Actemium combines cabinet and software design

Actemium Cegelec designs, installs and maintains electrical and automation technology systems for virtually all industries and sectors – in an integrated and manufacturer-independent manner. For over 100 years, the company has been offering customized solutions and services to customers from different industries. The Actemium network of VINCI Energies has a global presence of 300 business units in 35 countries with approximately 19,000 technicians and engineers.

Low planning costs are the quintessential element in the highly competitive market for electrical and automation technology systems. Thus the Berlin business unit of Actemium Cegelec has already relied for a long time on database-driven engineering. The concept now also includes cabinet design and manufacturing. Thus all those involved in the engineering process can work together in a common database and operating steps can be combined. Instead of carrying out the cabinet design on paper, CAD-based diagrams and cabinet manufacturing in separate steps, the designing and implementation can be performed on a data platform with an integrative system. 

As a result of their long-term cooperation with AUCOTEC, Actemium Cegelec discovered Engineering Base (EB) for software and cabinet design using a common database. 

„We were won over by the possibilities it offers“, says Peter Tennert, Project Manager at Actemium Cegelec in Berlin.

„Even the first project was a complete success“, adds Tennert. The designers planned and presented the cabinets without the intermediate step of the technical diagram. „The result was very good – and this was achieved virtually without colleagues‘ drawing experience. They found it easy to become familiar with the creation of diagrams due to the integrated and intuitive MS Visio.“

For PLC engineering, Actemium Cegelec has used VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), which is integrated in the software, not only to develop program functions that assume the functions of the old database tools, but also to program new functions. „The creation of macros to extend EB functions is relatively easy with VBA“, says the project manager.

The software platform offers many other functions which Actemium can activate depending on the requirements and project. According to Tennert: „We can create P&IDs and hook-ups at any time with the software if the customer so wishes. The editing time is also reduced because the data can be used immediately for cabinet design and PLC programming.“