that surrounds the building and to which all metallic elements connect
  • Equipotential bonding — all metallic structures (columns, beams, cable trays, equipment enclosures) must be connected to the grounding system

Functional Grounding for Data Networks

Data networks require a distinct functional ground:

  • Rack grounding bar — each communications rack must be connected to the grounding system with a minimum 16mm² copper conductor
  • Cable shielding — shielded cables (F/UTP, S/FTP) require shield continuity from end to end, with grounding at a single point
  • Separation from power ground — to avoid ground loops that generate interference

Lightning Protection

Industrial facilities, due to their size and metallic structure, are vulnerable to atmospheric electrical discharge:

  • Lightning rods (ESE or Faraday cage) — depending on protection class
  • Surge protective devices (SPD) — on the main board (Type 1), secondary boards (Type 2), and at sensitive equipment (Type 3)
  • Data line protection — dedicated SPDs on Ethernet ports for exposed equipment

Step 4: Environmental Considerations

The industrial environment imposes special requirements on electrical and network infrastructure:

Dust and Particles

  • IP protection ratings — depending on the zone within the facility, equipment must have at minimum IP54 (dust and splash protection) or IP65 (total dust protection and water jet)
  • Industrial racks — sealed racks with air filtration or active cooling for technical rooms within facilities
  • Sealed connectors — in areas with heavy dust, industrial connectors with protective caps are used

Moisture and Corrosion

  • Cables with special jackets — in wet or corrosive environments, cables with LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) or PE (polyethylene) jackets are used for exterior applications
  • Stainless steel trays and accessories — in food processing, pharmaceutical, or corrosive atmosphere facilities
  • Anti-corrosion treatments — all metallic connections and terminations must be protected

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

The industrial environment is full of interference sources:

  • Electric motors and variable frequency drives — are major EMI sources; data cables must be kept at distance and, ideally, shielded
  • Electric welding — generates intense electromagnetic pulses
  • Compressors and pneumatic equipment — can generate vibrations and interference through metallic conduits

Solutions:

  • Using shielded data cables (S/FTP or SF/UTP) in areas with high EMI
  • Metal cable trays with covers that provide additional shielding
  • EMI filters on the power supply of sensitive equipment
  • Fiber optics for long runs or those traversing zones with intense EMI — fiber is completely immune to electromagnetic interference

Temperature

  • Cable operating temperature — standard cables operate between -20°C and +60°C; for zones with extreme temperatures, special cables are used
  • Thermal expansion — metal routes expand; expansion joints must be provided at regular intervals
  • Active equipment cooling — switches and routers in an industrial rack require adequate ventilation or air conditioning

Step 5: Coordination with Other Trades

Electrical and network infrastructure does not exist in isolation. Coordination with other technical disciplines is essential:

With the Structural Engineer

  • Openings and penetrations — all penetrations through walls, floors, and foundations must be planned during the design phase
  • Foundations for distribution boards — main electrical panels require specific foundations or supports
  • Floor channels — must be integrated into the construction project, not added afterward

With the HVAC Installer

  • Route separation — avoiding parallelism between data cables and metallic ventilation ducts
  • HVAC equipment power supply — dedicated circuits for air conditioning and ventilation units
  • Technical room — coordinating space in technical rooms between electrical, network, and HVAC equipment

With the Fire Protection Designer

  • Fire-resistant circuits — cables for fire detection and alarm must maintain functionality for 30-90 minutes during a fire
  • Compartmentalization — cable penetrations through fire walls must be sealed with certified intumescent materials
  • Smoke evacuation — coordination with smoke extraction systems, including emergency power supply

With the Facility Owner

  • Equipment layout — the exact position of machines determines routes and power supply points
  • Production processes — understanding the production flow helps with optimal placement of distribution boards and communications racks
  • Expansion plans — information about equipment or production lines planned for the future

Conclusion

Preparing an industrial facility for electrical and network infrastructure is a process that must be integrated into the construction project from the earliest phases. Every step that is skipped or undersized during the preparation phase generates multiplied costs during the operational phase.

Our recommendation is to engage a designer specializing in industrial installations from the concept phase and to treat electrical and data infrastructure with the same attention as the building’s structural system — because, in practice, the entire operation depends on it.

Steiner Systems is ANRE certified and an official R&M Partner. Contact us for a complete assessment of infrastructure requirements for your industrial facility.