EPLAN Electric P8: for the small and the brave

When companies ask for testimonies on their products and services, somehow the biggest customers’ stories seem to get all of the attention. But for CAE software provider EPLAN, all customers are treated equally and exceptionally well, irrespective of their size or industry sector. Formed in 1998, CPN Systems is a Wolverhampton-based family business specialising in system integration, design and manufacture of devices for the pharmaceutical sector. True to its ethos, the company aims to deliver products that are well-engineered, easy to use and maintain. So in 2013, CPN decided to search for a CAE partner in order to further enhance their in-house design capabilities. As the company manages the entire concept from design to completion, the engineering team required a sustainable CAE system to help increase productivity and reduce errors. The solution came in the shape of EPLAN Electric P8, an electrical engineering design software program that offers numerous possibilities for planning, documentation, and management of automation projects. The team found that Electric P8 could automate many of the mundane tasks, saving time and also reducing human errors to a minimum. “The automatic production of detailed reports based on wiring diagrams is key to delivering comprehensive documentation and provides a strong bases of support for the subsequent phases of the project, such as production, assembly, commissioning and service”, said Carl Nash, Managing Director at CPN Systems. “Furthermore, engineering data from other project areas such as fluid and pneumatic engineering can be exchanged via interfaces within Electric P8. This guarantees consistency and integration throughout the entire product development process. Our customers are happy and confident that they receive a high quality product which has been thoroughly designed”. In the three years since CPN Systems has adopted Electric P8, the company has seen a systematic improvement in its templates and schematics. Furthermore, by their own admission, the team has changed the way they design projects in order to do as much as possible through Electric P8, making their processes integrate easier. The Select Start entry level purchased by CPN Systems comes with 80 schematic pages, macro variant technology with place holders, wire numbering, device numbering, with additional modules for single line and revision. It also has the ability to automatically connect, mend or break connections between devices and track changes made during the project cycle. All the data can then be reported for production and to maintenance personnel. However, the biggest benefit in adopting Electric P8 was the reduction of checking and vetting of designs, with the automations creating seamless design during the project, therefore saving time and money throughout the life cycle of a job.            “EPLAN Electric P8 is very intuitive and easy to use. Once you have created your drawing, you can create a buying list. Every stage of the process slots in seamlessly and we are really seeing benefits straight to the bottom line”, explained Carl Nash. Alongside Electric P8, EPLAN customers can also access the EPLAN Data Portal which delivers online device data on over 580,000 components from more than 122 leading manufacturers such as ABB, B&R, Mitsubishi Electric, Omron, Phoenix Contact and Schneider Electric, just to name a few. CPN Systems makes great use of the Data Portal and, over time, has learned to streamline their designs by simply making sure the parts they require are already included in the Data Portal. Indeed, at the beginning things were somewhat challenging, as the team had to learn how access all of the software’s capabilities. But after only a few days of onsite training from one of EPLAN’s specialists, all their issues melted away. “The training we received was exceptional and it has set us up for success. They helped answer our specific questions and, after the eight days of seminars we felt extremely confident. I have also found EPLAN support to be very responsive and helpful over the years… I have even sent e-mails at 10 PM and got immediate replies from their round-the-clock support team”, added Carl Nash. CPN Systems is at the present time working on taking its design processes to the next level by setting up templates and integrating test sheets into them. Power cable test sheets will be generated to further enhance the accuracy of the design. In a very recent development, CPN Systems has upgraded its EPLAN Electric P8 licence from the Select Start version to the Professional version. This adds valuable new features including unlimited pages and the PLC and bus extension, which allows Electric P8 to exchange information directly with popular PLC programming packages and a project options module that facilitates the development of modular easily customisable designs. The Professional version also includes the multi-language translation module and advanced facilities for revision management, user rights management and the generation of graphical reports. For CPN Systems, adopting EPLAN Electric P8 was undoubtedly a success story. From the first attempts to mastering the intricacies of the software to creating novel ways of making their life easier, the engineering team at CPN has come a long way. Importantly, EPLAN has always remained in the background, always ready to lend a helping hand to it’s small but exceptionally brave customer!