Electricity and Control June 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0 + IIOT

A cooperative network for smart manufacturing

The new partner network founded by EPlan towards the end of 2020 pools the worldwide expertise of its cooperation partners to increase benefits for customers.The EPlan Partner Network defines common binding goals to boost integration along the value chain. Users benefit from the greater continuity and integration, and the interchange among manufacturers makes it easier for customers to integrate different systems.

EPlan CEO, Sebastian Seitz.

E ngineering solutions provider EPlan started its Partner Network (EPN) at the turn of the year. It provides a framework for existing and new partnerships to work together in developing and marketing interfaces and is based on common binding goals to support this aim. The commitment increases customer benefits and enhances quality. Interaction and integration EPlan CEO Sebastian Seitz explains: “As well as using EPlan software, our customers use a variety of other software applications from various manufacturers in the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), PLC (Programmable Logic Control), simulation and other environments. The effective interaction of these various applications is especially important to them. As part of the EPN, we will therefore be focusing on joint development of integrations as well as quality assurance and support.” Commenting on the motivation to found the EPlan Partner Network, the company’s Senior Vice President Strategy & Corporate Program, Marco Litto says: “The professionalisation of our network systematically increases

the benefits for end users.” The goals are ambitious. “The connectors between our systems should be planned, developed, tested, supported and marketed with at least the same rigour and soundness that we are accustomed to with our own

EPlan Senior Vice President Strategy & Corporate Program, Marco Litto.

solutions. Together with our EPN partners, this will allow us to achieve a completely new level of customer focus,” Litto says. “Open interfaces and modern integrations will create opportunities that will benefit users of the various software solutions and the partner companies themselves.” Key players on board Key players in automation globally – including Bosch Rexroth, B&R, Endress+Hauser, Festo, ifm electronic, Mitsubishi Electric, Phoenix Contact, Pilz, Rittal and Rockwell Automation – are already participating in the initiative. Software partners – such as configit, Contact Software, encoway, Gain, ISD, ISG, keytech, machineering, Procad, Quanos and SAE – are also participating in the new network. Other companies are being approached to participate too and EPlan is in talks with many. For instance, UDMTEK in Korea was the first Asian company to become an EPN member and others will follow. Rockwell Automation USA Vice President Global Business Development, Tom O’Reilly says: “A digital thread of data within and across organisations is one of the key requirements to bringing the Connected Enterprise to life. Together with EPlan, we support companies through their digital transformation by enabling data consistency, improving efficiency of engineering processes and shortening time-to-market.” Bosch Rexroth got involved at the start of the network. The company’s Vice President of Sales, SteffenWinkler says, “Configuration of automation solutions and the dynamic provision of exact device data are essential with regard to

The EPlan Partner Network brings together the expertise of cooperation partners with defined development goals.

4 Electricity + Control JUNE 2021