Continuous digital product development in specialised system construction

Flexible yet automated construction and manufacture of specialised systems in a wide variety of lot sizes: a typical Industry 4.0 challenge. One approach to meeting this challenge at Zeppelin Power Systems is to use consistent data streams and to closely integrate data between electrical engineering and control cabinet engineering – using EPLAN Electric P8 and EPLAN Pro Panel as a basis. Engineers at Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG in Achim near Bremen can not complain about a lack of variety. Once they have, for example, completed the electrical engineering work involved in integrating a 20-cylinder gas motor into a combined heat and power plant with a total output of 4.4 MW (electric/thermal), they might then need to design the electrical design of an engine for a special rail vehicle, or for a cruise-liner tug boat. 

A broad range of tasks for design engineers

The company belongs to the Zeppelin Corporation, Caterpillar's service and distribution partner covering many European and former CIS-countries. Using Caterpillar’s diesel and gas engines as a basis, the Power Systems division develops and manufactures customised drive and energy systems including all the associated peripherals, i.e. using control cabinets and controllers. Each project therefore has its own particular requirements with both special conditions and regulatory standards having to be considered: this makes development and design work especially interesting.

Target: Standardised and automated design

This target is a challenge for workflows. On the one hand, the specific requirements of each project must be taken into account but, on the other, design cannot and should not start from scratch each time. Standardising and automating processes is therefore a target to be aimed at by management and the latest Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system is currently being introduced to serve as a basis. In addition, project engineers now accompany individual projects from the planning, design and manufacturing stages all the way through to delivery. Feeko Harders, head of design and of the project to install PLM: “In the past two years we have restructured mechanical design and pipeline engineering and, among other things, installed a high-performance 3D CAD system as well as implementing design methods fully matched to the PLM system.”

Digitalisation of electrical design

The next step was to perform the same task for electrical engineering, so Zeppelin Power Systems therefore opted for EPLAN Electric P8 and EPLAN Pro Panel (for 3D control cabinet design). The aim here was crystal clear: to accept no half measures and to exploit the benefits of the most up-to-date CAE technology to the furthest extent possible. Feeko Harders: “Of course, as manufacturers of complex drive systems for a range of different applications, we cannot automate completely. But we can design in a digital space, successively refine the data model, and avoid duplicating work. And this is what we have achieved.” Access to the EPLAN Data Portal has also contributed to a reduced workload. Electrical design engineer Gerd Schnirring: “We use the Portal intensively and integrate the data into our designs. This saves considerable time in master data maintenance.” The parallel development of bills of material and of other documentation leaves more time for creative work. Feeko Harders: “We concentrate on the essentials.”

Coming soon: Links to the ERP system

Shorty, a link to commercial data, i.e. a link to Zeppelin Power Systems’ ERP system, will be established using the PDM system. The company’s information and data streams will then be fully consistent beginning with the initial preliminary planning sessions – in which project management, engineering and manufacture all participate – and continuing with purchasing, stock management and distribution.

Control cabinet engineering automation

Linking electrical engineering and manufacturing is especially important in control cabinet engineering which Zeppelin Power Systems carries out in-house. Feeko Harders: “From EPLAN Pro Panel's 3D-data, we generate the data sets for the drilling templates. The external contractor for cable assembly also receives an EPLAN data set and delivers the wire harnesses on the following day – it all functions excellently.” Time reductions of around 70% have been reported in wiring alone due, among other things, to semi-automated routing. The reduced time to market allows the company to work to full capacity.

Good preparatory work is vital

At Zeppelin Power Systems there is all round satisfaction with the performance of the new software and methods. It is clear, however, that getting gains in productivity means investing more time in design – for example, in defining macros for the electrotechnical functions of individual motor series. Feeko Harders: “This is true for all Industry 4.0 projects but the time we need to invest in EPLAN is still within reasonable limits.”

Successful cooperation with EPLAN

The cooperation with EPLAN has also received positive feedback: “After only a few days of consultation we were ready to work with the system. During the test phase, EPLAN proved to be very accommodating, and we’re very satisfied with the support.” A further advantage is in data compatibility: “Since many of our customers also use EPLAN for their design work, they can re-use the data we generate. It's also helpful to be working with the market-leading system when it comes to recruiting design engineers.”

Conclusion: Concentrating on the essentials

After having fully implemented EPLAN Electric P8, completed the pilot phase for EPLAN Pro Panel, and started preparations for ERP integration with the PDM system, Feeko Harders takes a positive view of things so far: “The investment in the new CAD and PLM software will quickly pay off for us. The design engineers are able to concentrate on the essentials, take an item-based approach and make use of existing data retrieved, for example, from the EPLAN Data Portal and the macros. The step-up from design to production can now be made much more quickly, and we are much faster in control cabinet manufacture and wiring. Soon, we’ll have linked the CAD data to the ERP via the PDM system in which metadata for more than two million components is stored. Once this is achieved, we’ll have a consistent and uninterrupted stream of data and will be able to work with even greater efficiency.”