RBT Electrical & Automation

RBT Electrical & Automation

Feb 13, 2019

By Blake Marchand

RBT Electrical & Automation, located in Brantford, Ontario, provides a full service of electrical contracting along with automation and control services in the commercial and industrial sectors. The company serves clients in manufacturing, food production and processing, food service, pharmaceuticals, recycling, and public service/institutional. Randall Koops, General Manager of Automation and Control, took time to answer a few questions for Electrical Industry Canada to tell us a little more about RBT Electrical & Automation.

Randall has been with RBT Electrical & Automation from very early on in its inception, joining initially as an electrical apprentice in 1997. He is a licensed 309A electrician trained in ACAD and PLC with over 25 years of experience in the industry.

What is the history of RBT Electrical & Automation and what do you see in the near future for the company?

RBT was started by Rob Timmerman in the spring of 1997. RBT quickly had three or four employees and focused on industrial wiring. RBT is a full-service electrical contractor, and tackles jobs ranging from design build, lighting, construction, networking, power wiring, machinery wiring, safety upgrades, control upgrades as well as complete control systems for virtually any machine out there. We continue to see growth in the company and that is due to the reputation RBT has earned for doing things right the first time and at a fair cost to the customer.

Can you tell us about your team?

Our team consists of office support staff, project managers ,and all the guys in the field. We have over 25 electricians and apprentices on staff with experience ranging from a few months to multiple decades in the trade. Our company has a vast range of experience from construction, commercial, institutional, and industrial. We also have a lot of experience in food manufacturing. Our team has the experience and know how to tackle any electrical job.

Can you tell us about a project that you found particularly interesting, unique or rewarding?

Last year one of our newer customers had a partial collapse of the roof in the middle of their manufacturing plant. Multiple conduits were damaged beyond repair, yet somehow there were only a couple of damaged control wires that were quickly repaired to allow the plant to remain in production.

The collapse happened right beside the main control system that delivered all the raw material to five production lines, as well as the control of three of the lines. The existing control system was an old AB SLC system with two remote racks. They had no drawings or up-to-date copy of the PLC program, and the wiring was a total disaster. I can remember standing in front of the very large double door main control panel full of drives, contactors, relays, the PLC, and an unbelievable amount of unlabelled wires and looking at 27 conduits all full to capacity and thinking to myself, “Where do we even begin?”

We were tasked with redoing all the damaged conduits without disrupting production. We ended up installing parallel control systems on all the lines and then changing over on multiple weekends. We worked line by line and then finally on the main control system that delivered all the raw material. We completed the job with virtually no disruption to production and the customer now has fully documented drawings and PLC programs, as well as state-of-the-art control systems.

How do you stay ahead of the rapidly advancing technology surrounding automation and controls, or throughout the various sectors RBT operates within?

I do a fair bit of reading online as well as the occasional trade show.

It appears as though RBT has a diverse range of services, of the industry sectors you service. Which do you see having the greatest shift or advancements in the near future?

We continue to see a lot of automation being added to our customers’ facilities. Everybody wants to handle product less, get a better product sooner and safer at a lower cost, and then collect data on how they performed. 

Is there anything relating to automation and controls that is particularly interesting to you right now?

The part I really like now is how things have become simpler but more complex. What I mean by this is that different components connect easily over simple communication protocols, and you can read or write virtually any parameter you want to the device. Gone are the days of spending large amounts of time in PLC data tables to configure what now is considered a simple device and can be configured with a few clicks of a mouse.

Blake Marchand is Assistant Editor, Panel Builder & Systems Integrator.

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • Code Question on Section 24 – Patient Care Areas

    Code Question on Section 24 – Patient Care Areas

    July 14, 2025 The rules for the installation of panelboards, circuits, and bonding in Patient Care Area depends on whether the area is designated as either, Basic Care, Intermediate Care or Critical Care. How are these areas defined? Read more on Section 24 — Health care areas Read More…

  • Ontario’s Institutional Component Drives Non-Residential Construction Intentions in May 2025

    Ontario’s Institutional Component Drives Non-Residential Construction Intentions in May 2025

    July 14, 2025 In May, the total value of building permits issued in Canada rose by $1.4 billion (+12.0%) to reach $13.1 billion. The increase in construction intentions was driven by Ontario’s institutional component (+$1.3 billion). On a constant dollar basis (2023=100), the total value of building permits issued in May increased 11.8% from the previous month and was… Read More…

  • Plan Group Partners in Construction of UHN Surgical Tower at Toronto Western Hospital

    Plan Group Partners in Construction of UHN Surgical Tower at Toronto Western Hospital

    July 14, 2025 Plan Group is proud to be a partner in the construction of the UHN Surgical Tower at Toronto Western Hospital. Plan Group will provide work on the project in: Mechanical: Plumbing, HVAC, Controls, Medical GasElectrical: Lighting & Controls, Power Distribution, Emergency Generators, UPSTechnology: Structured Cabling, AV Systems including Digital Signage and IPTV UHN’s 15-storey Surgical… Read More…

  • How Canada Can Equip Workers for a Low-Carbon Future

    How Canada Can Equip Workers for a Low-Carbon Future

    July 14, 2025 The Canadian economy is shifting towards low-carbon industries, and the workforce is shifting with it. New roles are emerging, traditional ones are evolving and the demand for skilled workers is growing fast — particularly in light of the ambitious nation-building agenda the federal government has set out. In the federal Speech from… Read More…


Changing Scene

  • OEL Apprentice Success Project Available Until March 2026

    OEL Apprentice Success Project Available Until March 2026

    July 14, 2025 With renewed funding by Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, the OEL Apprentice Success Project is now available for another year until March 2026. The project is part of OEL’s Employer Engagement Program (EEP) consisting of wage, training, and equipment subsidies for apprentices. These funding opportunities are available to OEL Members and non-Members. For… Read More…

  • EB Horsman Unveils New Mural at Campbell River Branch

    EB Horsman Unveils New Mural at Campbell River Branch

    July 14, 2025 EB Horsman & Son are thrilled to unveil a new mural at their Campbell River branch, painted by the talented Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Adam Lewis. “This stunning piece celebrates Indigenous heritage and our community spirit,” said EB Horsman on LinkedIn. “As we mark 125 years of serving Western Canada and 55 years in… Read More…

  • Glenco Electric Celebrate New Red Seal Team Members

    Glenco Electric Celebrate New Red Seal Team Members

    July 14, 2025 “The Red Seal Journeyman designation is the highest recognition in the trades, and we’re proud to have seen so many of our team members earn it under our watch,” said Glenco Electric on LinkedIn. “At Glenco, we’re big on mentorship and promoting from within. When you combine that with driven, hard-working professionals,… Read More…

  • Canada and Ontario Investing to Improve Energy Efficiency in Province’s Agri-Food Industry

    Canada and Ontario Investing to Improve Energy Efficiency in Province’s Agri-Food Industry

    July 14, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $3 million and launching the third intake of the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (ASI) to help farmers implement projects to improve the energy efficiency of their farming operations. To support the province’s plan to protect Ontario, this funding will help local agriculture, agri-food… Read More…