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EPLAN is bringing a new online event, EPLAN L!VE, on June 21, that caters to the requirements of machine and control cabinet manufacturers. The event will focus on the challenges that panel builders face daily and the potential solutions that EPLAN offers to help solve these.
During the 2.5 hour session, attendees will embark on a journey that will lead to more efficient machine and control cabinet construction. EPLAN aims to streamline the process by automating critical procedures in both l engineering and control cabinet construction, saving valuable time and boosting productivity.
Challenges and solutions in machine and control cabinet construction - an interview with Thomas Michels
Thomas, EPLAN L!VE is a new, more compact online format. Can you tell us a bit more about the content on the day?
Thomas Michels: With EPLAN L!VE, we always want to address the viewers andparticipants in their current situation and show them possible solutions in relation to their individual challenges. This means that there is something for everyone, regardless of whether they are already working with EPLAN or whether optimisation potential is already being used in design and production.
So the participants are not only made aware of where the development in machine and control cabinet construction is currently heading, but also see where their individual journey with EPLAN can lead?
Definitely, yes. That is exactly what we want to achieve.
Let's take the example of control cabinet construction: the industry is developing well, yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to handle projects smoothly and grow on this basis. Long-standing employees have their hands full in the day-to-day business of control cabinet assembly and finding qualified personnel is more complicated than ever. How can EPLAN support you in this mixed situation?
Generally speaking: the more information and data that flows from engineering into production, the better the support that can be provided to the assembler in control cabinet production. With this approach, EPLAN users are better able to optimise capacity utilisation and respond to the problem of the shortage of skilled workers. The assistance provided during assembly ranges from simple assembly drawings to browser-based step-by-step instructions for positioning the components in the control cabinet, so that skilled personnel are no longer required for this. The software also assists with wiring, which is a time-consuming, manual process: skilled workers who previously had to be able to read a circuit diagram for the wiring process are no longer absolutely necessary and can be deployed more sensibly. The production employees only need to work through a connection list and are simply guided through the wiring process. Providing solutions like this is an essential part of EPLAN L!VE.
Sean Mulherrin, Product Manager, explains the challenge of skilled labour shortage in cabinet construction.
At EPLAN L!VE, international EPLAN customers from machine and control cabinet construction will also report on their challenges and individual solutions. Interviews with companies from Germany, China and the USA are planned. From which areas do the companies come and how do you solve the spatial and temporal distances in the interviews?
Our focus is clearly on machine and control cabinet construction. The processes in these areas are individual and complex. Authentic practical examples help to clarify the solutions presented in the lectures and put the focus on our customers' point of view. This means that not only results from the cooperation with EPLAN, but also the feelings and experiences on the customer side become tangible.
With Harro Höfliger, we will be guests of a manufacturer of production and packaging equipment from Baden-Württemberg and report live from the site. In the field of control cabinet construction, our American colleague Josh Benoit will be talking to Kratos Industries in Denver, USA about how the control cabinet manufacturer has mastered its challenges. For the topic of cabling, we are switching continents again: in order to talk to Sany, a large manufacturer of construction and land vehicles in China about its journey with EPLAN. This interview will be pre-recorded by our colleagues in China due to the time differences.
A highlight of the day will be the preview of the upcoming EPLAN Platform Version 2024. In addition to presenting new software functions such as terminal and cable configuration and new calculation options directly in the circuit diagram, we hear that there is also something special. Can you reveal more about this?
We don't want to reveal too much just yet, but perhaps we can give a little insight: We will present Sean Mulherrin, who as Product Manager knows the software inside and out, with a small challenge. Sean is to show live how quickly you can create high-quality, comprehensive and standard-compliant documentation for an automation system or machine. This will definitely be exciting again to round up the day.
Finally, one more question, Thomas: There are many online events – what do you think will be special about EPLAN L!VE?
I think EPLAN L!VE above all offers attendees clear added value in terms of content since our focus is not just on the critical challenges in machine and control cabinet construction such as the lack of skilled workers, customer pressure and error-prone, non-digitised processes. It gets exciting when it comes to showing practical solutions that can be used to improve processes and increase order throughput despite the challenges. With customer interviews and live broadcasts at various locations worldwide, we will run this event as practically, diversified and compact as possible.
Thank you for the interview Thomas.
For the agenda, further details and registration for EPLAN L!VE, go here:
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