Efficiency Made Easy

The challenges in planning a control cabinet often arise from the specifications themselves. For example, more and more functions need to be accommodated in less and less space. This requires very detailed planning early in the planning phase already in order to select components – e.g., rail-mount terminal blocks – that are as efficient as possible and save as much space as possible. The need to access a product’s technical data as quickly as possible presents another challenge. No one has the time anymore for laborious background research on a component. Generating circuit diagrams also requires extensive manufacturer macro libraries to allow correct drawings.

One important factor is the information flow between the interfaces. This process must prevent lost or missing information. The transfer of information must not be too complicated – for example if parts lists still need to be transferred by hand from one system to another. If things go awry at the interfaces, this can cause errors or frequent, time-consuming back-and-forth. It is also important to have clean data continuity, from planning to delivery. The data transfer needs to run smoothly and easily, and the manufacturing documents must be clear and easy to read. It is important to provide the right amount of relevant information in as few exchange formats as possible – preferably open ones.

Data is everything. As always, manufacturers will still need to provide correct, complete data with consistent quality – and to do so consistently for all standard market formats. In addition to the data sheets, this also includes the circuit diagram and 2D and 3D structure macros. Tools that facilitate project planning are also helpful, e.g. for calculation, plausibility checks, marking and commissioning support. Ideally, these tools should be loaded from the main project planning system, or even run there as an add-in, to ensure that everything works together cleanly. As a general rule, the less time I need for project planning, the happier I am to use the product. The same is true of handling during installation and wiring.