There has been a recent surge in demand for faster, more precise control cabinet manufacturing in the UK, largely driven by the increasing adoption of automation and digital technologies across a range of sectors, including manufacturing and renewable energy.
The integration of IoT and AI in manufacturing, for example, requires intelligent control cabinets that can both manage complex tasks and share real-time data that supports predictive maintenance and/or remote management strategies.
While this demand for the next generation of control cabinets offers huge business development opportunities for panel builders, it also creates enormous pressures. Traditional cabinet production methods is heavily reliant on 2D design schematics manual processes, and individual engineering workflows which are labour- and time-intensive.
Reducing the amount of time it takes to manufacture a control cabinet, without increasing the headcount to the same degree, can make an exponential difference to productivity, profitability, and growth. It’s also a strategic move since there is a major shortage of skilled labour across the sector at the moment.
Not surprisingly, we’re seeing a growing number of panel builders and system integrators now turning to digitised engineering software platforms and machine automation tools on their shop floor in a bid to speed up production – with remarkable results.
Recent research from the University of Stuttgart reveals that adopting digital engineering tools and automation systems can cut control cabinet production time by up to 83%, depending on the degree of business integration.
The gains are demonstrably stronger when 3D electrical design software is combined with CNC milling machines and automated wire processing systems.
Manual Processes Create Bottlenecks in Traditional Panel Engineering
As we’ve indicated above, in many workshops, control cabinets are still engineered in a linear, labour-intensive process.
This typically starts with a specification list which is used as the basis for manual drafting of 2D layout drawings and circuit diagrams, from which a bill of materials (BOM) can be produced. The cabinets are then manufactured in the workshop.
This traditional approach is both time-consuming and error-prone. Each cabinet is engineered from scratch, wiring sucks in time and is also subject to manual interpretation, while any checks that could reveal faults within the design often occur late in the manufacturing process.
According to the University of Stuttgart study, wiring alone can consume up to 49% of the total production time. Meanwhile, as many as 72% of companies only detect design errors (such as overfull ducts or spatial collisions) during production because problems were not identified during the design phase.
Digital Engineering: The Case for 3D Design and Functional Templates
Transitioning from manual processes to digital platforms that support 3D design and functional templates supports much more efficient working.
According to the research, 63% of the surveyed companies still rely on 2D engineering design, despite the fact that it takes only around four hours for engineers to create a standard control cabinet layout within 3D design software.
By contrast, creating a 2D schematic can take between 10 to 20 times longer to draw than it takes to create a 3D design using software (source: Engineering 4.0: 2019 European 4.0 Transformation Center GmbH and Eplan).
Design software allows engineers to work from standardised libraries of proven modules which reduces design time while enhancing accuracy. Instead of drawing each schematic from the ground up, engineers use functional units tailored to device series or repeatable use cases.
The software also generates digital twins which technicians can use during mechanical and electrical production to confirm spatial configurations, help with calculating wire lengths and duct capacities, and provide live feedback during assembly. Wiring sets, cut to specification and labelled in advance, contribute to gains of around 35% in the wiring phase alone, which is a significant gain.
The University’s research indicates that there are around 500 wires per control cabinet, with the average time for wiring using a 2D circuit diagram taking around 54 hours. Just under a third of that time (31%) is spent just on preparatory tasks such as reading the diagram and locating the source and destination points, which is just under 17 hours per cabinet.
A software-based system that can visually portray the source and destination points of a wire, whether in a digital circuit diagram or a virtual 3D drawing, can reduce that time by up to 81%.
The other benefit offered by 3D design is that it further speeds up production time by 22% because everyone works at optimal speed/maximum productivity, simply because they trust the model.
How Does Machine Automation Accelerate Cabinet Production?
Automated and semi-automated machines for machining, wire preparation and copper bending are delivering seismic shifts in productivity.
Rittal’s Perforex CNC machines, for instance, reduce the time for enclosure modification around labour-intensive activities such as drilling and cut-outs, from 8 to 10 hours, to as little as 15 minutes!
According to the University, 69% of wiring time is spent preparing the wires (initial routing and estimating wire lengths) and then actually wiring the cabinet (including cutting, adding connectors, crimping).
Rittal’s Wire Terminal, an automated wire preparation machine with Smart Production apps, produces finished cables up to eight times faster than manual methods, with or without experienced technical oversight. The cables are cut, crimped, labelled, and sorted according to the digital design model, ready for plug-and-play assembly.
Combining Machine Automation & Design Software for Maximum Time-Savings
Eplan Pro Panel further streamlines production processes. It not only provides a visual representation of each wire’s route in the 3D model and validates duct capacity, it also ensures that the correct cable separation is maintained and automatically generates routing lists, endpoints, and wire IDs to give complete consistency across identical cabinets.
The lists make wiring easier and faster, while significantly reducing the chance of errors. Fewer errors translates into significant time-savings during testing. The lists also help make later modifications and any fault-finding much easier. In addition, Eplan Smart Wiring provides technicians with step-by-step, on-screen wiring instructions. They can log wiring tasks in real time, eliminating the risk of missed terminations or duplicated efforts, even across shift changes.
The result is not merely improved production efficiencies for individual projects; it provides templates for other, future cabinet builds.
The time-savings the platforms can deliver for businesses can be seen in the following examples:
- UK-based Burnell Switchgear installed the Rittal Perforex BC 1007 HS and Eplan Pro Panel Professional design software system. As a result, the company was able to dramatically reduce panel modification time from 8–10 hours to just 15 minutes.
- Elektrotechnik Janssen (ETJ) in Germany cut their production time for ten control panels from two weeks to one day, by implementing automated solutions from Rittal and Eplan. Wiring time alone was reduced by between 40% and 70%.
- R&D Specialities in Texas also invested in Rittal Perforex, its Wire Terminal machines and Eplan design software. The result was a 40% time saving and a reduction in required headcount from 14 to 8 staff.
- Another U.S. company, USEMCO, increased annual cabinet production from 180 enclosures in 2015, to 700 enclosures per year by adopting Eplan Electric P8 and Pro Panel as it moved from 2D to 3D design and adopting wire processing automation.
Managing the Transition to 3D Software Design & Machine Automation
As panel builders grapple with constrained budgets, rising customer expectations, and an ageing workforce, the shift to digital design and/or automation has to be a strategic imperative. Time, after all, is the most critical variable in modern cabinet manufacturing.
Transitioning to new design systems involves some retraining of engineers and transferring data from legacy projects. However, the growing complexity of projects and continued labour shortages are strong drivers, and the systems have been successfully introduced in companies of all sizes, including small ones.
Whether it is through 3D modelling, automated wiring, or CNC machining, the potential time savings (often upwards of 50%) can determine a business’s capacity to grow, compete, and survive.
Automation cannot replace skilled technicians entirely, but it can make their work faster, more consistent, and less error-prone. Combined with robust engineering data, it empowers teams to deliver higher quality in less time.
If your business is not already working with digital tools to streamline and automate your design processes and speed up your manufacturing workflow, then consider the fact that many of your competitors probably are.
FAQs
How does electrical control panel design software improve efficiency & reduce errors?
Electrical control panel design software directly addresses the issues panel builders face around productivity, efficiency, and accuracy.
By transitioning from manual 2D drawings to digital 3D design, engineers can create a standard cabinet layout in as little as four hours. Typically, 2D schematics take 10-20 times longer to draft.
The software automates schematic generation using standardised libraries of pre-tested modules, significantly reducing design time and human error.
Eplan’s 3D modelling capabilities allow for early error-checking, identifying issues such as spatial collisions and overfull ducts before production.
The software also provides precise wiring instructions, reducing the time spent on interpreting and preparing for wiring cabinets by up to 81%.
What is the ROI of automating electrical control panel manufacturing?
Machine automation ROI for control cabinet manufacturing is based around the significant reductions it offers in labour cost-savings, reduced waste, and lower project lead times.
Automation has been shown to cut control cabinet production time by up to 83%, making panel building businesses more productive and profitable without a proportional increase in headcount; a major benefit given the current skilled labour shortage.
For instance, a UK company dramatically reduced panel modification time from 8-10 hours to just 15 minutes with a Rittal Perforex CNC machine.
Meanwhile, automated wire processing machines, like the Rittal Wire Terminal, produce finished cables up to 8 times faster than manual methods.
These efficiencies have been shown to increase production volumes and reduce total wiring times by 40-70%.
How does automation and design software help meet modern industrial standards and ensure safety?
Automation and design software allows UK panel builders to significantly enhance compliance with international standards, such as those covered by the IEC.
Designs based on these standards can be adopted by advanced ECAD design software, to be communicated with automated machines.
Eplan's symbol libraries are fully compliant with IEC standards and also support other international standards such as NFPA and GOST. This multi-standard foundation helps reduce design errors and ensures consistent quality across projects.
The design software gives panel builders access to a vast library of manufacturer-specific component data, including manufacturing data such as drill hole, cut-out or wire connection patterns.
Eplan can incorporate design-rule checks to help the engineer ensure their designs are compliant with standards. Furthermore, the manufacturing data can be exported to manufacturing machines, helping to catch potential drawing issues early in the design process.
The software also generates the documents detailing IEC compliance automatically from the design(e.g. parts lists and wiring lists), meaning that the information is readily available and accurate.
Machine automation, meanwhile, ensures consistent, error-free production within a safe environment with minimal human interaction. This helps the number of accidents caused by handheld tools.
The design is directly translated into machine data which builds the control cabinets that are fully aligned with the relevant standard.
