Electricity + Control February 2019

round up CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

Syngineer brings engineering designers together

Engineering disciplines must grow together in the Industry 4.0 era, optimising information flows and increasing productivity. But how can current departmental boundaries be overcome? Syng- ineer ensures that designers from electrical and mechanical en- gineering ‘talk to one another’. The cloud-based tool facilitates better communication while simultaneously optimising interdisci- plinary cooperation for developing machines and systems. For many design engineers, one of the central, day-to-day chal- lenges is getting and providing information. Syngineer, an innova- tive cloud-based solution from Eplan and its affiliate Cideon, can help master this challenge. The software accelerates and simpli- fies coordination in engineering – specifically between mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and PLC/software. The system ensures better collaboration by promoting cross-departmental information exchange. In this way it also reduces the number of manual tasks that often occur at the last minute and that are therefore particularly costly. Simple system for more transparency Syngineer takes a project-based approach for users. The applica- tion is simple: “Connectivity between the MCAD software and Eplan Electric P8 through Syngineer can be set up quickly and is easy to use,” says Max Lützel, Team Lead Consulting Syngineer. “After a short orientation, colleagues are able to find out, for in- stance, if a motor in the design was changed later in the process.” With Syngineer, electrical engineers initially get an additional navigator within their familiar working environment. This navigator networks them across departments to their colleagues from me- chanical engineering. The two design departments can exchange engineering information bi-directionally. With this integration, the mechanical and electrical design engineers continue to work con- veniently in their own systems and to coordinate the latest devel- opments, either via the integrated chat function or they can be informed of changes by e-mail. Settings are easy to customise using the notification management system.

Central overview of development status Syngineer labels a task’s or request’s current processing status. Subsequent changes in the development process and their sta- tus are also visible to all relevant employees. The system further provides information about which employees have made which changes. Project managers thus have a global overview of the project and can also outline post hoc customer requirements in a central location. The software is currently available in German and English – further software languages will follow. Access via internet browser, smartphone, tablet or notebook is supported – an essential in the era of globalisation. Scalability Another significant, practical advantage of the cloud technology foundation is that external partners, customers and suppliers can also be easily integrated into the development process. In addition, the cloud architecture offers the benefit of flexible user scalability. Companies can vary the number of users at any time as needed and provide access to related departments including production, commissioning and maintenance. In conclusion Syngineer ensures efficient information exchange, saving time and increasing product quality. The automatic creation of sensor/ actuator lists with Syngineer offers even more savings potential, enabling companies to reduce working times by 30 %. The sys- tem also offers the benefit of increased documentation quality. Syngineer is a solution developed by Eplan Software & Ser- vice, a CAE solutions provider that advises companies on the op- timisation of their engineering processes. Eplan is a subsidiary of the global Friedhelm Loh Group, and has a presence in more than 50 countries, providing support to more than 45 000 customers around the world with more than 120 000 installations. Enquiries: Johan Reyneke.Tel. +27 (0) 11 609 8294 or email: Reyneke.J@eplan-software.co.za

Changes made in the mechanical engineering CAD environment are made transparent and comprehen- sible for electrical engineers.

18 Electricity + Control

FEBRUARY 2019