How to Choose an Industrial Automation Company in Dubai

Six practical questions to ask before hiring an industrial automation company in Dubai, from a PLC and SCADA specialist.

Call +971 524064300

Industrial AutomationSeptember 1, 20266 min read

Quick answer

The short answer: pick a company that can show you PLC and SCADA work they've actually commissioned (not just designed on paper), that troubleshoots as well as it installs, and that will document the system clearly enough for someone else to maintain it after they've left.

See how our industrial automation team works, including commissioning and troubleshooting. If you are still defining the system, start with our automation consultants.

Ask to see commissioning experience, not just design experience

Plenty of companies can produce a PLC program or a SCADA screen mock-up. Fewer have stood in a plant room at 2am getting a system to actually run reliably. Ask for examples of systems they've commissioned end-to-end — installed, programmed, tested, and handed over running. That's a different skill set from design alone, and it's the one that determines whether your system works on day one or needs weeks of troubleshooting after "completion."

Check how they handle troubleshooting, not just new installs

A good sign: a company that talks about troubleshooting and support as a core service, not an afterthought. Automation systems fail in the field for reasons that never show up in a design review — a sensor drifts, a communication cable gets damaged, a firmware update changes behaviour. A company that only knows how to build new systems, without a track record of diagnosing faults in existing ones, will struggle when something goes wrong after handover.

Documentation is not optional

Ask what you'll receive at handover: PLC program files (not just a locked, unreadable export), a wiring schematic, an I/O list, and a written description of the control logic. Without this, every future fault becomes a full investigation from scratch, and you're locked into using the original contractor for even minor changes.

A few more practical questions to ask

Which PLC and SCADA platforms do they work with, and do those match what's common in the UAE (so spares and support are easy to find)?
Can they support the system after handover, or is it installation-only?
Do they do their own programming, or subcontract it (which adds a layer between you and the person who actually knows the system)?
What's their process when a system needs to be modified after it's running — do they have the original files, or does someone need to reverse-engineer it?

Talk to an engineer about your project.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth hiring a UAE-based automation company over an international one?

For ongoing support and troubleshooting, yes — a local team can be on-site quickly when something goes wrong, and understands UAE-specific standards and equipment availability. International specialists can make sense for very specific, high-complexity systems, but local support matters for day-to-day reliability.

What’s a reasonable timeline for PLC and SCADA commissioning?

It varies hugely by system size, but expect installation and programming to run in parallel with other site works, followed by a dedicated testing and commissioning period before handover — rushing this stage is the most common cause of post-handover faults.

Can one company handle both the automation and the surrounding MEP or ELV work?

Yes, and it often helps — automation frequently needs to coordinate closely with electrical and mechanical systems, so a team that can see the whole picture avoids handoff gaps between separate contractors.

Who should own the PLC and SCADA source code?

You should. Make handover of the commented source programs, SCADA project files, passwords and backups a contract requirement, so any competent engineer can support the system later.

What support should an automation company offer after handover?

At minimum a defects period with a clear response time, remote access support where security allows, and an option for a maintenance contract that includes backups and periodic health checks.