VEO Oy's versatile project planning relies on the flexibility of data-driven EPLAN for electrical design

Choice of design software

VEO Oy is a Finnish company specializing in electrification and automation, providing complete solutions for the energy and industrial sectors. The company specializes in the design, production and commissioning of electrical systems and automation solutions.

VEO is particularly known for its expertise in renewable energy projects, such as the electrification of hydropower and wind power systems. The company is headquartered in Vaasa and has five offices in Finland, as well as offices in Sweden, Norway and the UK. VEO employs more than 500 people, 260 of whom work in engineering positions. The company has an extensive portfolio of modular product families that can be tailored to customer needs.

VEO Oy has been using EPLAN software solutions in design for several years and they are used in electrical design in all segments. When interviewing Matias Puska, keyuser of EPLAN solutions at VEO Oy, about the importance and benefits of the software, it is the international environment that comes up first in the answers. "The database-driven nature of EPLAN is one of the main reasons. It allows changes made in one place to be immediately visible to all users, keeping documentation consistent everywhere. In addition, the software's intelligence in automating tasks allows designers to focus on project tasks, increasing overall efficiency."

Use and development of EPLAN

VEO uses EPLAN Electric P8 electrical design software and ProPanel 3D layout software with routing options. With multiple designers in different locations using the software, managing access rights helps with rights assignment and the creation of new parts and projects can be centralized, maintaining high quality," summarizes Puska. The EPLAN Data Portal, an online component library, is also in use, with circuit diagram representations of components, to support fast, high-quality design. VEO's engineering team finds the usability of the EPLAN software logical and easy to adopt.
 

Benefits important to VEO

“When working on a cross-border design project, having a single database for a single project helps to manage the whole project," says Puska. Another cumulative benefit is the use of EPLAN macros, ready-made circuit diagram clips. Creating macro libraries streamlines the design process, which speeds up the start of new projects. Standardized macros ensure consistent documentation, simplifying daily design work and speeding up the overall process.

When asked about critical aspects of the design process and the role of EPLAN software in this context, Puska's response emphasizes the ease of use and database-driven nature of the software. "Almost in every project there is something specific to edit- For example, a report or a drawing template, the settings or the drawing style in general. These assignments can usually be solved easily because of the flexibility of the software." Puska continues, “The flow of information from design to production is also good, as interfaces to printers and automatically generated reports improve efficiency.”
 

Future development plans

In terms of future opportunities with EPLAN, VEO sees the expansion of the 3D layout environment as a first possible step. In recent years, EPLAN cloud solutions have become more and more available and these are attracting interest for the redlining of design documentation and the possibility to comment directly from the field. Puska also responds that the expansion of configuration tools and interface solutions are potential areas to be explored in the future.