The magazine of Friedhelm Loh Group

The magazine of Friedhelm Loh Group

Rittal ePocket
Innovation – Rittal

Up-to-date data during service

If we assume a panel and switchgear system has a product lifecycle lasting 15 years, its paper documentation will generally be out of date. Countless service engineers will have added notes about overhauls, replaced parts etc. All this takes up valuable time in the event of a fault or modification. Everybody wants out of this situation. We caught up with Sebastian Seitz, Managing Director at Eplan, and Uwe Scharf, Managing Director of Business Units and Marketing at Rittal, to ask them about this.

Text Ulrich Kläsener, Hans-Robert Koch, Steffen Maltzan ––– Photography

With Rittal ePocket, Eplan and Rittal are offering a digital wiring plan pocket. Who is likely to benefit from this?

Scharf: ePocket is aimed at panel builders, switchgear manufacturers, those responsible for machinery and plants, and maintenance engineers in the manufacturing industry. All these people have a role in the industrial automation ecosystem – and all will benefit from ePocket in their own way.

Seitz: There’s also a clear benefit for the environment. At the moment, when a customer takes delivery of machinery and equipment, they really ought to offset this by planting a tree straight away – because the amount of paper documentation would practically fill half a lorry.

So what exactly is your alternative?

Scharf: Electrical engineering regulations often demand a mountain of paperwork. A 50-page document for a single terminal – why? The same is true of wiring plan documents. Traditionally, these documents are printed out and stuck inside the door in a plastic wallet – and there are three or four thick files in the enclosure, too. That’s an additional fire load risk besides anything else. It’s not good. With ePocket and the use of QR codes, we’re offering a digital alternative.

What are the specific advantages of ePocket for servicing or modifications?

Seitz: By scanning a QR code on the enclosure, users can easily access the system documentation, including the digital twin, in the Eplan cloud. In the case of a fault or modification, it’s important to do the right thing straight away. That means validating data as quickly as possible and putting it in context – and this is where complete Eplan documentation is a huge help. Scharf: It means faults can be quickly located and defective components can be identified and replaced. When a malfunction occurs, plant operators need to be able to pinpoint the problem as quickly as possible.

How does ePocket work in terms of keeping documentation up to date?

Seitz: The buzzword here is redlining. The person responsible for project planning can check any rough notes made in ePocket by the maintenance engineer, make any corrections needed and integrate the changes into the final plan. As a result, the database is always consistent and up to date. Rittal ePocket is as dynamic as the enclosure itself. Anybody can access it at any time and from any device. The same is true when it comes to ordering spare parts.

What are the benefits in terms of the upstream panel building and switchgear?

Scharf: Rittal ePocket opens up numerous opportunities. If the plant engineer agrees with the customer that the digital wiring plan pocket will be the only handover medium, there’s potential for saving thousands of euros that would otherwise be spent on printing and compiling the documentation. What’s more, the plant engineer continues to be a key player in this ecosystem, even in the operating phase. When it comes to major modification and maintenance work in particular, external parties are often involved. They can strengthen their technological partnership with the operator. Ultimately, when given access rights, the plant engineer can provide support for the enclosure throughout its product life. One benefit is that, years later, the plant engineer can take the initiative and, for example, recommend a new climate control solution that drastically reduces power consumption. The operator can also be given maintenance recommendations or tips about recycling or zero waste concepts. All of this is hugely relevant nowadays.

Ecology and carbon footprint are important buzzwords – are these already included in Rittal ePocket?

Seitz: No, not yet, because there’s no standard for that so far. However, we’re already working hard on the necessary foundations for this, partly at the suggestion of major customers and due to more stringent certifications, too. This applies to the carbon footprint both of installed components and of assembly, delivery and installation. Together with Rittal and the ZVEI – the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association – we are carrying out a research project on the digital twin of the enclosure that also includes information about the carbon footprint. This is an excellent approach, because all the focus at the moment is on the carbon footprint of plant operations.

Rittal ePocket is stored in the Eplan cloud – so the question regarding security is an obvious one...

Seitz: The Eplan cloud is hosted in line with the very latest security standards. Our security operations team regularly conducts tests to review the security of the systems and infrastructure on a proactive basis. What’s more, the only thing that’s made available in the cloud is the enclosure documentation – including in the form of the wiring plan – and there’s no access to the machine or its controls. The entire thing runs completely separately to the operation of the plant.

Scharf: Rittal ePocket stores all project data in a defined area within the Eplan ecosystem. It also structures the data and assigns the relevant access rights to it. Depending on the authorisation, those involved can access wiring plans, I/O lists, production layouts, climate control technology designs and standards, product and project documentation, maintenance manuals, and so on. It goes without saying that they can store new, up-to-date information there, too.

Thank you for the interview!

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