Stronger as a team

EPLAN Magazine 01/2013
planet
Dear Readers,
In the era of social networking, information exchange is constantly
increasing. Systems and solutions
are increasingly becoming strongly
networked and companies are forming alliances to secure knowledge
transfer.
But what about "networking" when
it comes to automation? I believe
that pressing ahead with integrated
data exchange among systems
and thus achieving networked processes is crucial. This is why we
have created a 100 sqm. Community Area at the Hannover Messe to
bring together software partners,
component manufacturers, technology partners and key users. They
all have one aim: to showcase their
consistent engineering processes
in conjunction with EPLAN. The
element of optimum networking is
increasingly becoming a requirement in terms of efficient engineering.
Maximilian Brandl
President of the Management Board
Stronger as a team
CAE, ERP/PDM, manufacturing integration and more
T
he heart of engineering was beating at this years Hannover Messe. Leading providers of automation,
including Phoenix Contact, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Siemens and others presented
their solutions on a 100 sqm. stand adjacent to the EPLAN stand. What did they have in common?
They all showcased intelligent solutions, processes and interfaces relating to EPLAN’s CAE solutions. This
demonstrates that in times of increased networking, manufacturers and users are working closer than ever.
EPLAN and intelligent interfaces
What do automation technology manufacturers and engineering end-users have in
common? They all strive for efficient, integrated processes. To emphasise EPLAN’s
large process potential and bring manufacturers and users closer together, EPLAN
created a unique community area at the
Hannover Messe 2013. This gave numerous
companies the opportunity to present their
solutions relating to CAE and ERP/PDM,
production integration and best practice.
This was all done against an EPLAN setting
in an area covering 100 sqm, next to the
main 380 sqm stand. The purposefully built
stand enabled EPLAN to demonstrate the
entire engineering process; from sales
through to design and production. Connected
interface solutions were easy to find, from
consistent data management based on
ERP systems and PDM data integration to
manufacturing interfaces for wire fabrication,
production and assembly. Visitors could
also learn how to facilitate data exchange
with PLC programming tools for bidirectional
data synchronisation.
Alliances for best in class solutions
The idea of closely networking is also highly
relevant for component manufacturers and
system integrators. There is one target linking companies and users alike: Solutions
must have a best in class status – a necessity
to becoming established and providing a
technological basis for innovation. But this
high bar is by no means an end in itself.
Companies are under pressure to improve
efficiency, innovation and bring new machi-
nes and plants to market at a much quicker
rate. Moreover, focussing on quality and efficient workflows is especially important in a
globalising market place. It helps users to
accelerate processes within the entire product development procedure.
Partners involved:
Aristos, Beckhoff, B&R, CSS Maier, Docware, Festo Didactic, Heller, ILC, Kiesling,
Komax, Phoenix Contact, P&V, Rockwell
Automation, Schneider Electric, Siemens,
Steinhauer and Tesis were amongst the
companies represented at the "Community
of efficient engineering".
S
teyr Motors specialises
in drive systems for
ground, air and water
vehicles with state-of-the-art
monoblock motors through to
diesel hybrids. While designers developed mechanical
components on high-end 3D
CAD systems, the company
was still looking for support
for its electrical engineering
processes. The company therefore decided to install EPLAN
Harness proD. The built-in 3D
tool for wire harness engineering made it possible to parallelise mechanical and electrical development, reduce
design time by up to 90 percent
and provide comprehensive
documentation to ensure process quality and stability.
"Full speed" for wire harness
EPLAN Harness proD accelerates motor development
Quick and uncompromising
In 2008, Steyr Motors launched the
world’s first diesel hybrid motor for marine
use. While modelling with 3D-CAD
systems has been a matter of course in
mechanical engineering construction for
years, the electrical part couldn’t access
modern software/technology. Cabling on
the motor was done by hand and required
close coordination between electrical engineering developers and mechanical designers. "The adaptations required to
make the motor robust, such as a cutout
so that the cable strand did not have to
be led over the fin, had previously been
Pressure on deadlines exacerbates
requirements
In 2011, Roland Streitner was looking for
a practicable software solution. "I had
seen that, without adequate software
support, development targets for the
new generation of marine motors to be
rolled out in 2012 would be very difficult
to achieve". As part of this search, he
came across today´s EPLAN Harness
proD, which combines the data of mechanical and electrical design. The system not only supports the import of
MCAD data in IGES or STEP format, but
also in native data formats of all conven-
then be integrated and protected within
the external structures of the drive unit.
This considerably reduces the risk of mechanical damage.
Adaptive adjustments included
Even the option of simply importing component data – for plugs, for example –
from manufacturer catalogues saves
considerable amount of work. Together
with the option of individual definition of
standard components (e.g. cables in
AWG and parameters such as minimum
radii), this makes the initial creation of
wire harnesses much quicker and easier.
generated after the alteration is also automatically correct."
Extensive documentation improves
quality
Comprehensive documentation such as
user-defined bills of materials and part
lists used as the basis for cable diagrams including time, cost and weight
calculations also incorporate the automatic derivation of control files for wire
and cable assembly machines. The management of variants and options also
automatically leads to a high rate of reuse
of similar parts, which in turn has an im-
"With EPLAN Harness proD, we were not only able to complete the new motor in exceptional time,
we also gained more time for the actual thought processes involved in development whilst
improving quality and flexiblity." Roland Streitner, Electronic and Electrical Engineering Developer
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very time-consuming," explains Roland
Streitner, Electronics and Electrical Engineering Developer. "We always needed
to compromise when protecting the
cable from damage during installation
and maintenance work." In addition the
dimensions of the adjusted wire harness
and its components could only be determined after the documentation for external
suppliers of cable assemblies produced
this data.
tional systems. One of the key reasons
for the management to give the green
light was the significant reduction in
schematic development times. The actual
benefit lies in the different approach: Today,
electrical development does not need to
wait for a production of a mechanical
prototype, instead, it can work in parallel
to the mechanical design. This means
the cable strand and its components can
be considered at an early stage and can
Another even more decisive benefit is
the automatic adjustment of wire harness parameters, once the geometry is
changed. "If, for example, the designer
needs to move a rib to optimise stability
and has to change the position of a cutthrough, this also changes the geometry
of the wire harness," explains Roland
Streitner. "The cable list with the lengths
of the individual parts amends itself automatically, so the pin-board drawing
pact on the procurement process and
spare parts storage. "With EPLAN Harness proD, we were not only able to
complete the new motor in exceptional
time, we also gained more time for the
actual thought processes involved in development whilst improving quality and
flexibility," reports Roland Streitner.
Unlimited teamwork
EPLAN Platform connects disciplines, locations and company divisions
T
he forming technology specialists at the Schuler Group can now work in project teams across different company sites. After
Schuler took over Müller Weingarten, it standardised its IT systems. While using SAP software as their leading system, EPLAN
Electric P8 was also used to display electrical engineering and fluid power within a single system. This makes interdisciplinary
cooperation easier.
Based on a shared IT system
"Now we can work together," reports
Christoph Kämmerle, who is responsible
for ECAD system support at the Schuler
Group. The fact that Schuler, which
specialises in forming technology, can
now utilise these synergies is based
primarily on a management decision to
put corporate IT on a shared footing.
"We can now compare capacities in
individual company divisions – across
locations and technical departments,"
stresses Kämmerle. The interesting
thing is that Schuler does not use a CADbased PDM system as their lead application, they use the group‘s SAP system.
However, in order to cover the requirements of the manufacturers, Schuler
also works with additional software
such as the Engineering Control Center
ECTR. In a similar way to a PDM system, it delivers design-related views and
supports routine tasks.
Target: Interdisciplinary engineering
As part of the consolidation of the IT
landscape, Schuler tackled the issue of
interdisciplinary engineering, with the
focus initially on the interaction between
electrical engineering and fluid power.
The problem: Müller Weingarten and
Schuler had previously acted independently in the market and had developed
their own sequential workflows. In both
companies, they were already looking
for a solution to update EPLAN 5.70
and replace a competitor system. "We
opted for EPLAN Electric P8 and a
consolidation of electrical engineering
and fluid power," explains Christoph
Kämmerle. The EPLAN software is now
well established in the Schuler group.
"This means we can – depending on
available capacity – develop hydraulics
in Göppingen and electrics in Weingarten, or vice versa. It gives us flexibility,"
adds Kämmerle.
Central data storage in the SAP system
Whether it is a standard product or a
special production: the sales team defines
the basic structure in SAP. This involves
a rough project framework as the actual
specification documents are produced
with the relevant disciplines. These start
the development process one after the
other, beginning with mechanics. The
electrical engineers then receive an order
from the ERP software and use designs
from the mechanics as a basis. They
work in EPLAN Electric P8 with part and
Optimum use of engineering capacities:
Across disciplines and locations.
material information from SAP, generating the relevant components and functions. As well as the bills of materials,
all the necessary documents, including
circuit and terminal diagrams, are transferred from the EPLAN software to the
SAP system in the form of PDF files. "This
means our production is flexible and we
can utilise free capacity when it becomes
available."
Electrical engineering and fluid power
combined
By combining electrical engineering and
fluid power, Schuler can use the EPLAN
Platform for both electrical engineering
and fluid power. "We are at the stage
where an electrical or fluid component
contains just one device tag whereas
before it would have been three, depending on the relevant discipline," explains
Christoph Kämmerle. However, electrical
engineering and fluid power have not
yet been brought close enough together,
according to Schuler employees. One of
the problems is that the whole system
of standards is not yet geared up to-
wards mechatronic processes which
can be considered as standard." To
date, there are no standards to cover
this and all trades have their own regulations.
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Child’s play tube connections
EPLAN Fluid Professional – now includes tubing function direct in 3D
B
lock, open, close, control: Complex workflows require intelligent control and reliable drives. To meet increasing requirements
in this sector, manufacturers of fluid power components are offering a growing range of pneumatic complete solutions with
intelligent valve terminals and communication interfaces from a single source. Ready-to-fit pneumatics and ready-to-install
systems are key. The high level of comparability between these systems and control cabinet engineering means it is logical to
translate the tried and tested benefits of virtual control cabinet design to fluid power by means of EPLAN Fluid Professional.
The new version of EPLAN Fluid Professional provides plenty of support. Virtual
3D mounting layout in fluid power engineering is what the EPLAN Fluid Professional solution offers as part of the forthcoming EPLAN Platform 2.3.
Free choice of workflow – based on
a fluid power schematic or directly
in 3D
„„ Casing data direct from EPLAN Data
Portal
„„ Mounting layout in 3D – as simple as
2D thanks to eTouch technology
„„ Automatic generation of all fluid power connections based on the fluid
power schematic or by means of
manual definition of 3D connections
„„ Automatic or interactive tubing between components
„„ Free routing of tubes and definition
of routing tracks in 3D
„„ Consideration of material properties
(e.g. bending radii to comply with
bending safety regulations)
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EPLAN Fluid Professional combines things
that belong together: 2D fluid power
schematic, simple 3D mounting layout and
interactive tubing.
New: system support for tubing
The direct link between the fluid power
schematic and the 3D mounting layout generates the tubing and cabling routes
completely and automatically at the touch
of a button. The fluid power engineer can
then decide on the ideal route for the pneumatic tubes in the enclosure. Minimum
bending radii and other design influences
can be saved in the system and are considered when defining the layout. As well as
the 3D layout, the designer gets lists of all
fluid connections. These can then be preproduced – with the tube lengths required
totalled up to calculate the total bill of requirements. Even if subsequent changes
are made to the position of the components, the lines can be automatically redrawn if required and values updated.
The benefits are clear:
Highly realistic representation in 3D,
for visual checking of the installation
site
„„ High level of planning reliability
„„ Optimum dimensioning and space
utilisation
„„ Provision of production and assembly
drawings
„„ Perfect-fit components
„„ Complete documentation for ordering
and production (bill of materials,tube
lists and connection lists)
„„ More than 50 % time savings on layout
alone
„„ Significantly faster creation of mounting and production drawings
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More consistent, more comprehensive
amendment records and accelerated
adaptation of mounting and production
drawings in the event of modifications
Quality, detailed documentation for
reproducible results
Facilitated communication with
specialist departments, suppliers and
customers
Reduced "time to market"
Sustainable cost reduction due to
standardised solutions
Even more efficiency can be achieved if
the component manufacturer takes over
design and implementation based on
quality production drawings, precise assembly instructions and complete information for the ordering system. The production depth for the end customer is
therefore significantly reduced. This saves time and money, and allows the
company to focus on its core expertise.
In brief: Designed to customer specifications, produced and delivered ready
to connect.
Image: Festo Systemtechnik
Potential savings thanks to virtual
prototypes
The development of a virtual prototype
at the earliest possible stage of project
development makes planning easier. It
allows precise verification of solutions
relative to customer requirements and
guarantees a perfect fit at a later stage.
Reduced time to market and sustainable
time and cost savings are the result. As
well as virtual placement of components,
their fluid power tubing is also an important element.
K
rombacher is one of the largest beer breweries in Germany. Its slogan, which translates into "as unique as its taste" is also
reflected in its technology. Production and logistic systems are constantly being expanded and modernised in order to
keep pace with the expansion of the company. Krombacher‘s operational engineering department keeps an overview of
efficient electrical planning, modification and documentation of existing and new plant data using the EPLAN Platform.
Consistently competitive
EPLAN Platform saves Krombacher’s operational engineering department time and money
Krombacher relies on EPLAN
Krombacher’s brewery systems are divided into two production plants in the
Krombach district of Kreuztal. The headquarter covers the production, while
bottling and logistics are located on the
other side of the state road. These production and bottling sites are linked by
underground lines, so the technology
and production-logistics are rather complex. "We have a high level of automation,"
explains Ulrich Stiebeling, head of the
operational engineering department.
There are currently over 1000 controllers
and enclosures installed across the whole
company premises. Krombacher uses
EPLAN Electric P8 for electrical design,
plus EPLAN Fluid and EPLAN View for
pneumatic design and visualisation.
Convert or redraw?
When devices are replaced, the plant
needs to be extended or optimised and
Ulrich Stiebeling‘s team is normally
faced with the challenges of entering
changes manually. Smaller plants are
also planned and implemented completely in-house, with conversion of old
plans from EPLAN 5.70 to P8 also done
by hand. "When it comes to conversions
or major plant and machine changes,
we need to decide on a case-by-case
basis: Convert or redraw? A newly
drawn plan is always beneficial for the
future," explains the head of operational
engineering.
Good documentation saves time and
money
Good documentation is a question of
discipline: Schematics produced in
EPLAN which can be viewed in PDF form
have a familiar structure which makes
work easier for service technicians if errors
occur in the system. "They always find
implementation of DIN EN 81346 makes
clear guidelines indispensable.
Clear guidelines – smooth processes
"Our aim is group-oriented drawing, so
all those involved in the plans can work
efficiently with them," underlines Torsten
Friedrich. The catalogue of guidelines
Front runner in terms of consistency
The next step is to move in the same
direction for pneumatic design with the
help of EPLAN Fluid. "Pneumatics need
to be checked just as carefully as electronics," explains electronic engineer Udo
Klappert, neglecting them can result in
time-wasting and expensive periods of
The famous brewery in Germany´s Siegerland area configures and
documents on the EPLAN Platform and insists on strict, consistent
standards from its suppliers.
the faults – it is just a question of whether
it takes a quarter of an hour or several
hours," believes Ulrich Stiebeling. With
clear, current EPLAN visualisations, the
origin of faults is easy to find without expensive downtimes. Clear guidelines
prevent illegible plans. This applies to the
in house team and external specialist
suppliers to which orders are issued for
complex major systems, for example in
the bottling plant. This is why Krombacher
not only demands EPLAN Electric P8
based documentation from all plant
suppliers, but also issues clear guide­
lines for the use of the CAE system to
Krombacher standards and provides
training to ensure its proper use. The
containing all specifications was drawn
up in conjunction with EPLAN. Anyone
accepting an order from Krombacher is
given sample documentation, master
data and component libraries on storage
media. The aim is to standardise the
structure, terminology and documentation to enable structured archiving so
that project data can be accessed more
quickly and, last but not least, maintenance costs can be reduced. The
Krombacher guidelines have proved
particularly useful when it comes to
handling error checking. Krombacher
demands tested drawings from its suppliers, as "faulty plans are
wasted money".
downtime. Consistent electronic and
pneumatic design and documentation
from a single source gives Krombacher
operational engineering additional time
and cost benefits in terms of development design and maintenance.
5
Increasing menthol yield
Tesium uses EPLAN PPE as central planning tool at Symrise
I
n 2012, Symrise AG invested 16 million euros to double the production capacity of nature-identical I-Menthol at its headquarters
in Holzminden in the south of Lower Saxony, Germany. For the process automation experts at its subsidiary company, Tesium,
the real challenge of the project lay in setting up the new plant within an established, ongoing production operation. Tesium used
EPLAN PPE to configure the measurement, control, instrumentation and automation technology.
Consistent processes to improve
productivity
The plant, which was planned and realised by Tesium, has been producing
nature-identical I-Menthol within a towncentre chemicals site since summer 2012.
The success story of the globally soughtafter flavouring and coolant is a similar
length to the one about extending the engineering for process technology within
the company. "As an independent subsidiary of a research company that produces
aroma chemicals, cosmetic ingredients,
flavours and fragrances, we are used to
converting our engineering for process
plants into production scale reliably and
quickly," explains Kai Wedding, Marketing Director at Tesium. In engineering,
working quickly and reliably requires consistent processes. When Symrise plans
new process plants or converts existing
ones, this is done so by representatives
from four key areas on the project team.
From Tesium‘s perspective, these are
production-related management as the
direct client, then a process engineer familiar with processes, chemical reactions
and quantity balances. The third representative is recruited from plant engineering and the fourth from EI&C planning.
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Shared basis for planning
With a team composition of this kind, it
is clear why it is so important to work with
consistent planning, data and terminology. EPLAN PPE therefore takes on a key
role. Tesium uses a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) as the top level of
graphical documentation, including the
are highlighted in colour, by the specialist
departments. "The colour highlighting is
important to ensure that optimisations in
one area do not lead to subsequent problems with fitting in another area – for example, if a change in pipe dimensions
means that the flange diameter of a valve
no longer fits as originally planned, because it was ordered based on an older
project version," explains Armin Thies,
Head of EI&C Planning.
Barrier-free data flow thanks to the EPLAN
Platform accelerates the engineering process.
chemical processes and transport routes
for the different materials used. Symbol
databases make work easier through
maintenance of all project versions in a
database for those involved in the project
to access the latest version without older
releases causing inconsistencies in the
project. "Starting with the higher-level
process diagram, we then work deeper
into the plant," explains Armin Thies, Head
of EI&C Planning at Tesium. All components required for the operation of the
menthol plant, including reactors, pumps,
pipelines, measuring instruments, stirrers
and control valves, are tethered within the
flow diagram with standardised symbols
and detailed technical specifications. For
pipelines, this information traditionally includes nominal width and pressure, medium to be transported and pipe material.
Similarly, the key elements of the measurement and control engineering are configured within the process diagram. This
work finally ends up in loop lists and
sheets. These reflect the complete EI&C
equipment for each individual process
within Symrise plants.
Equipment clearly defined
If any changes are made to the engineering during the project, EPLAN PPE automatically records the revision status while
individual lists in the form of non-editable
PDF files are checked for changes, which
As process and control engineering cannot operate separately from electrical engineering, there is a direct link to EPLAN
Electric P8 within the EPLAN Platform.
Barrier-free data flow accelerates the
engineering process and supports later
maintenance and service work by providing seamless documentation, among
other things. For Kai Wedding, this
forward-thinking way of planning and
working is a major factor in achieving high
levels of operational reliability and thus
production availability – especially for the
new menthol plant which involves continually separating the laevorotatory menthol molecules from crystallisation as part
of a highly complex process. So it is not
easy to just switch the plant off.
Aвтоматизация with vision
How Russia’s experts in process and energy technology are optimising their engineering
T
he development of automated control systems requires good knowledge of process automation and close cooperation between engineering and production. "Sputnik-2," based in Perm/Russia, leads the way on the development and implementation
of automated process control and energy distribution systems. In 2004, the company decided to use a professional engineering tool – and opted for EPLAN. 98% of earlier configuration errors are a thing of the past – as well as the huge improvement in
quality, automated configuration and reduced delivery times.
Everything from a single source
"In principle, all the systems briefly met
the company‘s requirements as they had
a similar structure and functions, but the
final decision went in favour of EPLAN
software. EPLAN offered comprehensive
flexibility by adapting various reports and
forms, plus a high-performance Application Programming Interface" explains
Igor Pyankof, designer and leading CAE
expert at Sputnik-2. Today, the company uses EPLAN Electric P8, EPLAN PPE
and modules including API, EPLAN Data
Portal and the new field cabling module
EPLAN FieldSys.
For the technicians, the most important
function is the multi-user option. Multiple technicians can work on the same
project at the same time in a shared
information area. If, for example, signal
data is entered during the first phase of
project development, it is automatically
The figures speak for themselves: 98% of earlier
configuration errors could be avoided.
displayed in field device reports and
in the hardware and software lists. If a
signal needs to be changed, the data
merely needs to be updated in the functional diagram, and all other locations
are automatically updated. The creation
of different document types (reports) in
the functional diagram in both graphic
and table form was also made considerably easier for the Russian designers.
The flexibility to define settings and
report forms increases the level of individual adaptation while at the same time
enabling maximum compliance with
the GOST standard, which the Russian
localised software naturally supports.
Whether it is automated schematic creation, programming in API (Application
Programming Interface) or configured
macros – Sputnik-2 many of EPLAN’s
automation options.
The benefits are clear:
Reduced project design and delivery
times.
„„ Higher quality documentation.
„„ 98% of earlier configuration errors
have been eliminated, and the remaining 2% have also been prevented as
the program is adjusted further.
„„ Significant reduction in project costs
as fewer technicians are needed and
less time is required for order processing.
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The Sputnik-2 design department has a
focus on further engineering processes
and there are plans for a special con-
figurator for process control systems.
The automated specification process
with cost estimates for components will
allow further optimisation. Among the
short-term plans is the integration of
existing price databases and creating
projects with complete calculations.
One of the main objectives is to combine all the areas of a project (field level,
enclosure fields for process control
systems, low-voltage enclosures with
suitable references, schematics, reports
and routing plans) within a shared system
area.
This step allows all errors which could
occur when different departments work
together to be identified and avoided.
"In summary, implementing EPLAN software at Sputnik-2 has optimised the
workflow across the whole company,"
concludes Igor Pyankov.
The company
In 1993, the department for automated process control systems at
the "Perminskiy Center" became an
an independent business and given
the name "Sputnik" (Russian for satellite). Over the years, the company
has developed and implemented a
range of different projects in process
automation and energy distribution
for customers including RusHydro
hydro power plants, the mining and
chemicals group EuroChem and the
new Salavat power station. The
Sputnik group of companies has
been given Siemens Solution Partner and WinCC, PCS7, PL Solution
Specialist, which is the highest level
of Siemens accreditation.
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H
ow can process costs be reduced to enable a quick, flexible
reaction to customer requirements? And without having to
start a new development every time? EPLAN has developed
a 4-step plan for successful implementation. This gradual
approach has been trialled by both customers and consultants
and has proved its worth many times over. The result: Reduced
complexity, increased reuse and maximum flexibility. Plus lower
process costs and increased efficiency in engineering.
Standardisation in products and
processes
In order to standardise engineering, both
the product and the process sides needed
to be taken into consideration. On the
product side are the platform strategies,
which allow a large number of product
variants to be generated from a range of
similar components. On the process side,
organisational and work standards are developed to simplify complex workflows and
increase flexibility via clever combinations.
Therefore, it is important to standardise
individual steps in the engineering process even the applications are different.
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The "Standardised Engineering" guidelines
cover the following areas:
„„ Standardisation – Transparency,
correct and comprehensive
„„ Modularisation – Clarity by means
of interdisciplinary structuring
The systematic approach of EPLAN‘s
4-step model is target-oriented implementation. Each step represents progress
in terms of increasing efficiency.
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Classification – Simplification and
increased reuse
Parallelisation – Minimisation of
engineering and construction time
A companies products, automation functions
and specific processes established within
the company are all clearly analyzed
based on the following questions:
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What engineering methods fit the
individual applications?
What are the steps required as a
result?
What needs to be done first?
Step by step to
Incremental
4-step model:
Results
Areas
1
Basis/Standardisation
IEC 81346/IEC 61355
2
Structuring
Product-/Technology model
Definition and
organisation
Modularisation
3
Definition of reuse
Macro project
file structure
Library
Characteristics structure
4
Methods/Configuration
Generation program
EEC One/Prof.
Automation
Product documentation
Location, function,
product aspects
Step 1: Standardisation
Studies show that many companies have
already tried to implement standardisation,
but have failed due to the demands the
time requirements of day to day business
The conclusion is often: "Everything is
different here, and so it won‘t work ..."
or "The software doesn‘t have the right
functions for our process ..." Too little
time and inadequate advice are the
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most common reasons for these costly
failures. So the studies suggest that
starting a project without sufficient
Classification
Describe characteristics
knowledge should be avoided. A project
analysis also needs to be carried out
before a solution can be applied to the software. The most important element of this
process is change management, which
involves all those affected by change,
adopting a new way of thinking. Once
the basic prerequisites are in place, the
project can begin. Norms such as e.g.
IEC 81446 forms the basis for the structuring of products, machines and plants –
involving as many disciplines as possible
with consistent terminology. A clear
definition of individual products, including
correct wording, understanding of assemblies, functions and variants can provide the basis for the following steps.
Level 2: Product model/Technology
model
Determining product structure from the
view of the customer forms a product
model which throws up the following
questions: What are the product functions of my machine from the perspective
of the customer? Clear structuring is
required – all employees involved in the
engineering process need to work together as all departments have their own
view of the machine. For example, the
mechanic sees modules and assembly
units from a physical perspective. The
electrical engineer thinks in higher-level
logical structures and in manufacturing,
it is all about production characteristics
such as installation and mounting locations. The product structure is enriched
with more and more specific information
along the entire development process,
from the first idea to implementation. So
it is all the more important that a clear
product structure is established. it is
therefore important to determine: "Which
properties can be calculated automatically based on pre-defined properties?"
The number of degrees of freedom or
selection criteria are automatically set in
rules and dependencies. This is the basis
for subsequent automatic configuration
(see step 4). Interim summary of Step 2:
Complexity is minimised – at the same
time, increasing the chances for clear
manageability and definition of rules.
Infrastructure is normally generated
automatically – for example the current
range for the main switch, the number of
inputs and outputs (I/O) or the safety
technology required. As part of the structuring process, the main task is to record
knowledge in values and rules which the
project engineer can easily define on an
intuitive basis. By contrast, the technical
structure represents the technical configuration of the relevant variant to be produced – such as construction, drawing,
switches and program component.
Level 3: "Definition of reuse"
You often hear people say that there is
no room for reuse in mechanical engineering. If you start at the module level,
this claim appears correct. If you go
one or two functional levels deeper, the
hypo-thesis is destroyed. Similar basic
The successful implementation of "standardised engineering"
concept is following a structured workflow. Complex processes are being
divided and simplified in a step-by-step model.
improved efficiency
implementation of "standardised engineering" reduces complexity whilst increasing flexibility
functions are often used – with each
industry having its own focus functions.
So the aim of this stage is to recognise
the functions for reuse and describe
them clearly.
EPLAN Consultants can utilise their experience from various products and best
practices.
construction of the product structure
required can be derived at this stage. The
result is the most favourable process for
the individual company. This method
also determines the efficiency gains
within the company.
Strategy
Incremental efficiency improvement by
configuring reusable components in­
stead of individual order engineering.
Implementation requires a change management system – as every employee
involved in the process needs to apply
different working steps if the methods
are to be changed. The best method is
determined by the highest possible efficiency gains that can be achieved.
Detailed process analysis and professional
change management enable standardisation
and automation.
Library
Interim level
Projects
Macro engineering
Partial unit 1
Project 1
Version 1
Version 2
EPLAN Engineering Center One
Project 2
Partial unit 2
Version 1
Version 2
Project 3
EPLAN Engineering Center
Partial unit 3
Version 1
Project 4
Version 2
This function forms the basis for a reusable
construction template.
Level 4: Method/Configuration
What engineering method is the most
efficient? Each approach is based on
one of these construction methods:
„„ Copy technology
„„ Maximum project engineering or option
engineering
„„ Generation technology
Depending on the results of Steps 1-3,
the right decision for engineering and
Would you like to know more
about the benefits of "standardised engineering" and generation engineering?
Please get in contact:
[email protected]
9
Helped out of a fix
Effective configuration: Terminals, cables, plugs
T
erminals and cables/lines connect controllers in enclosures to external sensors/actuators, drives and machines. In order to
ensure that nothing goes wrong, EPLAN offers manufacturers extensive opportunities to incorporate mechanical and logical
technical requirements at the configuration stage. Is the terminal a conventional electrical connection or does it have specific
properties? Is it an isolating terminal, PE terminal or shielding terminal which requires assignment of devices and cable connections? Questions about questions – the right answers can be found in EPLAN Electric P8.
Small symbol – big effect
The circuit symbol is an unassuming circle
which, according to its definition, symbolises a "separable electrical connection". There is immense variety in terminals relating their purpose. This
incorporates the mechanical model and
the logical electrical use of the terminal.
The same applies to cables and lines
which represent the connections from
the terminal strip to devices connected.
As well as physical requirements (e.g. in
chemical resistance or mechanical stability) the logical electrical properties
and their application are crucial to correct configuration.
Correct connections – safe production
What parts and accessories which are
not shown in the graphical schematic
are required in the project? The planner
brings the requirement and his knowledge of logical properties of items and
connections into the EPLAN project on
a one-off basis. This is both important
10
Extensive know-how on configuring terminals,
cables and plugs:
EPLAN Electric P8 for maximum results.
and necessary, as the project documentation is subsequently used for a wide
range of purposes.
As well as correct wiring of the components, it is important that the right connections are fitted to the terminal strip
with the right conductor/wire types.
Specifically: During on-site configuration,
the cables must be fitted to the terminals specified by the planner. In the
event of maintenance or errors, the
operator or maintenance engineer must
be able to identify connections as­
quickly as possible. Complete and correct documentation is therefore crucial
in order to minimise downtime.
Communication skill
Integration of PTC Windchill and EPLAN Electric P8 – for perfect cooperation
D
irect and fast communications guarantee simple, seamless cooperation. The new aristosEWI (Electronic Windchill Integration) allows the disciplines of mechanics and electrical engineering to communicate with one another. Parts lists can
be exchanged both ways between EPLAN Electric P8 and the PTC System Windchill. Data management is considerably
simplified and developers in both disciplines have an overview of the entire system to enable more efficiency in engineering.
Simple cooperation
Mechanical and electronic design processes are gradually converging. The
new aristosEWI (Electronic Windchill Integration) exchanges structural data
such as parts lists between EPLAN Electric P8 and PTC Windchill. The development from Leipzig-based IT system
house aristos integrates the leading CAE
software into the Windchill product development system from PTC. Users can
benefit from complete documentation of
all product structures within a system.
This enables cooperation between ECAD
and MCAD disciplines, prevents duplicaThe functions of aristosEWI at a
glance:
„„ Reconciliation of names, attributes and links for ECAD objects
and Windchill objects
tion and leads to greater efficiency in the
engineering process. Another practical
benefit: important information can be
exchanged quickly and easily with developers in the other discipline. The use
of aristosEWI achieves a high level of
standardisation and consistency for
company-specific product data, information and catalogues. It also reduces
the number of variants for designers, as
only the data which is actually required is
available. This rules out duplicate orders
from different design areas to purchasing
from the outset and allows exact planning of costs.
Changes are traceable immediately
One example: the final product contains
an electric motor which has both electrical
and mechanical properties (attributes,
models, symbols, etc.). Both specialist
departments, electrical engineering and
mechanics, can view the motor and process the project at the same time. The
challenge lies in identifying these components clearly and uniquely for subsequent
assembly so that the right orders are
placed and the motor can be fitted in the
correct place. aristosEWI automatically
reconciles and adds to the information
from EPLAN Electric P8 and the 3D system
PTC Creo. Therefore, all those involved
in the development have consistent insight into the development of the entire
system.
The value added for product development is clear. Components fitted into
mechanical and electrical systems are
clearly visible to developers in both
departments. There is no need for timeconsuming queries and agreements.
Changes can be traced immediately by
both sides and considered at the relevant state of development.
Mechanics and electrics moving closer together:
Automatic synchronisation of ECAD and MCAD objects.
„„ Free configuration of attributes
and structures
„„ Availability of database attributes
in the project
„„ EPLAN objects are available in
the Windchill PDMLink as independent object types
„„ Change monitoring of individual
items across the workspace and
windchill projects
„„ Generation of visualisation
objects
„„ Search and open EPLAN projects from PDMLink
„„ Workspace for ECAD users
similar to MCAD
„„ Memory images to save current
drafts
„„ Available as of PTC Windchill
version 10
11
Start and finish: Automation
In 300 seconds: Generate schematics for standard control cabinets automatically
I
t is only logical that a robot manufacturer would automate the design and production of its products – after all, robots represent
industrial automation. Kuka Roboter GmbH is very advanced and now generates all schematics for electrical design completely independently, i.e. without intervention from a design engineer, unless the customer only wants standard options. This innovative,
time-saving way of working is made possible by the EPLAN Engineering Center (EEC) which is linked directly to the Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) system at Kuka.
Starting point: The control cabinet
configurator
As the leading robot manufacturer in the
German and European market, Kuka
Roboter GmbH is working on a range of
projects – which all involve electrical
design. Three years ago, the Augsburgbased company decided to accelerate
its workflows and simplify enclosure design. In line with the migration to EPLAN
Electric P8 and the EPLAN Platform,
they implemented the EPLAN Engineering Center (EEC) which – in simple terms
– stores ECAD data for all relevant modules and assemblies. The Kuka engi-
volved in designing the enclosure for a
standard robot – the enclosure virtually
designs itself. "We have saved all the
modules and functionalities we have designed with EPLAN Electric P8 in the
EEC, along with their links," explains
Alexander Rottmair. The modules are
selected, accessed and linked together
based on the robot configuration required by the customer.
Generated automatically:
The schematic
Alexander Rottmair: "Our sales engineers
and customer advisors work with a SAP-
entered." This process only takes about
five minutes, so in theory the customer
can view the complete schematic before
the ink has even dried on the contract.
As soon as the EPLAN Engineering
Center has generated the individual
schematic, the data is sent from the
EEC to the SAP system. This means
that the Enterprise Resource Planning
system has all the data, e.g. the part
numbers of all materials and can order or
incorporate them into production planning.
system, can be entered into the cabinet
configurator at the touch of a button.
When it comes to the standard tasks,
the EEC works in almost exactly the same
way as robots automating production.
Objective achieved
But it should not be forgotten that thorough preparation work is required to
make full use of the benefits of automatic
enclosure generation. Kuka first defined
a basic control cabinet to provide a basis
for configuration. 500 options modules
were defined and entered into the
EPLAN Engineering Center.
"Our sales engineers and customer advisors work with a SAP-based electronic sales configurator into
which they enter the robot types and standard options. Thanks to the link between SAP and EEC, the
schematic is generated automatically as the data is entered."
Alexander Rottmair, Electrical Engineer
neers had a good starting point, all the
robot models and sizes are controlled
using a shared series of control units
with the designation KR C4. Since then,
the electrical engineers are no longer in-
12
based electronic sales configurator into
which they enter the robot types and
standard options. Thanks to the link between SAP and EEC, the schematic is
generated automatically as the data is
Just one touch of a button
Kuka has come so far with the automation
of control cabinet generation that even
those options which have a fundamental
impact on the entire electrical engineering
Alexander Rottmair: "We no longer have
to worry about the actual design process,
i.e. the implementation of individual options and functions." Standard tasks are
automatically carried out by the system.
A
dvanced Machine &
Tool (AMT) actually
had no plans to switch
over to a new CAD system.
But a large customer from
the automotive industry insisted on them using EPLAN.
Luckily for AMT! Once they
had carried out the first order
with the new software, they
analysed the productivty improvements of all projects.
The result: Time-consuming
product development stages
such as device tag recognition,
wire numbering and mechanical
engineering standardisation,
were simplified and accelerated.
The consequence:
Now they use EPLAN for
configuration, saving them
considerable time and improving efficiency.
Engineering = 30% time saving
US mechanical engineers AMT achieve high levels of potential savings by switching systems
Good swap: engineering instead of
drawing
Advanced Machine & Tool Corporation
(AMT) of Fort Wayne (Indiana), USA
specialises in the production of coil and
winding machines and machines used
in the production of electric motors and
generators. Customers are mainly
OEMs from the automotive industry or
other industries.. One of these automotive industry clients was the reason why
AMT swapped from its previous solution,
AutoCAD Electrical to EPLAN. Three
years ago, the customer insisted on
EPLAN plans being used for the machi-
the creation of accurate and well structured documentation.
Automation of most timeconsuming tasks
At AMT, the engineering phase of an order
can last between three days and 60
weeks for very complex projects. But
generally, a typical order consists of
producing just one machine that the
customer needs for the production of a
new motor. For an order which took
perhaps two weeks to process in AutoCAD, a huge amount of time can be saved
using EPLAN. A total of approximately
Pure time saving: Reduction of a 2-week project
time by 23-28 hours – more than 30%.
nes it ordered. The aim was to accelerate document production and improve
accuracy.
System switch paid off
AMT then checked whether EPLAN
really was the better option by analysing
projects for productivity increases.
Gradually, all electric and fluid power
designs were produced using the
EPLAN Platform. Today, the technicians
are pleased about the switch. "I thought
we were comfortable with our old CAD
system, but I sure wouldn’t go back to it
now,” reports electrical engineer Mark
Lohrman. “Now we are at a point where
regardless of what is being released, we
do it in EPLAN.” The switchover to
EPLAN has considerably accelerated
Short and good – hard facts on time saving
„„ 4-5 hours time saved
Device tag labelling and wire numbering was previously a manual process. This
step is now automated together with the generation of device tags, wire numbers
and terminal designations. The AMT technicians use internal EPLAN functions for
printer setup by transferring an Excel spreadsheet containing all the data.
„„ 5 hours time saved
Error-free terminal diagrams and bills of materials are generated automatically.
„„ 8-12 hours time saved
Standard circuits are archived and can be reused for every project.
„„ 6 hours time saved
Fluid schematics are integrated into the projects to avoid problems with device naming or missing components.
„„ Total: 23-28 hours time saved
23 to 28 working hours were saved in
four areas, representing a time saving of
over 30% (for details, please see box).
The savings even increase proportionally
for larger projects. "Automatic numbering
is a big thing for us," explains Lohrman. "I
can go to the parts list and pick out a
part. If there is a macro associated with
it, I am set.” The benefits are gained
through the archiving and reusing standard content as content is saved as
EPLAN macros. This currently applies
to over 300 processes and over 500
components.
In brief: Engineering in record time!
13
Integration in huge style
350,000 data sets available now around the world
R
ittal currently operates a consistent configuration solution based on the EPLAN Engineering Center (EEC). While product control knowledge is gradually reflected in EEC,
production control information is managed in SAP. In order to provide the technical data
required for the product description and for production, Rittal installed Autodesk‘s PDM solution
Vault Professional for around 500 users across the company. Production sites including Italy
and the USA were included in the biggest Vault roll-out in Europe.
14
Information and management basis
"We are talking about managing over
350,000 technical data sets – mainly 3D
models, 2D drawings and bills of materials" explains Bernd Lehnert, Head
of R&D at Rittal in Herborn, responsible
for Technology and Support. "This requires a PDM solution as a consistent
information and management basis for
all technical product data." In the future,
once product know-how is stored in the
EEC, Rittal can configure its products
efficiently and process orders on a
largely automated basis. "Our aim is to
generate all technical order data automatically," Lehnert goes on. "Initially,
this goes through the EEC – the heart of
the configuration logic. But, of course,
the PDM system needs to provide the
basic data." This includes bills of materials and work plans, as well as CAD
and NC data for production. The same
applies to the option of mounting accessories. "This should reduce the manual effort involved in order processing by
means of the number of variants approved." CAD model, drawings, bills of materials, work plan, calculation and NC
data are all generated automatically –
leading to significantly more efficient
processes." In the future, it will be possible to generate drawings for production and quality control containing the
important dimensions completely automatically. The accessories to be fitted
can then be clearly assigned to the relevant openings.
IT integration as a challenge
There was also plenty to do from a CAD
perspective, as there was no standard
system in the company before the start
of 2000. This primarily involved using
Autodesk‘s AutoCAD, as the 2D editing
was sufficient for the various sheet metal
parts. Autodesk Inventor, Catia and Pro/
to Rittal that EPLAN was already involved via the installation of EEC and migration of the old data. The plan was to
import the 350,000-odd data sets into
the new PDM solution with the highest
level of automation possible. "Preparing
the CAD data was very time-consuming,
as the old data was not necessarily in-
"We use the PDM as a database from product development through
change and revision management to product discontinuation."
Bernd Lehnert, Head of R&D and responsible for Technology & Support
Engineer were also used – especially for
the more complex products such as IT
racks with air-conditioning. "The result
was a very assorted system environment"
Lehnert explains. "We therefore decided
to use the Autodesk products Inventor
and AutoCAD as standard. They offer
the Rittal designers all the functions they
need relative to the product range, so that
they can achieve good value for money.
Currently, the data for current catalogue
products is standardised in Inventor, while
other systems are only retained for OEM
customers and old data, in case any
changes are required.
CAD and PDM closely linked
Opting for Autodesk products also meant
deciding on the PDM system in advance.
"This always requires a good interface to
the CAD solutions in the company in order
to achieve a high level of acceptance,"
explains Bernd Lehnert. It was beneficial
cluded in every move to a new release –
as there is no added value in that itself,"
reports Bernd Lehnert. "In the migration to Inventor, it became clear that the
existing models were consistent and, for
example, missing references in the models needed to be created as part of the
migration process – which means a lot
of work for the developers." As a result,
through Vault Professional and Inventor,
Rittal will now have access to a development platform which can not only
be perfectly controlled from the EPLAN
Engineering Center, but also allows good
networking of international development
and production sites. Although the majority of the products are developed in
Herborn, they are produced in various
locations around the world. "The aim is
to achieve a single data source so that
all technical data is available in its most
up-to-date form at all times," Bernd Lehnert
concludes.
E
ngineering for the plant construction industry can be extremely demanding. For large, complex plants, there are no
off-the-peg solutions and no prototypes. The first draft has to be right: this requires specialist knowledge and reliable
engineering tools. Höckh Metall-Reinigungsanlagen GmbH in Neuenbürg/Germany switched to EPLAN Electric P8 for
the electrical and fluid design of a major project. They continue to use Autodesk Inventor and Vault for mechanical engineering and product data management with the support of EPLAN consultants. The result: Maximum integration and data
consistency with software support provided from a single source.
The BIG push
Maximum data consistency: ECAD, MCAD and PDM from a single source
Consulting at its finest
Höckh had obtained its knowledge for
the development and production
of perfect-fit solutions for
parts cleaning and degreasing over its forty years of
production. The mediumsized family-run company has 50 employees
and an developed and exceptional reputation as a
reliable supplier of quality
plant engineering. An example
of the service portfolio is the large
plant for deep-drawn stamped sheet
metal parts recently produced on a 3,200
m² production area. The plant has ten
enclosures and over 700 pages of schematics; with a total of 16,800 parts to be
processed in CAD.
In order to keep this complex project
under control, and: with the order books
full, the electrical construction was
switched to EPLAN Electric P8 with the
EPLAN Fluid add-on for pneumatics
construction. Fabian Camek, head of
electrical design, reports that, with
EPLAN’s support, the step took just a
couple of months: "We brought EPLAN
Consulting in several times for P8 and
EPLAN Fluid, twice for a whole week at a
time; whilst also being supported by the
helpdesk. This meant we could make the
transfer in a total of two months.”
design is now completely integrated
thanks to EPLAN Fluid.
Support from a single
source
At this stage of integration,
Fabian Camek and mechanical
design manager Josip Heger
did not want to stand still.
They used the up-coming
switch to EPLAN Electric
P8 as the "big solution" allowing them to optimise
PPE via the EPLAN Platform alongside
electrical and pneumatic design. The idea
behind it is to make all changes consistently visible across all software tools –
"we are working on this with EPLAN".
Data flow – totally consistent
Bill of materials for all projects and orders
can be generated from the EPLAN database. For Fabian Camek, this not only
means quicker, more accurate project
implementation: "We can also produce
sensible recalculations using our ERP
"We opted for EPLAN because they can provide a one-stop shop. If the system
is maintained by a range of different providers one always blames the others
when things go wrong."
Fabian Camek, Head of Electrical Design
Enormously easier with EPLAN Data
Portal
Naturally, it took some outlay to redesign
all the materials and intelligently build the
parts database. Things were made much
easier with EPLAN Data Portal components, for example Siemens, can be easily
imported as macros in edz format, with
multilingual parts data and consistent,
uniform product diagrams. This eliminates
error sources and significantly accelerates
configuration and design. The macros
only needed to be defined specially for a
few specialist parts and the pneumatic
tools for mechanical design. Höckh now
uses Autodesk Product Design Suite
with the Autodesk Inventor 3D CAD
solution and the Autodesk Vault PDM
system. "We opted for EPLAN due to
their ability to offer ongoing service and
support of these systems because they
can provide a one-stop shop," underlines
Josip Heger. If the system is maintained by
a range of different providers, "one always
blames the others when things go wrong,"
so a one-stop shop is a single responsible
contact. In the medium term, all EI&C
planning is to be integrated with EPLAN
system, because every single part appears in the documentation." Has the
effort paid off? Definitely, according to
managing director Michael Höckh: "A
huge amount of time and effort and a not
insignificant investment has gone into
technical equipment and training – if
you do it, you need to do it right and
consistently in accordance with our
company philosophy."
In brief: Process optimisation also
pays off in the special plant con­
struction industry.
15
"Fair" play
EPLAN at shows & events around the world
A
s an international solution provider, EPLAN has the world in its sights. EPLAN is ­represented
in over 50 countries and so it is only logical that many international fairs – from Moscow
through Mumbai to Turin – are in the event diary. Visit us all over the world – here is an overview of many of the planned fairs and events we will be attending in 2013.
Date
Exhibition
Location
Country
01-05/04/2013
FIEE
São Paulo
Brazil
17-18/04/2013
Mocon
Den Bosch
Netherlands
17-18/04/2013
Affidabilità & Tecnologie (A&T)
Turin
Italy
17-20/04/2013
Energetika SPb
St. Petersburg
Russia
23/04/2013
SAVE
Milan
Italy
24-26/04/2013
Indumation
Kortrijk
Belgium
13-17/05/2013
Elfack
Gothenburg
Sweden
21-23/05/2013
SPS ITALIA
Parma
Italy
22-23/05/2013
All Energy 2013
Aberdeen
UK
23-24/05/2013
Swiss T Fair Moutier
Moutier
Switzerland
18-21/06/2013
Expo Pack
Mexico City
Mexico
19-21/06/2013
Design Engineering DMS
Tokyo
Japan
25-28/06/2013
Oil/Gaz
Moscow
Russia
21-23/08/2013
ISA Expo Control
Mexico City
Mexico
27/08-01/09/2013
MAKS 2013
Moscow
Russia
03-06/09/2013
Off-shore Europe 2013
Aberdeen
UK
04-06/09/2013
Oil/Gaz
Kazan
Russia
10-12/09/2013
ATX – Midwest
Chicago
USA
10-13/09/2013
Ineltec
Basel
Switzerland
10-13/09/2013
IEAS 2013
Bucharest
Romania
17-19/09/2013
Energetab
Bielsko-Biala
Poland
23-25/09/2013
Pack Expo
Las Vegas
USA
23-26/09/2013
Automation 2013
Mumbai
India
24-27/09/2013
ITFM
Moscow
Russia
30/09-04/10/2013
Elektrotechniek
Utrecht
Netherlands
01-03/10/2013
SMART Automation
Linz
Austria
07-11/10/2013
MSV International Engineering Fair
Brno
Czech Republic
Phone: +49 2173 3964-0
08-10/10/2013
PTA
Moscow
Russia
15-17/10/2013
WESTEC
Los Angeles
USA
Fax: +49 2173 3964-25
[email protected] . www.eplan.de
16-18/10/2013
China Wind Power 2013
Bejing
China
22-24/10/2013
ODT Oil, Gas & Energy
Stavanger
Norway
23-24/10/2013
SAVE
Verona
Italy
05-07/11/2013
ISA 2013
São Paulo
Brazil
06-08/11/2013
System Control Fair
Tokyo
Japan
12-15/11/2013
Productronica
Munich
Germany
13-14/11/2013
Automation Fair
Houston
USA
26-28/11/2013
SPS IPC Drives
Nuremberg
Germany
Imprint
EPLAN Software & Service
GmbH & Co. KG
An der alten Ziegelei 2
D-40789 Monheim am Rhein
Concept::Layout
www.team-mt.de
Images: Customer, istock, fotolia etc.