EPLAN: More than just ECAD
The most comprehensive software for system integration in plant system engineering

Do you use traditional CAD systems for your electrical engineering documentation? It can make merging various parts of a system even more complex. Using EPLAN, you can simplify collaboration with your partners and suppliers and ensure uniform documentation for all your schematics. Planning reliability is created and errors are avoided during the production, wiring and commissioning of plant systems. This saves precious time and increases the quality of your plant systems, not to mention your company’s reputation – both over the long term.

Where is the journey going for your system integration in plant system engineering?

Let’s take the journey together!

Nobody can afford downtime: How do you plan to perfection?

As a system integrator in plant system engineering, you deal intensively with your customers’ plant systems. You record requirements, plan the various system parts and interact with suppliers. But then it happens: Your customer changes the requirements or changes the scheduling. As the system integrator, you must evaluate the new requirements and coordinate changes with the suppliers.

The important thing now is to not lose sight of the bigger picture and to thoroughly check all the interfaces. After all, you still want to deliver the systems without any delays. If the machines or plant system go down later, your customer could be faced with production losses or even financial penalties. However, if you’ve mastered your planning as a system integrator, the system you provide will shine with a high degree of availability.

From CAD to EPLAN: Simplifying system integration for plant system engineering

CAD software offers a variety of possibilities for creating schematics, yet this documentation is often missing important details. With ECAD, you use software especially designed for electrical engineering. EPLAN takes you a step even further. EPLAN doesn’t just allow you to store technical information such as device and parts data, wire and cabling definitions in the schematics, EPLAN also lets you perform automated test runs as well as evaluations for wiring lists and bills of materials for quick and dependable change management. This means you minimise errors during system integration for plant system engineering and simultaneously save time.

Conventional CAD software versus EPLAN

Traditional CAD software – stumbling blocks for system integration

  • All schematics as individual pages
  • General changes must be made manually on every schematic page
  • Manually creating and maintaining individual lists: for components, device data, terminals, connections data and more
  • Time-consuming manual synchronisation of schematics and lists
  • Maintaining an overview of the current status of all files
  • Mastering the wiring with many separate schematics
  • Time-consuming corrections of overlooked changes during the subsequent commissioning

⇒ Manual evaluations and tests of all schematics take a lot of time and make the system integration of complex plant systems even more difficult

EPLAN: Popular benefits for system integrators

  • Everything on one platform: Project planning, schematic creation, storing project data
  • Everything in one project: Combine the electrical engineering documentation from various suppliers
  • For flawless results: Support suppliers with basic and sample projects and a common device database
  • For lists and forms: Use automated formatting
  • Easily integrate component data from hundreds of manufacturers into the project
  • Find technical errors with automated test runs
  • Generate the required documentation with just a few clicks: for manufacturing, for the sales team and for project approvals
  • Enter changes once and apply them to the entire project
  • Call up the current project status at any time and digitally collaborate with suppliers

⇒ Less work completed manually, more reliability and transparency in planning and documentation

How system integrators in plant system engineering benefit from test runs in EPLAN

Schematics are complex documents. So it’s unsurprising when there are inconsistencies or design errors in projects. Interfaces in particular can often cause malfunctions and lead to discussions amongst project partners. The earlier system integrators uncover such inconsistencies, the more orderly the system installation will be, not to mention that clients will later be able to get their system up and running sooner and in a more cost effective way. 

With EPLAN, you can automatically check the schematics from your suppliers without much effort at all. 

EPLAN in Practice

"In building planning, there is a lot of talk about the digital twin. We implemented it a long time ago and have also been working according to the BACnet standard for three or four years."

“Our clients love the 3D panel designs that we produce as they provide the luxury of allowing us to inspect each panel before they are built.”

Why EPLAN? High quality, expert advice and a flexible licence model for system integrators

To create professional schematics you cannot get around using ECAD software. The EPLAN Platform also offers additional advantages that improve and simplify your work in system integration for plant system engineering: 

EPLAN Platform

High-quality software – now and in the future

EPLAN offers you the most powerful software for electrical engineering on the market. We are continually adapting it to match the needs of our users and are continually improving it with a view to the future.

EPLAN Services

Comprehensive services – from eLearning courses to customised consulting

EPLAN offers you a comprehensive range of support, training and consulting services. We support you from the very first installation onward.

EPLAN Subscription

Flexible licence subscriptions for easy budgeting

You can receive licences for EPLAN software with a flexible subscription, meaning to can adjust the number of licences according to your current needs.

Would you like to find out more about EPLAN software and services? We’re happy to help.