Mechanical (plant) engineering

What it covers

Mechanical engineering consulting covers the design, assessment and certification of mechanical plant and equipment across industries. It includes equipment and skid design, structural steel and supports for mechanical plant, lifting and rigging design, piping and mechanical layout, and the calculations and drawings that let equipment be built, installed and certified. A consultant can take a concept to a buildable design, assess an existing installation, or provide the engineering sign-off a project needs.

When you need it

You need a mechanical engineering consultant when you are designing or modifying plant and equipment, when you need an independent assessment or certification of a mechanical installation, or when a project needs mechanical input it does not have in house. It is the general discipline that covers work that does not fall under a single specialty.

Standards, codes and tools

Commonly used tools: SolidWorks, Inventor, AutoCAD, Ansys.

What to look for

Look for an engineer whose experience matches your plant and industry, and who can certify the work where certification is needed. Ask whether they hold RPEQ if the work is in Queensland and whether they can take the design through to drawings a fabricator can build from. For an assessment, look for someone who states the standard and the basis of their conclusion.

Mechanical (plant) engineering by city

Common questions