In the world of industrial automation and electrical engineering, the term "EPLAN" has long been synonymous with high-end CAE software. However, a new phrase is circulating in boardrooms and engineering departments: The EPLAN Mandate .
Once compliant, you become a preferred supplier. The mandate eliminates low-tech competitors. Furthermore, EPLAN’s automation features (macro technology, 3D wire routing) can cut design time by up to 50%, turning a compliance cost into a profit center. The Future: From Mandate to Ecosystem The EPLAN Mandate is evolving. With the rise of the "Digital Twin," the mandate now extends beyond schematics. Companies are mandating EPLAN eBuild for switchgear manufacturing and EPLAN Harness proD for wire harnesses. eplan mandate
The result? Siloed data, manual re-entry, version conflicts, and costly errors. A wire change in the schematic rarely synchronized with the bill of materials (BOM) or the panel layout. The EPLAN Mandate solves this by forcing a unified workflow . When a client or parent company issues the mandate, they require all partners to deliver engineering data natively in EPLAN formats (specifically EPLAN P8 for schematics and EPLAN Pro Panel for enclosures). In the world of industrial automation and electrical
In the age of Industry 4.0, a scattered set of PDFs is a liability. An EPLAN Mandate is an insurance policy against chaos. The mandate eliminates low-tech competitors
But why are companies willing to enforce a "mandate"? And what does it mean for engineers and suppliers? For decades, industrial engineering suffered from a fragmented toolchain. Mechanical engineers used CAD (like SolidWorks or Inventor), electrical engineers used outdated schematic tools, and control programmers used PLC software. Data was transferred via static PDFs or spreadsheets.
You cannot deliver designs via AutoCAD Electrical or hand-drawn PDFs. You must invest in EPLAN licenses, training, and data migration. There is a steep learning curve, especially for teams used to layer-based CAD systems rather than object-oriented, database-driven CAE.