Rockwell Automation and EPlan Software & Services are collaborating on a utility that merges hardware design with software programming to help improve efficiency and reliability of controls data exchange. The bidirectional interface available within the RSLogix Architect software provides seamless integration with the EPlan Electric P8 electrical design software by allowing electrical engineers, control hardware engineers and software programmers to automatically synchronize controls configuration data.

According to the two companies, manufacturers will benefit from the joint utility through accelerated time to production, quicker startup, and improved quality of controls data. Notably, the solution eliminates the need for manual entry of configuration information by allowing software programmers and design engineers to automatically update, synchronize and validate changes to model configuration information, including racks, I/O cards, I/O tags and descriptions. Users of the EPlan software can access the project’s PLC information via a dedicated Navigator to address, re-address, sort, import and export PLC data.

“In today’s fiercely competitive business environment, it is no longer enough just to develop a well-performing automation tool to meet a specific need,” said Reiner Konetschny, EPlan’s director of key account management who is also in charge of the company’s strategic global partnership with Rockwell Automation.

“EPlan Software & Services is very excited to partner with Rockwell Automation to bring a powerful engineering interface driven by customer demands for a sophisticated, efficient and reliable controls data exchange between hardware and software engineering,” explained Reiner.

The RSLogix Architect software is a system management and configuration tool that integrates with projects configured using RSLogix 5000 programming software, for users to manage control systems and network configurations, managing data and information across multiple controllers. EPlan Electric P8 automates the design and documentation of controls hardware systems. Its PLC & Bus Extension module logically represents all devices connected throughout a bus topology and manages their relationships within an EPlan project.

“Manufacturers are operating in an environment that demands seamless flow of information across all disciplines in the manufacturing enterprise,” said Dick Slansky, senior analyst, PLM research director, ARC Advisory Group. “Collaborative digital automation tools like the new utility from Rockwell Automation and EPlan are especially critical at a time when accelerating time to production and improving efficiency are a top concern for manufacturers.”