Efficient Engineering Excellence: Eaton's Energy Management Plant

It all started around seven years ago: in 2018, Eaton decided to introduce Eplan at the Hengelo site. "Our management had set ambitious goals that required innovative tools and processes to improve our electrical designs," says Eaton Hengelo Plant Manager Eugén Ranft. Ranft, who was still working for Eaton in South Africa at the time, helped drive the introduction from here.

Eugén Ranft, Plant Manager at Eaton in Hengelo

Making the plant in Hengelo even more productive was not an easy task. The location occupies a special position in the global company network: Eaton's SF₆-free medium-voltage switchgear technology that forms the basis for leading products in the company's portfolio in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A pioneering role, in other words. Or, as plant manager Ranft says: "From this location, we will continue to bring the next generation of Eaton's medium-voltage switchgear to market."

Data Consistency in Eaton's Engineering

So the goal was clear, the framework conditions were set. The only thing missing was the right tool for implementation. Ranft and his team found it in Eplan. "We saw the advantage of the data-driven approach," he says, explaining the motivation for the decision.

Whereas in the past the effort involved in keeping documents associated with the circuit diagram such as parts lists, terminal diagrams and wiring lists up to date, these are automatically updated with Eplan. This is possible because everything comes from a central data source. For Eaton, this was a decisive factor, which also outweighed the fact that the company had to change its engineering methodology and revise processes.

Introducing Eplan: Greater Efficiency in Engineering and Production

After the landmark decision of introducing Eplan software, Eaton continued to become more efficient step by step. "It is always important to us to break down silo-like structures if this leads to efficiency gains," explains plant manager Ranft. "Eplan is a great support in this," he says of the software and the support provided by the experts in consulting.

Eaton and Eplan worked together to find the best way to introduce it. At Eaton, a four-person team took care of this. In addition to focusing on the company's own engineering, processes were discussed with colleagues from other locations and potential for improvement was explored in the company's workshops. For example, the idea was born to mark certain parts and devices in the Eplan article management system with shelf numbers. This information is now automatically incorporated into projects. This is a small adjustment that compounds into greater efficiency over time. 

On a large scale, Eaton relied on comprehensively training employees in the use of the software. This helps to create a template project. This contains a structure suitable for Eaton projects – i.e. different construction options. Designers access it and remove the information that is not needed in for each scenario, which helps to save time. Eaton followed Eplan's recommendation to "re-engineer" existing plans as the first projects.

Screenshot from the Eplan software used by Eaton

Standardisation as the Standard

From the very beginning, it was clear that as much as possible should be standardised. Due to its pioneering role in the construction of switchgear, the Hengelo plant also brings manufacturing processes for new products to maturity, which are then adapted by other sites. On the other hand, systems that have been developed elsewhere are also manufactured here, so standardisation is a must. That's why Eaton relied on global engineering standards from the very beginning, which were developed in cooperation with Eplan consultants and trainers.

In practical terms, this means that in order to standardise device data and avoid errors in tables and evaluations, Eaton uses templates from the Eplan Data Portal. For example, the uniform treatment of properties in BOMs ensures nothing is missed out. Eaton also stores recurring subcircuits as macros for reuse, so there is no need to redesign each time.

Automated manufacturing processes at Eaton

Step by step, Eaton has come closer to its goal of standardizing and automating engineering processes. Today, the plant in Hengelo is characterized by efficient engineering. For Eaton, this was also accompanied by the question of which data from the engineering project could be used for machines – here, too, the advantages of data consistency should pay off. To this end, Eaton has invested in a number of systems from the Rittal product portfolio, such as machines for processing copper buses. In addition, Eaton operates a wire terminal that can automatically assemble up to 1,000 wires per day.

In other words, the overall architecture is well thought out. Clear goals, a systematic approach and close cooperation have helped. For Eaton, these are the ingredients for "Efficient Engineering with Eplan".

See their Innovation in Action with Eplan L!VE 2025!

Don't miss the highly anticipated event, Eplan L!VE 2025! This is your behind-the-scenes look at Eaton's state-of-the-art production facility, and gain exclusive insights into the efficient engineering and manufacturing of this global power management company. 

A few highlights include:

• Why Eaton chose EPLAN as their electrical design software tool 
  
  
• How Eaton have worked closely with Eplan to enhance their engineering efficiency
  
  
• How the team have optimised production through smart data and the use of Rittal's automated machinery
  
  
• ...plus get a sneak preview of the new Eplan Platform 2026. 
  
  

Register today to see innovation in action!