connecting worlds - cideon...electric p8 with version 2.7, eplan provides two new interfaces for plc...

2 software4efficiency 2 |17

EDITORIAL

8 FOCUS Connecting Worlds

We’re connected to each other through language, communication technology, mobility technology and much more in our globalised world. Eplan and Cideon develop solutions that connect the worlds of engi-neering, making everyday processes easier and more efficient.

SOLUTIONS

14 Up In the Cloud Eplan Cogineer will soon be available as a cloud solu-tion. This sneak preview shows how easy automated schematic creation can be.

15 Fit for the Future Eplan Data Portal simplifies device configuration and makes companies fit for the demands of Industry 4.0.

18 A Good Connection The integration of Eplan Electric P8 to TIA Portal, Siemens’ engineering framework, ensures well- functioning infrastructure for data communications.

20 A New Outlook on Teamwork Syngineer makes engineering easier and more efficient – a look at the daily working routine.

22 “That’s Our Job” Reno Staschinski and Rolf Lisse talk about Cideon solutions for integrating MCAD and ECAD into SAP PLM.

The software4efficiency magazine is also available as an app and a PDF. Simply scan the QR code.

CONTACT

THE EDITORIA

L

DEPARTMENT

Please e-mai

l your though

ts,

suggestions

or critiques

to:

redaktion@e

plan.de

redaktion@c

ideon.com

Dear readers,

what do you associate with the term glo-balisation? A few certainties: we live in a complex, networked world and are con-nected to other countries, companies and people in a variety of ways. If we are to live and work together smoothly, we need technologies and innovations to help us overcome existing obstacles. Airplanes bring us from point A to point B faster, navigation devices show us the way, mes-saging services and the internet keep us up to date.

As providers of software solutions, we at Eplan and Cideon ensure that the var-ious worlds of engineering have the right connections to each other and function seamlessly. With Syngineer, for instance, we’ve developed a solution that enables direct cooperation between mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and control technology. Our Eplan Data Por-tal brings together users and manufac-turers. And Eplan Pro Panel and Eplan Harness proD make manufacturing go much faster in a globally networked world.

I invite you to immerse yourself in the digital world of engineering with Eplan and Cideon in this issue of the magazine. I hope the reading inspires you.

Sincerely,

Maximilian BrandlChairman of the Management Board of Eplan and Cideon

3software4efficiency 2 |17

INDUSTRY 24 The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Companies report about their experiences during the test phase of Eplan Cogineer.

26 A Connection That Makes SensePhoenix Contact has successfully linked Eplan Platform to Teamcenter.

28 The Mega-IntegrationSchneider Electric counts on Eplan for global ECAD solutions in its energy division.

30 For All Special CasesZeppelin Power Systems ensures consistent data flow with the help of Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel.

SERVICES

32 American Dream Eplan and Cideon are starting a market offensive in the U.S. We interviewed experts Jennifer Moore and Michael Jeschke.

34 Get a Flying Start with Customised Upgrades Cideon offers one-to-one support with SAP Backend Update Services.

36 Forging Professionals Where training and innovation come together.

38 FAQs

40 Always Up-to-Date Five steps to the current version – with Eplan Data Portal Professional.

STANDARDS

4 News

39 Publication Details

42 Perspective Boon Edam works with Cideon and recently built the door for the world’s highest viewing platform, located in Dubai.

30

22

14

News


Relocation Twelve Eplan China employees have been working in a new office since June. Here on the eleventh storey of the Jinhui Building, in the Chaoyang District in Beijing, they have around 400 square meters of space to complete upcoming projects. The Chaoyang District is the pulsing heart

relocation is part of Eplan’s growth strategy for the Asian market. Since China is continually making progress in the construction of machines and com-ponents, there is an increasing demand for Eplan solutions to explore potential savings in engineer-ing processes.

of the global economy in China. “We’re closer to our customers in these new, modern offices, which allows us to better target our services,” says Eplan China Marketing Manager Xiaojing Sun. Renowned companies like Siemens and Schneider Electric have their offices in close proximity to Eplan. The

New Offices for Eplan China

Eplan in China – Data and Facts

• Eplan has been active in China for twelve years.

• 45 employees ensure efficient engineering at four branch offices.

• More than 1,300 customers in China have access to more than 4,000 licences.

The Eplan team is right in the centre of the engineering action in its new offices.

Where the big global players set up shop in China: the Chaoyang District in Beijing.


Eplan Cogineer scores a win in South America. Eplan Cogineer received the Silver Prêmio Potencia Award in the Soft-ware & Apps category as Technical Inno-vation of the Year. The award ceremony was held in São Paulo this summer as a side event to FIEE, the largest electronics industry trade fair in Brazil.

News

Cideon has completely redesigned its website, optimising it for use on mobile devices. Users will also now benefit from the powerful search function with an autofill option. New topic pages with interactive images and videos as well as integrated lead forms have been made part of the site structure. Users can navigate comfortably and quickly to their desired destinations.

SNAPSHOTS

A Whole New Site

In Step with Trends

770,000pieces of device data (plus about 1.2 million variations for each configuration) are available in Eplan Data Portal. As of: October 2017

2017

www.eplancogineer.de/en/

www.cideon.com

As the successor to SAP ERP, SAP S/4HANA is the new standard of the SAP community. With this next-generation busi-ness suite, companies can manage their day-to-day operations while driving innova-tion at the same time. Cideon has adapted its software and consulting portfolio to the requirements of S/4HANA. Companies will benefit from sustainable solutions for effi-cient product development.

You’re Invited!Rewind: Dresden

A Solid PartnershipCooperation Effective immediately, Cide-on Software GmbH & Co. KG and Seal Sys-tems AG, provider of conversion and out-put management solutions for SAP, are working closely together. The two software companies are pooling their know-how to

expand their respective product portfolios in the fields of data conversion, information and documentation provision and adapt them to new challenges like SAP S/4HANA and cloud technologies. Both companies’ existing product offerings will remain intact.

Register at:www.eplan-efficiencydays.de

Efficiency Days Eight German cities, one new concept: during Eplan Efficiency Days 2017, visitors were able to choose individual topics that interested them from a wide range of live lectures and discussion groups. Cooperating partners like Bosch Rexroth, Komax, Rittal and Siemens presented their solutions to a broad specialist audience. One event is still to come: on 1 March 2018, the Efficiency Day in Munich will conclude the series.

Solution Days “Development & Production - Connecting Worlds with Cideon” was the theme of this year’s Solution Days in Dresden. The programme included excit-ing performance and expert reports as well as personal networking. The thematic focus was on the SAP Engineering Control Center strategic integration platform and the appropriate interfaces for the most po pu-lar MCAD systems and Eplan Electric P8. A particular highlight was company Boon Edam’s presentation on its successful introduction of SAP Engineering Control Center.

Discover more atwww.cideon.com


Rubrik | Unternehmen

Bright prospects: Experience nature from the “Biggeblick” viewing platform in Attendorn, Germany; experience engineering with the new Eplan Platform 2.7.

Platform 2.7: The Update HighlightsWith the release of version 2.7 in autumn 2017, Eplan continues its steadfast pursuit of the concept of digitisa-tion. The new Eplan Platform offers innovative features and functionalities across all steps of the process and focuses on interdisciplinary data exchange.

News

6

What’s new in Eplan Platform 2.7? Detailed information and videos are available online. Scan the code and discover more!

software4efficiency 2 |17

software4efficiency 2 |17 7

News

100Percent following the introduction of Eplan

Platform 2.7, the Eplan Help System is now

one hundred per cent web-based, meaning

it’s always up to date. What’s more, the

scope has been expanded and the handling

improved. Efficient filters for text searches

and the limitation to specific categories make

using it much easier. The top of every help

page shows its position in the table of con-

tents for better user orientation. Another new

feature is that the user language can be se-

lected in the Help System.

HotlineSmart Wiring Wiring switchgear systems is a cost-intensive step that now runs more efficiently with Eplan Smart Wiring. The new version 2.7 shows off a new server client solution. Previously the software could only be used locally on one end device, but now several users can access a project simultaneously and process data in parallel. Error-prone navigation through server structures has become a thing of the past: the new version uses QR codes that can easily be scanned with a mobile end device so that every employee can

quickly open the correct project without fail in the correct directory that fits with the order being filled. Another new feature is the “daisy chain” wiring mode provided in Eplan Pro Panel. Graphics in 3D support special list displays, and a variety of sort-ing and filtering possibilities are available. The ability to retrieve information about the project’s progress and status and to save individual user settings and prefer-ences makes Smart Wiring particularly easy and effective to use.

Full Power

Find out more at:www.cogineer.de/en/home

Preplanning Well begun is half done. This is particularly true of piping data in the con-text of engineering or P&ID creation in pro-cess automation. With Eplan Preplanning, piping data can now be defined early in the process and centrally managed because the new version includes its own piping module. Important information, including pipe classes and substance data, is man-aged in the corresponding navigator and, if desired, can be represented graphically in piping and instrument flowcharts. Detailed plant documentation is also a possibility, which reduces efforts in downstream engi-neering processes and increases project quality.

Platform 2.7: The Update Highlights

One Step to 3DPro Panel Version 2.7 eliminates time-consuming steps like reworking property con-figurations in the 3D layout space or manually placing the individual components of a module. The configuration of properties in the 3D layout space and the correspond-ing model views are now identical. All the components of defined devices, assem-blies and modules can now be positioned in 3D in just one step. Manufacturing data can be exported more quickly and securely with the machine interface to Rittal’s newly developed Perforex laser machining centre. Please note: This application requires the appropriate licence.

More detailed information at: www.eplan.de/en/solutions/product-overviewe/plan-electric-p8

Well LinkedElectric P8 With version 2.7, Eplan provides two new interfaces for PLC data ex-change to manufacturers Mitsubishi Electric and Siemens. Both interfaces use the vendor- neutral, XML-based Automation Markup Language (AutomationML) data format. An easy and standardised exchange of PLC data between Eplan Electric P8 and Siemens’ programming software TIA Portal is now possible. Find out more about this topic on page 18 of this issue.

Just One ClickEplan Cogineer This innovative engineer-ing solution from Eplan makes it easy to quickly get up to speed on automated schematic creation and fluid power designs. Eplan Cogineer makes efficient confi guration successful without the need for deep expertise. It’s schematic creation with just a click. Find out what users have to say about the test phase on page 24.

Focus | Connecting Worlds


Aeroplanes fly us around the world, rockets take us into outer space. Humans have always found a way to overcome seemingly insurmountable distances and obstacles through innovation. Eplan and Cideon also connect the most varied worlds with their solutions.

Connecting

8

Worlds

Connecting Worlds | Focus

Common memories connect gen-erations. Typical 1990s? As we remember it: Bleached-blond boy bands burst onto the stage, Jurassic Park brought dino-

saurs back, and inline skates replaced rol-ler skates. Everyone wanted a Nokia 3210 or a Siemens S3 so they could start texting. The nineties also marked an exciting dec-ade for the software and IT industries, which became ever more closely entwined through a variety of networks. Prehistoric personal computers – grey boxes, as heavy as lead and extortionately expensive, with keyboards and tiny monitors – became affordable prod-ucts for the masses.

Windows 95 came on the market. Using 56.6K modems, the Netscape Communi-cator web browser and a brand-new Dell computer (keyboard: Cherry; mouse: Log-itech), Generation X wondered: “Am I in?” People worldwide began, very slowly at first, to digitally connect with one another.

The Next Level With SyngineerWith Syngineer, Eplan and Cideon have taken an idea from the nineties and further refined it to connect the worlds of engineer-ing: instant messaging. Nowadays we use WhatsApp for private communication, but back then it was via the cult app ICQ (“I Seek You“) – sharing information and discussions with a selected audience in real time. Communication connects, and Syngineer – equal parts task manager, pro-

ject platform and communication platform – brings this basic principle to the next lev-el specifically for the engineering business.

Syngineer is available everywhere through an internet browser, as a direct integration into a CAD system, or in Eplan. It’s never been easier to supply engineering informa-tion to a team and to coordinate the details – all with just a few clicks. The best thing about it: just five minutes after starting to work with Syngineer you’re more produc-tive thanks to simple and immediate imple-mentation without any major installation efforts needed.

Communication Connects

“ Simply working better together: that’s what Syngineer stands for. In other words, joint engineering has never been easier than it is with Syngineer.” Maximilian Brandl, Chairman of the Management Board Eplan und Cideon

BENEFITS

Syngineer at a Glance

• Project platform, messenger and task planner for CAD and Eplan designers

• Complete transparency at all times about status and degree of completion in product development

• Real-time information exchange between all engineering departments and service providers working on a project

• Available wherever professional engineers work: on a browser, in CAD, in Eplan, or mobile

• Productive in five minutes thanks to quick installation


www.syngineer.com



“Whether digital or face-to-face, extensive language and cultural proximity to our customers is important to us in order to accurately capture and address specific market needs.” Stefan Domdey, Global Coordinator Eplan Data Portal

Anwender in 650 Unternehmen rund um den Globus arbeiten mit Integrations- lösungen von Cideon.

What opens doors in the glo-balised world? Language, of course. Admittedly, Eplan and Cideon employ-ees do not speak all of the

world’s seven thousand languages. How-ever, these originally German engineering companies have been fluent in the world’s major languages for years: Mandarin, Span-ish, English, Hindi, Arabic, French, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese – to name just a few. This fluency is more than just appreciating language as a reflection of culture: multilin-gualism is actually becoming increasingly important in the era of globalisation – or so say those who haven’t made the cardinal error of underappreciating the power of cul-ture in the battle for market share. The fact is that culture affects how people think, act

and communicate. This makes language an asset for business, a truism that also applies when globally networked engineering pro-cesses must be implemented at a local lev-el. With this in mind, Eplan and Cideon offer their expertise at over fifty locations around the globe, exactly where it is needed – direct-ly on-site.

Advancing Dialogue With Bits and BytesAs providers of software solutions, Eplan and Cideon also use bits and bytes to advance dialogue between customers, part-ners and stakeholders. The Eplan & Cide-on Virtual Fair gives customers and inter-ested parties a vivid trade-show experience on their PC, smartphone or tablet online, without jet lag or lost working hours. Both the solutions and presentations are demon-strated live. Attending the Virtual Fair, which will be happening again in 2018 following the successes of previous years, is easy: just register and log in to be able to participate online in presentations or chats with experts from around the world, at Eplan and Cideon’s engineering stand.

It’s all in the mix – expert teams answer questions live in all the most common nation-al languages. Software solutions and infor-mation services, like Eplan Data Portal, have multilingual set ups.

Language Connects

18languages are available in Eplan Data Portal, and new ones are continually being added, including Turkish this year.



So much has been said and writ-ten about the digital transfor-mation that it is sometimes dif-ficult to tell the difference between fact and fiction. What

becomes apparent coming back down to earth is that soon the products and pro-cesses for manufacturing plants will only be available as doubles – analogue and on the computer. Putting both of these into practice can simplify things and make them more profitable, to the point where the dig-ital image powers the real world implemen-tation with the accuracy of a Swiss watch.

Ensuring that the gears of the IT environ-ment scattered around the world all work together like clockwork is harder than it looks. While the triumphant march of spe-cialist software in the 1990s drove individ-ual departments to higher levels of efficien-cy, it happened in isolation. Nowadays, the insular solutions in development and design, materials management and manufacturing, sales and management carry a considera-ble risk of errors and waiting time when it comes to data transfers. Do interfaces solve the problem? They clearly do and don’t, since you’re still hopping from island to island no matter how you get there.

Those who rely on integration, on the oth-er hand, can provide information to produc-tive staff from a single source of truth. How do users get structured, logically linked product data quickly and dependably that is consistent throughout the company, from development, production planning, manu-facturing, procurement and sales down to maintenance and repair? If they’re on the SAP system, they can do it with direct inte-grations from Cideon. Cideon – an SAP

Platinum Partner – utilises the strategic inte-gration platform SAP Engineering Control Center (SAP ECTR) as the flight deck for direct integration of market-leading MCAD and ECAD systems into the SAP PLM sys-tem. Cideon direct integrations are current-ly available for AutoCAD, Inventor, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, and, in the ECAD segment, for Eplan Electric P8.

From Isolated Solutions to the Big PictureSAP ECTR is an SAP system component for managing and controlling all documents, processes and data along the entire prod-uct life cycle. When companies uniformly integrate all types of authoring tools into SAP PLM, they create a central repository for locally created product data. In other words, the islands supply the mainland. Cideon’s direct integration provides seamless man-agement of components, parts and draw-ings, including the dependent documenta-tion from development of hardware, mechanical engineering, electrical engineer-ing, electro-technical designs, simulation and software, as structures within SAP PLM. And what works today will work tomorrow as well, because the new SAP S/4HANA busi-ness suite supports SAP ECTR.

Integration Connects

“We develop prototypes, define use cases, use agile methods and rely on best-practice tools. Our direct integrations allow for fast implementation in just a few weeks so that the investment pays off very quickly.” Reno Staschinski, Managing Director Cideon Software GmbH

40,000users in 650 companies around the globe work with Cideon integration solutions.


Focus | Solutions Providers



Cloud-Computing, big data, mobility, Industry 4.0: these varieties of digitisation are among the top issues of our time. But what strategic com-

mercial goals are these major trends – ba-sically just means to an end – setting into motion? A management expert will focus on optimising the relationship between pro-duction factors and product results, where-as a sales rep will talk about gains in effi -ciency. If agreement can be reached on increasing work productivity and innovative power, then normally every link of the val-ue creation chain gets upended in the search for untapped potential.

A lot is already in motion: hardware, soft-ware and machinery have been brought up to date in a targeted manner. Employees are achieving more, thanks to job enrichment programmes, training, team-building meas-ures and symbolic management. Despite this, even tried and tested business models are suddenly being called into question under the massive pressure of global competition. Agility and room for manoeuvre dwindle, and the feverish search for new rationalisations sometimes becomes grotesque.

Yet a simple change of perspective is all it takes to recognise how a company can become more economical by multiples rath-

er than mere percentage points: integration is the engine keeping everything moving.

Integration doesn’t focus on isolated seg-ments of commercial activities but hones in on their interactions instead: the processes. This is where the hidden value is. The major players in the industry have demonstrated how this can work, with the technical and organisational broadening of their workfl ows. Their customers and suppliers then evolve into new, natural partners in the product-development process – agile methods trans-ferred to product development make pro-jects and processes lean and effective. Organisationally speaking, integration occurs both horizontally and vertically: around the globe, departments with similar specialities, such as design, will all work with the same software tool – at the company in question as well as its partners and suppliers. This standardisation ensures more transparency, more validity and more consistency of data.

It’s all about EngineeringBut the real value in integration is how it puts end-to-end processes in motion that dec-ades of normal operations have been una-ble to reproduce perfectly in the real world. It accelerates embedding of CAE, CAD, PDM/PLM and ERP via interfaces – as with Eplan Platform – instead of maintaining estab-

Movement Connectslished islands of knowledge and sometimes even stone-age methods of data transfer that quickly lead to process and project dis-ruptions. This strategic integration platform in the ECAD segment has been opening doors since 2006, as a symbol and driver of networked processes that generate add-ed value through optimised cooperation. Eplan Platform was designed to supply all Eplan applications with the same source data and functions.

Those who claim that it’s all about engi-neering, as Eplan does, are constantly think-ing one step ahead for parallel project pro-cessing via integration. Industry-tested interfaces to ERP/PDM/PLM systems (SAP, PTC, Siemens Teamcenter, Autodesk Vault, Pro.File etc.), production interfaces (Komax, Kiesling, Steinhauer and others), and PLC interfaces (Rockwell Automation, Siemens) are pioneers of seamless digitisation of all processes and data – from engineering to manufacturing to operations and mainte-nance. This is the only way that smart engi-neering, smart production and smart data will be brought to life.



When should you believe the hype? This question is especially common when a large amount of money is on the line for a

potential innovation – particularly in the stock market. Buy it, but when and at what price? Is it a short-term gamble or a solid, long-term investment? What does the risk- reward ratio look like? Entrepreneurs and CEOs, factory managers and technical pur-chasers must deal with these questions almost every day in view of the colourful bouquet of technological innovations that presents itself. Will this new product or new process solution be as old as today’s news-paper two or three years down the line? Return on investment is important, of course, but what’s the timeframe? Does this inno-vation primarily address a current, isolat-ed problem within the company, or is it designed for lasting optimisation general-ly? Does the provider have the work force, expertise and financial muscle to under-take the continuous development work needed for a future-proof solution?

Industry 4.0 Made TangibleOnly experienced decision-makers can decide whether an innovation represents a spectacular paradigm shift or is just a retread

of a golden oldie: the first truly major pro-jects are not implemented until the initial excitement has ebbed. This is what has happened in Haiger, Germany, where the control cabinet and switchgear system engi-neering spread out over the twelve hundred square metres of the Rittal Innovation Center showcases what can actually be achieved through the consolidation of digital and phys-ical workflows. It’s a hands-on demonstra-tion of Industry 4.0 for the customers, devel-opers and partners of Rittal, Eplan and Cideon: using the machines and tools at the stations, they can discuss all process steps and develop solutions for specific everyday situations – from engineering to materials delivery, parts preparation and parts pro-cessing, all the way to the finished product.

The connecting element here is the virtual prototype of the control cabinet, its digital twin. And it works: the content that is developed, designed and engi-neered using smart engineering tools such as plan Electric P8, Eplan Pro Panel, Rittal Therm, Rittal Power Engineering and the newest product configurators moves seamlessly into automated manufacturing. When the value chain is stable, new methods ranging from “Configure to Order” to “Engineer to Order” can go from imagina-tion to implementation.

Innovation Connects

“Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things also offer fascinat-ing new possibilities for machine and plant engineering provided that the collaboration between all disciplines in the product life cycle is consistently digitised. Integration is the method of choice, the technical and organisational broadening of the company the order of the day.”Dieter Pesch, Senior Vice President of Product Management and Development at Eplan


Eplan Cogineer, which has been completely integrated into Eplan Platform, is an innovation in auto-mation in every sense. This soft-ware for automatically generat-

ing schematics and fluid power designs is now moving to the cloud. Eplan is present-ing a sneak preview of the system at the Nuremberg automation exhibition – the 2017 SPS IPC Drives. Based on Microsoft Azure, the software is optimally equipped to accel-erate engineering and increase data quality.

Microsoft Azure saves, archives and ver-sions project data without users having to invest time in these procedures. At the same time, the simplicity of operating Eplan Cogi-neer is the linchpin. Whether functional or system aspects are at the forefront, the work becomes faster and simpler without users having to change their approach to a pro-ject. The sales concept Eplan is using is also innovative and breaks completely new ground with its new subscription basis of licencing the software. Customers benefit from the ease of getting started with using Eplan Cogineer and extra freedom from investment risk. Licences can be used dynamically or temporarily supplemented as the company’s orders situation requires, on an as-needed basis.

Eplan Cogineer is organised into two functional areas: Designer and Project Build-

er. The latter is a user interface that is auto-matically created based on configuration variables. This technology is the first of its kind in electrical engineering.

Data in the CloudBoth the Designer and Project Builder func-tional areas now start directly from the cloud. User registration is easy because it’s embed-ded in Eplan Platform. Libraries, configu-rators and structural designs are provided by Microsoft Azure or saved in the cloud, so that all participants always have access to the most current state of the project from everywhere in the world – and across all disciplines, as well. This working method represents the latest technology.

Additional benefits for companies: management and IT efforts like backups are transferred from the user to the cloud – with no need for server hardware or admi-nistration on the company side.

Eplan Cogineer, the software for easy and fast generation of schematics and fluid power designs, can be seen in its new cloud version at a sneak preview at the automation exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany.

Up in the Cloud

THE SNEAK PREVIEW Eplan is presenting the new

Cogineer at the 2017 SPS IPC

Drives, Hall 6, Stand 210.

Quality AssuranceEplan Cogineer Consistent

DesignerAutomationProject Builder

Time and Cost Savings

Mac

ros

Flex

ible

Effic

ient

Intu

itive

Easy


Solutions | Eplan Cogineer

“ Automated schematic generation with just a click – with Eplan Cogineer, we’re forging new paths in engineering.” Haluk Menderes, Eplan Managing Director

15

Eplan Data Portal | Solutions

Configuration plays an increasingly important role in automation technology. There is enormous potential – and not just at the hardware level. Software-based device data configuration ensures that manufacturers will be ready for Industry 4.0. Eplan Engineering Configuration and Eplan Data Portal are effective players to have on your team.

Fit for the Future


part downloads per month are a sign of Eplan Data Portal’s high acceptance by the user community.

One million

manufacturers from all over the world provide data to their users using the Data Portal.

Two hundred


Solutions | Eplan Data Portal

he product portfolio is being increasingly optimised in auto-mation technology for flexibility and configurability. The digital twin of a fully configured device

provides a real power boost in terms of effi-ciency: digital device data can be tailored to an application based on a custom con-figuration. This supports designers in their marathon across the entire value chain – from the starting pistol in engineering, through the ordering process and right up to the finish line in production.

This represents an important factor in customer service and loyalty for manufac-turers: it is becoming increasingly common for customers to decide to buy a product that is still in the engineering phase, so they will request the necessary product data from the manufacturer in order to do so. Why not be proactive in making device data available? To facilitate this, manufac-turers are offering their products to cus-tomers via “configurators.”

Eplan Engineering Configuration (EEC) is part of the winning team for Industry 4.0: if a manufacturer already has an online configurator, EEC acts as a “generating machine” in the background and provides customised schematic symbols. The user – in this case, the manufacturer’s custom-er – enters the data via the configuration interface as usual, while EEC combines the stored data and generates the appropriate schematic symbol in a flash. Commercial data and technical documents are also pro-vided instantly. In addition, if the manufac-turer is not already using a configurator, EEC provides the necessary technology for interface layouts.

T

Advantages of the New Standard TechnologyEplan Data Portal functions as a web-based device data platform, enabling designers to create parts master data efficiently. Techni-cal data and schematic drawings of compo-nents from leading manufacturers are also available and can be integrated into the design of machines or systems. This data comes directly from the manufacturer.

With its Data Portal and new standard inte-gration technology, Eplan provides a central online platform. Manufacturers and users can use it as a basis for sharing information with each other, greatly speeding up the engi-neering process in Eplan Platform. “When it comes to Industry 4.0, customised digital device data is the oil that greases the cogs, enabling smooth production across the entire value chain,” says

More information atwww.eplandataportal.com

Stefan Domdey, Global Coordinator Eplan Data Portal. “And this is right where Eplan Data Portal comes in.”

Eplan Data Portal’s new standard integra-tion technology makes it possible to link both existing and EEC-based configurators and to use “selectors” (i.e., selection tools). This ensures that manufacturers can incorporate their configurators and/or selectors into Eplan Data Portal at any time. The manufacturer‘s product knowledge base is thus embedded in the user‘s engineering environment.

Eplan Product Manager Timm Hauschke adds: “With this standard technology, we are significantly increasing the degree of data consolidation. For example, in addition to alphanumeric data like model or order num-bers, technical parameters can now be con-solidated, updated and exchanged during the configuration process as well. In short, the new standard ensures that manufactur-ers and users will be in good shape to face the challenges of the Industry 4.0 era.”


Eplan Data Portal | Solutions

IN DEMAND?Over two hundred manufacturers make their product and device data available to users in Eplan Data Por-tal. Dr Thomas Steffen, Managing Director Research and Development at Rittal, and Dr Bartosz Korajda, Software Development Manager at Bosch Rexroth, talk about their experiences with it.

To what extent are device configura-tion and the corresponding provision-ing of digital data a key issue for you and your company? Dr Bartosz Korajda: In recent years, new digital marketing platforms for com-ponent and systems suppliers have grown exponentially in significance. In addition, junior employees (from Gen-erations Y and Z) use digital marketing platforms as a matter of course. Since lead time is crucial to the success of a product, our customers expect quick access to current product data like sche-matics, documentation and CAD draw-ings for components and assemblies. Dr Thomas Steffen: Product configuration based on digital data is an extremely important topic at Rittal, espe-cially in providing our customers with simple and detailed information about our products and their applications dig-itally. Specifically, this is demonstrated by the Rittal Configuration System – closely linked to Eplan Engineering Con-figuration (EEC) and Eplan Data Portal – where our customers are able to assemble a Rittal enclosure on our web-site or using Eplan Data Portal in min-utes. We also use the digital configura-tion to create the simplest possible options for ordering from our web shop. At the same time, the focus is on con-necting our products with the engineer-ing processes supported by Eplan Elec-tric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel.

Which of your products and solutions do you already provide to Eplan Data Portal users?Korajda: As a component supplier, Bosch Rexroth has set a goal to provide the corresponding ECAD parts data, CAD drawings and documentation for all electrical assemblies. A new feature

is provisioning via a Bosch Rexroth parts data generator, which was implemented using EEC and is also connected to the system via Eplan Data Portal. Steffen: Data on our entire range of indus-trial and IT solutions is available at Eplan Data Portal. We place great emphasis on providing complete data with a high level of detail – up to two hundred individual pieces of data per part. We are seeing a growing need for information, especially from designers – not only in terms of the quantity of parts data per se, but also hori-zontally, in the depth of data. This is why, for example, we also provide production data or so-called validation data, such as information on areas that need to remain free for cooling systems.

What are the advantages for the user? How does your company benefit from it?Korajda: We consider the provisioning of the necessary assembly data for electrical design to be an essential component of product provisioning. Our customers need this data to use our assemblies in their elec-trical designs without undue effort. Bosch Rexroth customers benefit from up-to-date product data, corrections and troubleshoot-ing. All changes are applied immediately and can be used in the application pro-jects of the customers right away.

Steffen: The user has the advantage of a simple, transparent and tested system solu-tion from our portfolio at their fingertips. The advantage to us as a company is that we can understand our customers’ needs much better. It is much easier to accom-plish this digitally than on the basis of draw-ings on paper.

What kind of feedback are you get-ting about the configuration options in Eplan Data Portal?Korajda: Our customers consider the EEC solution a clear improvement, with product data that is always up to date. Support requests are processed imme-diately and data is available to custom-ers on the same day that troubleshoot-ing and approval of internal quality control are completed.Steffen: We‘ve had very positive responses to the high level of detail in our data. It’s not just about data quan-tity, it’s also about quality. Many custom-ers have also been surprised that such a convenient solution even exists.

Dr Steffen, Rittal has been using Eplan Data Portal to provide its customers with data since 2008. Has the service been finding acceptance internation-ally?Steffen: In 2016, about 890,000 data sets were downloaded via Eplan Data Portal worldwide. This is an increase of about 70 per cent over 2013. Not only is the service gaining in acceptance, but it has also established itself as a leading solution. We expect the num-ber of downloads to grow by leaps and bounds.

Fast, Transparent and Simple

Dr Thomas Steffen, Managing Director

Research and Development

at Rittal.

Dr Bartosz Korajda, Head of Software Development at Bosch Rexroth.

A solid technical foundation, attention to detail and good communication prevent misunderstandings and ensure smooth traffic in both directions. Not only is this true for the design of modern transport systems, it also plays a major role in the interface between Eplan Electric P8 and the TIA Portal, Siemens’ engineering framework.

A Good Connection

Solutions | TIA Portal Interface


Many factors must be taken into consideration when directing flows of goods and passengers, in order to keep everything on schedule. Sim-

ilarly, work with data streams also calls for good infrastructure. Expanding such infra-structure is the goal of the interface between Eplan Electric P8 and the TIA Portal engi-neering framework from Siemens.

With Eplan’s “TIA Portal Connection” and “TIA Portal Openness,” data can now be exchanged bidirectionally between the two worlds of electrical engineering and auto-mation engineering. Users can edit and compare data at any stage in a project. The new connection’s destination data, automat-ically generated in Eplan Electric P8, includes schematics, PLC overviews, hardware con-figurations and network designs. Dieter Pesch, Senior Vice President of Product Management and Development at Eplan,

for self-contained preliminary work, and is crucial for revision processes.

“We had a constant and intensive exchange with Siemens during the planning and implementation of this joint project,” explains Dieter Pesch. “This way we were able to find common ground.” TIA Portal Connection is based on Automation ML, a modern, neutral and universal format for data exchange according to IEC 62424/IEC 62714. “This technology is becoming one of the standards in automation,” says Pesch.

ZElectrical engineers save time at the start of the design process in Eplan Electric P8 because data no longer needs to be entered manually. Data initially created in the TIA Portal is imported into Eplan Elec-tric P8, where the schematic is generated using data transferred via drag-and-drop or even automatically. This functionality in par-ticular frees electrical engineers up from manual design tasks. Another practical ben-

describes the idea behind the interface between Eplan Electric P8 and the Siemens TIA Portal: “Hardware configurations, bus data and/or symbolic addresses are nec-essary in both electrical and automation engineering. Why should you have to enter them twice if you can also benefit from hav-ing them together?” The interface facilitates the consistent transfer of detail data for auto-mation systems engineering.

Intensive ExchangeWith Eplan’s bidirectional “TIA Portal Con-nection,” data can be imported or exported into both worlds of automation engineering and electrical engineering. Relevant data can be exchanged between the different workstations of electrical engineers and PLC programmers with ease. Each is free to decide when to utilise the data from the oth-er discipline or make it available. This allows a controlled exchange of information, even

18


A Good Connection

19

TIA Portal Interface | Solutions

efit: misunderstandings between the differ-ent disciplines are never an issue. In this way, the process of designing the automa-tion components becomes faster and qual-ity is optimised at the same time.

Users can exchange, edit and compare PLC data at any stage of the project and in any direction. This simplifies the elaborate – and often multiple – manual comparisons that must be made in the case of changes

ADVANTAGES

SPS Interface with Siemens TIA Portal

• Neutral XML-based data format

• Automation Markup Language (AutomationML)

• Simplified exchange of PLC data between Eplan Electric P8 and Siemens TIA portal

or iterative procedures. Users benefit from transparent overviews for the assignment of PLC assemblies, which the system can assist in editing. This results in an optimised, interdisciplinary engineering process.

A strong partnershipAnother highlight of the connection between the two worlds: Siemens device data in Eplan Data Portal is also accessible via TIA. Prod-uct images and descriptions as well as tech-nical drawings and/or BUS connections can be included. Siemens supplies product data to Eplan Data Portal that can also be retrieved in the Siemens Mall and via the CAx Down-load Manager. “Our common goal is to pro-vide first-class data quality, resulting in time savings for users in engineering and PLC programming,” says Dr Norbert Neubauer of the Digital Factory Division at Siemens.

The TIA Selection Tool can also be con-nected to Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Data

Portal. This allows users to initiate hardware configurations for PLC systems or purchase orders. Configurations can, for example, be performed in the TIA Selection Tool and then incorporated directly into a schemat-ic via Eplan Electric P8. If the user initiates the hardware configura-tion via Electric P8, the TIA Selection Tool can validate the data and transfer it seam-lessly to the TIA Portal.

Eplan and Siemens have been cooper-ating extensively for many years to combine electrical engineering with PLC program-ming. Applications like the TIA Portal and Eplan are continuously provided with the same source data. “Users benefit from the high quality of data and project planning, which also supports mechatronic working methods,” says Neubauer.

More information atwww.eplan.com


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Solutions | SAP Integration

22

As an SAP Platinum Partner, Cideon develops and implements integration solutions between market-leading MCAD and ECAD systems, as well as the SAP PLM system. Managing Director Reno Staschinski and Head of Product Management and Development Rolf Lisse – both at Cideon Software GmbH Co. KG – explain what’s behind it.

“That’s our

Cideon Managing Director

Reno Staschinski (at left) and Cideon Head of

Product Management and Development

Rolf Lisse


SAP Integration | Solutions

23

What is SAP Engineering Control Center? Reno Staschinski: SAP ECTR is the inte-gration platform for authoring tools into the SAP PLM system. In principle, this is about managing and controlling all documents, processes and data throughout the entire product life cycle. Companies that uniform-ly integrate all types of authoring tools into SAP PLM create a central repository for locally created product data.

Can you elaborate?Rolf Lisse: A Users from every company division – from development to manufac-turing, sales and marketing and even ser-vice – can quickly and dependably access structured, logically related data that is con-

sistent across the entire company. And they have an overview of everything – including contexts, change histories and develop-ment progress.

Where does Cideon play a role here?Staschinski: As an SAP Platinum Partner, we develop the integration between the CAD authoring systems and SAP PLM – and do it via SAP ECTR. We currently have integration solutions available for AutoCAD, Inventor, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS and, within the ECAD segment, for Eplan Elec-tric P8. So we handle both worlds: mechan-ical computer-aided design (MCAD) and electronic computer-aided design (ECAD). This allows modules, parts and drawings, including the associated documents, to be seamlessly managed as structures within SAP PLM.

What benefits does the integration bring for users?Lisse: The major objectives are error reduc-tion, data availability, and new process dynamics along the product life cycle. Our

customers explicitly want automated and process-secure creation of bills of materi-als for manufacturing. Understandably, nobody wants to write down all the num-bers from the CAD system and enter them into the SAP system. Our integration takes care of it seamlessly. Furthermore, anyone who makes design data or drawings direct-ly available in the SAP system through the CAx SAP ECTR integration, and links it to commercial/logistical contents, is able to access clear data – for instance questions from suppliers or information on manufac-turing orders.

How difficult is implementation?Staschinski: It’s much easier and less stress-ful than you would think. We create proto-types, define use cases, use agile methods for integration and draw on best-practice tools. This isn’t a high-risk project, but a fast launch taking just a few weeks. The invest-ment quickly pays off.

What are agile methods all about?Lisse: Traditional blueprint models often don’t take actual customer needs into account. If we take an iterative approach, it quickly leads to meaningful results. What is more, we can react flexibly to changes that first appear over time. The step-by-step principle is one that we also recommend for future developments.

Speaking of the future, SAP S/4HANA is planned as the new standard for the SAP community, the follow-up to SAP ERP and SAP R/3. Maintenance and upgrades to the old systems have been promised through 2025. What about the Cideon integrations?Staschinsk: The Cideon integrations have a secure future because the new SAP S/4HANA business suite supports SAP ECTR, which our solutions are based on.

What are the core features of Cideon’s newly launched SOLIDWORKS integra-tion?Lisse: We’ve developed new functionali-ties and a completely new data model for managing SOLIDWORKS configurations and variants with SAP ECTR. They will also ensure digital end-to-end processes for 2025 and beyond, for example in machine and plant engineering, medical technology and consumer products. Our custom-ers benefit enormously from the creation of material bills of goods.

Do you have a real-life example of this?Lisse: Take the CAD model of a screw. Nom-

inal length, thread, spanner size, screw head diameter – numerous variants of a parts group or a component group model can be represented in a single document in a SOLID-WORKS configuration. The integration between SOLIDWORKS and SAP ECTR takes this variance into account and auto-matically derives multilevel SAP bills of materials.

A more fundamental point: What are the benefits of the direct integration of the CAD systems to SAP PLM, as compared to external interface solutions?Lisse: When exchanging data through inter-faces, there’s a break in media, even if it’s only electronic processes. The quality risk for data transmission and the wait times increase, not to mention what is sometimes complex interface maintenance between decentralised systems. Working with true integration means having physically identi-cal information, a “single source of truth”. This undoubtedly is the strongest argument in terms of data consistency and continuity.

Staschinski: Add to this that interfaces are de facto obsolete. The division of labour in IT, as in other departments, must be organ-ised comparable to modern processes, as interdisciplinary teamwork rather than suc-cessively in separate sequences. When many experts are working simultaneously on one and the same project using integra-tive processes, you need integrated sys-tems. That’s our job.

job”

ADVANTAGES

Cideon Integration

• On-site skills and know-how: 300 Cideon CAD and PLM experts carry out integration projects around the world

• Mechanical engineering outside the box: SAP Platinum Partner Cideon develops and imple-ments MCAD and ECAD integrations

• Swift success: With Cideon, companies rapidly achieve risk-free results through prototyping, agile methods and best-practice tools

• Intense innovation: Cideon plans to launch addi-tional integration solutions for market-leading CAD systems

Find out more atwww.cideon.com

Industry | Eplan Cogineer

Having used Eplan Cogineer on several machines, whilst a colleague followed the existing working method, I was able to produce a set of drawings in five to ten minutes with Eplan

Cogineer, in comparison to the usual six hours. The other immediately apparent benefit of Eplan Cogineer is the removal of chances for

mistakes to be made.”

Ken Lomas, Control Systems Engineer at AB Graphic International, Bridlington, United Kingdom AB Graphic International Inc. is a leading supplier of digital print finishing equipment. The company was won over by the enormous time savings that Cogineer makes possible in equipment design

processes: they have since activated several Eplan Cogineer licences at their offices.

Eplan Cogineer has been on the market since the 2017 Hannover Messe. Selected Eplan customers had the opportunity to test Cogineer for up to six weeks in an early-bird phase or shortly after its release, and user feedback has been directly incorporated into the software’s development. A few of these early birds chirped their feedback to software4efficiency.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Our experiences with Eplan Cogineer were very positive during the test phase. My co-workers and I were able to immediately get started with our work without a lengthy familiarisation process, and Eplan’s consultants supported us with practical

tips and tricks. It became apparent that Eplan Cogineer does a very good job of meeting our needs in the area of configuration. Because of that, we’ve permanently introduced Eplan Cogineer in Offenbach in the meantime, and the implementation was completed in just a few days.”

Michael Reising, Director of Electrical Engineering Development, Jungheinrich System Solutions, Offenbach am Main, GermanyJungheinrich is one of the world’s leading companies for intralogistics and offers a broad portfolio of industrial trucks, logistics systems and services. Their affiliate company in Offenbach am Main, Germany specialises in developing logistics systems.


Fortunately, you don’t have to input data manually using Eplan Cogineer. This saves a huge amount of time for each cabinet configuration, especially with larger and variable configurations as the program accesses current designs. It used to take two

to three hours, but now it only takes ten minutes, meaning there’s a time saving of 90 per cent. Another advantage: There is a fairly high risk of making mistakes with manual adjustments, but Eplan Cogineer helps prevent such mistakes.”

André Lage Venterink, Hardware Engineer at Technology Unlimited, Almelo, Netherlands Technology Unlimited, which produces solutions for all stainless steel needs, specialises in manufacturing machinery for food and process technologies.

Initially I thought that Eplan Cogineer could only be used for orders from one of our clients, because their projects are very structured and

have a lot of repeating elements. As I became more familiar with Eplan Cogineer, though, I realised that we can use this software much more universally.”

Jörg Frahm, Technical Draughtsman, Elektro Engels & Schmitz, Wesseling, Germany Elektro Engels & Schmitz GmbH specialises in measurement and control technology for plant and systems engineering. The company established itself worldwide with the design and production of control cabinets for the ventilation, refrigeration and climate control industries.

Eplan Cogineer | Industry

The hoopoe, with its unmistakable crown of feathers, proves yet again that those who take to wing early have more to look forward to.

A user-friendly tool that can save a lot of time. Non-engineers will be able to use Eplan Cogineer right after Project Builder has customised the model.” André van der Ende, Senior CAD Engineer, Division Energy Management, Siemens, The Hague, Netherlands Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has represented engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization.


Industry | Phoenix Contact


Phoenix Contact has successfully linked the Eplan Platform with Teamcenter and is now using an end-to-end Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system. A pilot project with the company’s own mechanical engineering department is underway.

A Connection That Makes Sense

26

Phoenix Contact Phoenix Contact has been using the Eplan Platform for thirteen years and has almost completely digitised its production of automation systems.


Phoenix Contact | Industry

As one of the world‘s leading manufacturers of automation systems, Phoenix Contact is working intensely to advance digitisation in industrial pro-

duction. The company provides its custom-ers with components, systems and solutions that ensure agile and efficient production, even in extremely small batch sizes. Phoe-nix Contact manufactures terminal blocks and specialty modules, plug-ins, electronic interfaces and much more, in ten countries. At its headquarters in Blomberg, Westphalia, the company has its own mechanical engi-neering plant with 160 employees, who develop and build the majority of the nec-essary machinery. These machines include joining and fitting systems alongside pro-duction plants and entire production lines to manufacture anything from terminals to complete automation systems. This is where Phoenix Contact is successfully deploying the new PLM.

Phoenix Contact has been using the Eplan Platform since 2004, using Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel for its electrical engineering. The company‘s mechanical engineering department works with Eplan Fluid and the EEC One. The Eplan Platform has now been expanded to include an inter-face to Teamcenter, the most widely used PLM system in the world. Stephan Meier, Senior CAE Specialist at Phoenix Contact, explains: “Our goal is to map every product and its relevant information into the new PLM and to integrate all disciplines involved in development: electrical engineering, mechanics and software programming.”

To this end, Phoenix Contact has imple-mented a cross-platform data model that speeds up the design process, ensures the consistency of the data over the entire prod-uct lifespan and promotes cooperation between the individual design disciplines. A key prerequisite was comprehensive data exchange between Eplan and Teamcenter, which has been made possible with the interface developed by Eplan.

Pilot Project for PLMThe company‘s own mechanical engineer-ing department was selected as a pilot user for the new PLM system – a manageable project in a company with 14,800 employ-ees. All production and design data, as well as template and basic projects, are now centrally stored in the PLM system. “Even the tenders prepared by the mechanical

engineering department are created in Team-center,” says Meier. If designers plan the electrical engineering of a machine, they are using data from Teamcenter – without noticing it, because the PLM data is accessed from within Eplan. There is no need to mas-ter Teamcenter because the designer is negotiating a familiar user interface.

Advancing AutomationAll data automatically linked when creating schematics is stored in the EEC One, where Phoenix Contact’s mechanical engineering department keeps its electrical engineering macros and standards. “We don’t want to draw, we want to generate schematics,” Meier emphasises. Currently, depending on the project, 50 to 70 per cent of the work is automated. “You no longer see projects of a year’s duration, which were once custo- mary – especially since we are using the machinery to produce our own products, which need to get on the market as quickly as possible,” he adds. “Any time we gain in development counts.”

A mechatronic design perspective was important to Phoenix Contact during the implementation of the new PLM system. Teamcenter makes this a reality: the PLM combines the design data from mechanics and electrical engineering in a joint parts list, which is transferred to the ERP system. There is also a stronger emphasis on mecha-tronics at the process level because, in addi-tion to the joint IT platform, there are now interdisciplinary development teams.

Among the advantages afforded to Phoe-nix Contact by the exchange of data between Eplan and Teamcenter are transparent per-mission settings and an expanded user group. “Now, more and more service staff are also working with Eplan and Teamcenter during plant commissioning and mainte-nance. This is easier than consulting sever-al hundred pages of documentation in the enclosure,” reports Meier. In the aftermath of this successful pioneer application, addi-tional departments at Phoenix Contact will soon benefit from the new PLM system and the Eplan integration module.

More information atwww.phoenixcontact.com

AT A GLANCE

Phoenix Contact Contact has almost a century of experience in mechanical engineering. Areas of application for the company’s products include transit infrastructure, electric mobility, power supp-ly networks and plant engineering.

Headquarters Blomberg (Germany)

Employees 15,000 worldwide

Founded in 1923

Revenue 1.97 billion euros As of: 2016

With more than sixty thousand products in its portfolio, Phoenix Contact also uses the new PLM for the production of terminal blocks and specialty modules.

Industry | Schneider Electric


ompanies that choose to use Eplan’s platform technology are making a twofold decision, in favour of industry-proven integration and efficient

electrical engineering processes. Schnei-der Electric is very deliberately taking this migration step: “To date, every Schneider Electric Energy company has worked with its own tools and specific design processes,” says Schneider Electric Executive Vice-President of Energy Business M. Frédéric Abbal. “Because we’re now plac-ing more value than ever on optimised team-work and efficiency, this approach is out-dated. By implementing Eplan Platform, we can centralise our know-how, improve team-work between sites and more evenly dis-tribute the workload across projects.”

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Schneider Electric has chosen Eplan as the global ECAD solution for products and solutions in its energy division. The integration offensive is to encompass 37 development and production facilities over a period of two years. The company further plans on using Eplan Platform to network and optimise its worldwide workflows, from concept to manufacturing.

The Mega-Integration

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“ By implementing Eplan Platform, we can centralise our know-how, improve teamwork between sites and more evenly distribute the workload across projects.” M. Frédéric Abbal, Schneider Electric Executive Vice-President of Energy Business

Increase ProductivityThis becomes possible because the infor-mation is embedded into the solution; it‘s always up to date and available to every facility that needs access to it. The upshot: Schneider Electric wants to increase pro-ductivity through the standardisation and reusability of all components, based on Eplan solutions – including Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel.

Before rolling it out worldwide, however, Schneider Electric introduced Eplan in a three-month testing phase at three locations: Regensburg, Germany; Manisa, Turkey; and SETBT in Chartres-de-Bretagne, France. There was a method behind the simulta-neous launch at three sites in three different countries: it allowed Schneider Electric to gain valid, universal knowledge and les-

SETBT Plant Director Frédéric Rebelo.


Schneider Electric | Industry

Find out more at:www.schneider-electric.com

Around 2,500 switchboards are assembled at SETBT annually, Schneider Electric saves time by using Eplan software in switchboard engineering.

sons learned about specifi c issues and pos-sibilities.

Eplan consultants supported the intro-duction with several days of training, provi-ded additional assistance with establishing standardised engineering methods and regulations, and also helped with interface implementation – for instance between a company confi gurator and a Komax machi-ne for wire processing.

At SETBT, a Schneider Electric loca-tion in Chartres-de-Bretagne, France, 160 employees design, construct and produce low-voltage switchboards, a product the company calls Okken. SETBT has a capacity to produce around 2,500 switchboards annually, which are used in the oil and gas indus-try, in computer centres and in build-ing technology services among other places. We interviewed SETBT Eplan Project Manager Guillaume Bibard.

What jumps out at you when you com-pare the engineering processes in the facility before and after the introduc-tion of Eplan?Guillaume Bibard: Before, we had to repeat every step of the process when-ever we had to move or change some-

Why does SETBT work with Eplan?

INQUIRING MINDS?

Guillaume Bibard is the Eplan Project Manager at SETBT.

thing. With Eplan, the job is done once and is automatically refl ected in all the representations.

How did the migration to Eplan go?Bibard: Our journey started in 2014 with the defi nition of two main phases. The fi rst phase was the engineering prepa-ration: the creation of the complete data-base from the old tool. In 2016, we start-ed the next phase, focussing on manufacturing documentation.

Does Eplan Platform also help your company handle manufacturing doc-umentation?Bibard: Our target is to defi ne the device placements in the design phase and make the solution more fl exible and comprehensible for the workshop. We can export documents such as 3D lay-outs, drilling, bills of materials and con-nections lists to use with the specifi c machines.

What do you expect from the new workfl ow?Bibard: These possibilities will help us to save time and improve quality for each step of the project. From the design to the construction, it means more qual-ity, more effi ciency, more productivity and more speed.

AT A GLANCE

Schneider Electric offers networked technologies and solutions for energy and infrastructure, ma-chine and industrial equipment for the networking and data industries and industrial and private buil-ding technology, in more than a hundred countries around the globe.

Headquarters: Rueil-Malmaison, France

Employees: 144,000

Founded in: 1836

Revenue: 24.7 billion eurosAs of: 2016

Industry | Zeppelin Power Systems

Zeppelin Power Systems designs and manufac-tures special installations in many batch sizes. Eplan Electric P8 and Eplan Pro Panel ensure consistent data flows and close connections between electrical engineering and panel building, creating a seamless solution for flexible and automated work and reducing time requirements by 70 per cent for wiring alone.

For All Special Cases


AT A GLANCE

Zeppelin Power Systems sells drive and energy systems based on modern Caterpillar engines under the prestigious Cat and MaK brands in Germany, Russia and numerous other European and CIS countries.

Headquarters Hamburg

Employees Around 800

Founded In 2007

Revenues 307 million eurosAs of: 2016


Unternehmen | Rubrik

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lack of variety is something the electrical engineers at Zep-pelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG in Achim, Germany can’t complain about. No soon-

er have they completed the electrotechni-cal integration of a gas engine into a com-bined heat-and-power unit than they’re planning the electrical design for the drive system of a harbour tugboat. The company belongs to the Zeppelin Group, the sales and service partner of Caterpillar. The Pow-er Systems division develops and manufac-tures customised customer drive and ener-gy systems based on Caterpillar gas and diesel engines, including all the peripheral equipment – with control cabinet and elec-trotechnical controls.

Every project has its own requirements and demands, and special environmental conditions and sets of standards must often be taken into consideration – which presents a challenge for project workflows.

While the company must implement the special features of individual projects, the design process shouldn’t start from scratch every time: its standardisation and automa-tion are based on the modern product life-cycle management (PLM) system that is currently being introduced. As Design Direc-tor and Director of the PLM Implementation Project Feeko Harders explains, “Over the past two years, we first restructured our mechanical engineering and piping design and introduced a high-performance 3D CAD system, as well as a design methodology that fits perfectly with the PLM system.”

The Right Software Saves TimeFollowing the principle of not doing any-thing by halves, the company wants to uti-lise the benefits of state-of-the-art CAE technology as comprehensively as possi-ble. In electrical engineering, Zeppelin Power Systems decided to introduce Eplan Electric P8 and – specifically for 3D con-trol cabinet design – Eplan Pro Panel.

For control cabinet engineering, which Zeppelin Power System does in-house, the combination of electrical engineering and manufacturing is a no-brainer. “We generate the records for drilling templates from the 3D data coming from Eplan Pro Panel,” Harders explains. “The external service provider for wire fabrication also receives an Eplan data set and delivers the wire harnesses the next day – it works exceptionally well.” For wiring alone, the time required has been reduced by about 70 per cent. One reason for this is semi-automatic routing. The shortened throughput times are very welcome, since the company is operating at full capacity.

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Access to Eplan Data Portal is just one of the many things making work easier. “We use the portal intensively and integrate data into our designs,” says Electrical Systems Designer Gerd Schnirring. “It saves a lot of time in the area of maintaining master data.” The parallel development of bills of materi-als and other documentation provides more space for working creatively. In the near future, there will be a connection through the PDM system to the commercial data in Zeppelin Power Systems’ ERP system. At that point, the flow of information and data in the company will be completely continu-ous – starting from the initial round of pre-liminary planning in which project manage-ment, design and manufacturing all participate, and continuing through to pro-curement, inventory management and sales.

Zeppelin Power Systems is completely satisfied with the results that have been achieved so far with the help of the new software and the changed methodologies. Harders also has positive feedback about the cooperation with Eplan: “We were able to start working with the system after just a few days of consulting. Eplan was very accommodating during the testing phase. Since many of our clients also design with

Zeppelin Power Systems Design Director Feeko Harders: “Eplan is the market-leading system, which helps when recruiting design engineers.”

Find out more at:www.zeppelin-powersystems.com/en

Eplan, they could continue using the data we generated. In addition, Eplan is the market-leading system, which helps when recruiting design engineers.”

Now that Eplan Electric P8 has been ful-ly implemented, with the pilot phase for Eplan Pro Panel completed and prepara-tions for the ERP connection to the PDM system progressing, Harders believes it has all been for the best: “The design engi-neers are now focusing on the basics. We can advance from design to manufacturing more quickly and fabricate even faster, par-ticularly for control cabinets and wiring. Once we’ve linked the CAD data with the ERP through the PDM system, where the metadata for more than two million compo-nents is stored, we’ll have implemented a completely continuous data flow and be able to work even more efficiently.”

“The Right Data at the Right Time”

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It’s been 48 years since American Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. It’s been a good fifteen years since Eplan discovered the United States for itself, with Cideon following a few years later. Right now the German engineering ex-perts are starting a marketing offensive from New York City to Los Angeles.

The American Dream

“ Our clients want to understand how CIDEON and SAP solutions will help them get more done in less time – to get their weekends back.”Jennifer Moore, Vice President Sales at Cideon America Inc.


Services | A Look at the US

The main offices of Cideon America Inc. and the headquarters of SAP North Amer-ica – both located on the outskirts of Phil-adelphia, Pennsylvania – are separated by just six miles. That cannot be a coin-cidence.Jennifer Moore: No, of course it isn’t. Cideon is an SAP Platinum Partner…

…and SAP is number one in America’s ERP business, with about a 40 per cent market share. Which target groups do you serve with interfaces and direct integra-tions as the basis for end-to-end process-es into the SAP PLM system?Moore: Primarily manufacturing companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including the high tech electronic, medical device, and industrial equipment industries. This specifically targets data and process synchronization for authoring systems such as SOLIDWORKS, Solid Edge, AutoCAD and Inventor, or Eplan Electric P8 with SAP PLM. Autodesk Vault integration is also a topic area. By working with CIDEON, cus-tomers gain confidence that the right data is available at the right time to all involved in the enterprise product development pro-cess, not just engineering.

As an American citizen, you’re working for a company whose parent company advertises in Germany with the slogan

“efficient engineering.” Is this a promis-ing approach for the U.S.?Moore: In Germany there is in fact a deep-ly rooted culture of efficiency. In the U.S., the focus is more on faster innovation. But this can be achieved through integration by allowing engineers to innovate instead of chasing data. Categorically, however, there are more similarities in the two markets than differences.

Can you explain what is different in the U.S.?Moore: One of the main differences is in sales and marketing. In the U.S., enabling self-service is absolutely necessary. Poten-tial clients want to have at least 25 per cent of the information in front of them about a solution beforehand in order to pique their interest at all. Our clients want to understand who has used the solution, what results were achieved, and how the CIDEON and SAP solutions will help them get more done in less time – to get their weekends back.

Industry 4.0 is a major topic in Germany. Is it in the U.S.?Moore: It is, but it’s currently being outshone by Digital Twin: virtual reality concepts and detail perspectives into the Internet of Things. We always argue that product lifecycle man-agement is the foundation for the Internet of Things.

“Local Partner for Global Roll Out”

Mr Jeschke, what opportunities do you see for Eplan on the current American market?Michael Jeschke: Many Eplan customers who are active globally, for instance in Europe, are faced with the challenge of standardis-ing and automating their processes through-out the company. We are here as an expe-rienced partner for the roll-out in the U.S. We have both the expertise and the reputa-ble references to make vital contributions for our customers. Take for instance the cur-rent global project at Schneider Electric – Eplan USA supported them on location with the roll-out. That‘s a flagship project. GM, Ford, Tesla and Walt Disney are some of our customers.

Which sectors and industries is Eplan particularly attractive to in the U.S.?Jeschke: Certainly machine and plant engi-neering, plant operators, the automotive industry, but also companies in the mainte-nance, oil, gas and food sectors.

How do you convince potential custom-ers to rely on Eplan engineering exper-tise?Jeschke: We’re focused on switchgear sys-tems manufacturers and system integrators. They reap enormous benefits from the effi-ciency and automation that can be achieved with Eplan as the “Panel Building Expert”

compared to other providers. Even with just partial automation instead of manual wiring in engineering, the necessary working hours can be nearly cut in half. This is obviously good for companies active around the globe, but it is also particularly enticing for the many smaller companies that play a central role in the U.S. in machinery and plant manufactur-ing. The close association with Rittal is giv-ing us momentum because of their strong position in the American market.

Under your direction, Eplan is planning a marketing offensive and substantially growing its personnel. Why is that?Jeschke: Across the country we’re seeing increasing potential in switchgear system engineering. Eplan has the customised solutions for this that we can implement perfectly, on-site, at our customers’ facili-ties. And we’re bringing even more engi-neering experts into the company to do this – it’s a logical step.

Do you have specific figures?Jeschke: We currently have 28 employees. Before the year’s end, we’d like to raise that to forty employees in the first instance, and not just at our headquarters in Chicago. We want to be closer to customers and are there-fore expanding our presence in our offices in Detroit and Houston as well as in Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta.

“ We’re experts in switch-gear system engineering and drive innovation, and we’re the local partners for global roll-outs in the U.S.”

Michael Jeschke, President – Americas at Eplan Software & Services LLC

Top Recommendation: Eplan

Eplan earned very good marks in an American survey. The company came

in second place in the ECAD Software category in the 2017 Reader’s

Choice Award for Control Design Magazine, a specialist publication with

eighteen thousand subscribers. The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Mike Baci-

dore, calls Eplan “a very high-quality solution” and “top of mind among the

machine builder and system integrator community.” Bacidore also has high

praise for the possibilities Eplan offers: “[It] makes it much faster and more

cost-effective to build the cabinet. You are able to automate that process

of the building of the wiring itself as well. For machine builders that has a

huge impact. To do it manually is a very time-consuming process.” He finds

the global perspective consistent: “To use this software and have a digital

record of what the project is, is a big advantage. You can share it electro-

nically with your other plants. Those digital capabilities make it very cost

effective for an international machine builder to share best practices and

streamline the m

connecting worlds - cideon...electric p8 with version 2.7, eplan provides two new interfaces for plc...

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