Eplan Smart Mounting 2024 now makes the process of manufacturing enclosures even easier. It guides workers through component assembly and indicates where to position each part. New: Production managers benefit from a complete project overview, as this new version now ­depicts the entire order process in the production department. Various dashboards show them all the orders that are being worked on, including how these are progressing. They can see all relevant information in a single overview. If they wish, production managers can select a particular (current) order and obtain full progress details. Besides helping them plan resources and communicate with employees, this also saves them having to make time-consuming tours of the production department. Another innovative feature is that both Eplan Smart Mounting and Eplan Smart Wiring now concurrently evaluate previous jobs that have already been logged in the system. The software indicates how many orders have been processed in a specific period and calculates KPIs such as the average time required for each component or connection. This data can be used to optimum effect when costing new orders and is an easy way of testing new workflows to optimise production. If the component labelling process is modified, for instance, the time per article can be checked after a few orders. Detailed tracking of the individual steps provides an ideal overview in this context.

SIMPLY SCAN!

Furthermore, the system’s simplicity means the briefest of inductions enables even semi-skilled workers to take care of both component assembly and – in conjunction with Eplan Smart Wiring – the wiring of enclosures. To make this even more straightforward, the solution provider Eplan has incorporated a further innovative idea based on practical experience into the 2024 version – components can simply be scanned to make them easier to identify. As Tobias Kratz, Business Owner Rapid Design, explains: “With the newly integrated scan function, each component is identified unambiguously and positioned correctly in the enclosure. This prevents mix-ups between components that look similar, and it also speeds up the workflow.”

SIMPLER WIRING

Workers previously had to identify the components themselves based on the article number or using a 3D macro, which required a certain level of specialist knowledge. “They now simply take a component, pick up a hand-held scanner and scan the EAN code, and the digital twin then indicates where the component needs to be installed,” explains Kratz. In conjunction with Eplan Smart Wiring, the wiring process is also supported on a standardised, system-wide basis. What’s more, an interface to the Rittal Wire Terminal WT C ensures that the amalgamated information is synchronised with the wiring list, and that the wires are displayed in exactly the same sequence as they are output by the fully automated wire processing machine. All data can be synchronised between the engineering and production departments – based on the digital twin in Eplan Pro Panel. All this is supported by the smart systems from Eplan. For example, ERP numbers can be displayed, customised search or filter criteria can be set and 3D views can be adapted. Production managers and users can decide for themselves which of these features they require. In this way, applications can be perfectly coordinated with internal processes, and personal preferences can be taken into account.