EPLAN

What is EPLAN?

EPLAN is a German electrical engineering software suite (E-CAE) that machine builders and panel builders use to design and manage electrical schematics, 3D control cabinet layouts, fluid power diagrams and the associated manufacturing documentation. Its best-known product, EPLAN Electric P8, is a database-driven schematic tool that automatically generates terminal diagrams, cable lists and bills of materials from a single model. Across European industrial automation, and certainly among Dutch panel builders, EPLAN is the de facto standard for documenting a control cabinet.

🏢 Who makes EPLAN?

EPLAN GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1984 as a three-person company and is based in Monheim am Rhein, between Düsseldorf and Cologne. It belongs to the Friedhelm Loh Group, a family-owned group with around 12,900 employees and €3.2 billion in revenue in 2025. Enclosure manufacturer Rittal is a sister company within the same group, which explains why EPLAN software and Rittal enclosures, machining centres and wire processing machines fit together so closely. When EPLAN marked its 30th anniversary in 2014, it already had more than 40,000 customers and over 100,000 installations in more than 50 countries.

🧩 Which products make up the EPLAN Platform?

The software is built as a single platform with a shared database, parts management and user interface. The main components are:

With EPLAN Platform 2026, the portfolio was simplified. Electric P8 now comes in Basic, Advanced, Pro and Premium levels, and parts management (eStock), data management (eManage), the cloud collaboration apps and the Data Portal are included as standard in Electric P8, Pro Panel and Preplanning. Preplanning can now also produce single-line diagrams, and the Electric P8 Pro level includes the eBUILD schematic generator as standard. In March 2025 the Data Portal passed two million device data sets from roughly 500 manufacturers.

🧠 How does EPLAN Electric P8 work?

What sets EPLAN apart from a drawing package is that it works with an object model: every symbol on a schematic page is a device with properties, connection points and a part number. As a result, most of the documentation is generated rather than drawn.

• Symbols to IEC 60617 — the international library of graphical symbols; NFPA and GOST libraries are also available
• Reference designations to IEC 81346 — every object gets a unique code with prefixes: = for function, + for location and - for product, for example =A1+K01-Q3
• Document kinds to IEC 61355 — pages are classified by document type, such as circuit diagram, terminal diagram or cable list
• Macros — reusable schematic fragments, such as a complete motor feeder with protection, contactor and terminals, placed in a single action
• Parts management — manufacturer data (dimensions, connection points, 3D model, price) linked to every device
• Reports — bill of materials, terminal diagram, cable list, connection list, PLC overview and table of contents are all updated with one click

Because the schematic, cabinet layout and lists all come from the same model, a common source of error disappears: a bill of materials that no longer matches the drawing.

🏭 How do you get from schematic to finished cabinet?

EPLAN is designed around a continuous digital chain, often combined with Rittal machinery:

1. Schematic in Electric P8, using parts from the Data Portal
2. 3D cabinet layout in Pro Panel: components on the mounting plate, cable ducts, DIN rails and busbars
3. Wire routing — Pro Panel calculates the route and exact length of every wire
4. Mechanical machining — drilling and milling data go to a machining centre such as the Rittal Perforex
5. Wire processing — an automatic wire machine such as the Rittal Wire Terminal cuts, strips and crimps wires from 0.5 to 2.5 mm² to length, driven by the EPLAN wire list; Rittal puts this at up to roughly eight times faster than doing it by hand
6. Wiring — with EPLAN Smart Wiring, technicians follow on screen, step by step, where each wire goes
7. Verification and handover — the assembly is verified to NEN-EN-IEC 61439 (and for machinery to IEC 60204-1); the up-to-date EPLAN documentation is delivered as the as-built record

🔄 How does EPLAN connect to PLC engineering?

Electrical engineering and PLC programming meet at the I/O list and the hardware configuration. EPLAN exchanges that data through AutomationML (IEC 62714), an open XML-based format, with dedicated export variants for Siemens STEP 7 TIA Portal and Mitsubishi Electric iQ Works. I/O modules, addresses and symbolic names can therefore be synchronised in both directions without entering them twice. The same data is a good foundation for virtual commissioning and for a digital twin of the plant.

⚖️ How does EPLAN compare with other E-CAD tools?

In Dutch machine building and panel building, EPLAN is widely used, partly because many German customers and suppliers require or deliver EPLAN projects. AutoCAD Electrical, which is included with an AutoCAD subscription, is more often found in companies that already rely heavily on AutoCAD.

🔐 Why does EPLAN documentation matter for OT security?

An EPLAN project is often the most complete description of an installation that exists. That makes it both valuable and sensitive:

• Asset inventory — the bill of materials and PLC overview list every PLC, switch, variable frequency drive and communication module, with type and sometimes IP address; an excellent starting point for an OT asset register
• As-built drawings — only up-to-date as-built documentation makes troubleshooting, change management and incident response reliable; every change made in the field must be fed back into the EPLAN project
• Configuration management — keep EPLAN projects under version control with a proper backup, just like PLC programs
• Confidentiality — schematics reveal network layout, safety functions and weak points; share them with suppliers only through protected channels, which is part of managing supply chain risk
• Engineering workstation — the computer running EPLAN and the PLC software belongs in a secured engineering zone, not on the office network

🛠️ How do you set up a simple EPLAN project?

A practical step-by-step approach for a small control cabinet with one motor feeder:

1. Create a new project from a basic project containing your title block, standards (IEC) and an IEC 81346 structure
2. Fetch the parts — download the required components (circuit breaker, contactor, terminals, PLC) from the Data Portal
3. Draw the power supply — main switch, protection and 24 V DC supply on the first pages
4. Place the motor feeder as a macro and check the reference designations
5. Add the PLC modules and assign I/O; export the configuration to the PLC software via AutomationML
6. Lay out the cabinet in Pro Panel and route the wiring
7. Generate the reports — table of contents, bill of materials, terminal diagram and cable list
8. Run the check — the built-in project check finds duplicate designations and open connection points
9. Release the project as PDF for the workshop and as an EPLAN project for the archive

❓ Frequently asked questions

Is EPLAN free to use?

EPLAN is commercial software and is not free. Since 1 August 2021, EPLAN has sold new licences only as subscriptions, although existing perpetual licences remain valid. For viewing EPLAN projects, however, free viewers and the cloud app eVIEW are available.

What is the difference between EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel?

EPLAN Electric P8 is used to draw electrical schematics and generate lists such as bills of materials and terminal diagrams. EPLAN Pro Panel builds on that and creates a 3D model of the cabinet, including the mounting plate, wiring routes and wire lengths. Pro Panel therefore works with the same project data as Electric P8.

Can EPLAN exchange data with TIA Portal?

Yes, EPLAN Electric P8 exchanges PLC data with Siemens TIA Portal through the open AutomationML format. Hardware configuration, I/O addresses and symbolic names are synchronised in both directions. The same route also works for other PLC brands, such as Mitsubishi Electric.

Which standards does EPLAN support?

EPLAN supports the key international IEC standards for electrical documentation: IEC 60617 for symbols, IEC 81346 for reference designations and IEC 61355 for document kinds. Libraries for North American standards such as NFPA are also available. For the design of the assembly itself, IEC 61439 remains the governing standard.

Is EPLAN suitable for small companies?

EPLAN also suits smaller panel builders, because Electric P8 is available at the entry-level Basic tier. Its real value lies in macros and parts management, which require an up-front investment in setting up the system. Companies that only draw a schematic occasionally sometimes opt for a simpler package.

Why is an EPLAN project important for OT security?

An up-to-date EPLAN project gives a complete overview of every PLC, network component and connection in an installation. That makes it a reliable basis for an OT asset inventory and for change management. Because an EPLAN project also contains sensitive information, it must be protected and stored under version control.

📌 In summary

EPLAN is the leading E-CAE software that machine builders and panel builders use to create electrical schematics, 3D cabinet layouts and manufacturing data from a single data model. An up-to-date EPLAN project is therefore not just a build drawing, but also a reliable source for asset management, PLC engineering and OT security.