The ultimate air freight terminal
Lödige are particularly proud of a key project for British Airways at London's Heathrow Airport which is about to commence operation. This is the ultimate cargo centre. The cargo building, with a length of more than 300 metres, a depth of 100 metres and a height of 40 metres, has a handling area of around 83,000 square meters on four storeys, and is designed to accommodate some 800,000 tonnes of air freight. There are plans to expand capacity to 1.2 million tonnes during the course of the year. British Airways invested over DM 1 billion in the current structure.The bulk of the materials handling technology, accounting for around DM 350 million in total, was supplied by Lödige. Over 100 automatic vehicles for the transportation and handling of aircraft containers and wire boxes, together with 50 elevators, 85 lifting systems and around 10,000 storage cells for wire boxes, were installed by the materials handling technology experts Lödige. This complex materials handlings technology is controlled by an extremely powerful computer control system. Lödige already have extensive expertise in the field of air freight technology. Large installations for KLM in Amsterdam, Singapore Airlines in Singapore and Swissair in Zürich bear testimony to the fact that Lödige is one of the world's leading experts in the field of complex air freight terminals.

Nevertheless, the British Airways project posed a particular challenge, not just because of the comparatively tight deadlines, but also due to its sheer scale and the additional requirements imposed by the customer. Virtually all the fork-lift trucks were replaced with a newly developed system called "Skyfork". 40 of these new Skyforks are used in the new cargo terminal in London. These manoeuvrable machines were purpose-designed by the company CEO, Dr. Rudolf Lödige, and have of course been patented.
British Airways also stipulated that the installation should have a comparatively long service life of 50 years, more than a nuclear power station. Other unusual requirements included circuit diagrams in A1 or A2 format, a complicated labelling system for operating equipment, and adaptation of the circuit diagram documents into British Airways' existing documentation system. "We were soon forced to realise", explains Burkhard Pöhler, "that our computer support system, which we had been using for around six years, was not up to the job. Because we are also suppliers to the automobile industry, and car manufacturers generally dictate which CAD software must be used by their suppliers, we were already using EPLAN 5. In other words, we already had some well-established programs which worked well, but when it came to this major project, they revealed a number of weaknesses. Following my research at CeBIT last year, I finally decided on EPLAN 21 from EPLAN Software & Service GmbH & Co. KG as the most suitable system.In retrospect, I can say that without EPLAN 21, we would not have been able to accomplish many of the tasks in this major project within the allotted time and with the desired quality."

Modern software - better circuit diagrams
The introduction of a brand new system such as EPLAN 21 will in itself produce better circuit diagrams. Troubleshooting became easier. All data was available online without the need for complex update procedures. The unusual circuit diagram formats for the Heathrow project were no problem for EPLAN 21. "Although circuit diagrams can be drawn in A1 or A2 format with other systems, evaluation is sometimes only possible up to A3 format", explains Burkhard Pöhler. "Furthermore, in addition to a very complex numbering system, British Airways also wanted various logos and extensive document flags on the plans. For this project, we were unable to design a standard circuit diagram to DIN complete with installation, location ID and standard numbering. The device tag alone consists of 6 different components. Because many of the parameters in EPLAN can be set and altered, we were able to adapt to the requirements of our customer".
The ten designers and engineers who work with EPLAN 21 in the electrical design department at Lödige were confronted with a number of problems initially, due to the special requests imposed by British Airways. "With EPLAN 21, there were a number of things which had been conceived as functions by EPLAN Software & Service, but which did not always work exactly as we had wanted. EPLAN Software & Service responded very quickly to our criticisms. An expert from EPLAN Software & Service came to our premises and resolved some of the problems on site, and the software itself was adapted very quickly.In retrospect, I do not believe that any comparable programs on the market would have been capable of supporting the complexities of this major project as effectively as EPLAN 21, partly as a result of our suggestions", enthuses Burkhard Pöhler. For example, up to six designers were working simultaneously at times on the cargo centre project, who generated some 50 different types of circuit diagrams for switch cabinets. With parts lists, I/0 overviews, terminal and wiring lists, the plans can soon run to 8,000 pages.
With eight twin licences for EPLAN 5 and EPLAN 21, the company feels that it is well-equipped to handle the forthcoming tasks. Centrally administered via a dongle, an NT server distributes the licences, thus facilitating access from any sufficiently powerful computer in the design department. This eliminates the need for individual licences for each designer.
Lödige will retain its links to the cargo centre, because it has signed a maintenance contract for the next few years. "This was another good reason for us to switch to a modern, powerful electrical CAD system.And as I have said, the system is still open to expansion. In five or ten years' time, it will be joined by new technology – hopefully supplied by us", explains Burkhard Pöhler.

Automatic editing in all related documents
The editing service offered by EPLAN 21 is consistent. For example, if a certain component in the circuit diagram is replaced, or a device tag changes, these amendments can be made automatically at the push of a button in all corresponding documents and appendices, without the need for time-consuming evaluation procedures.
EPLAN 21 includes an ASCII generator which supports the rapid external transfer of data. Lödige can easily generate a full parts list including all installation, location and device tags, if required. A materials handling system like the British Airways cargo centre contains over one hundred thousand installed electrical components. A situation arose when a manufacturer was forced to recall a certain type of sensor. Thanks to EPLAN 21, it was possible to generate a list showing 900 of these components with their precise position in the overall system.Furthermore, this project uses some 150 PLCs, all of which are interlinked. There is also an extensive visualisation system showing every status in the system, despite having over 30,000 sensors and switches.
One particularly clever feature of the materials handling technology in this cargo terminal is the option of operating the system from the control desk in remote control mode.If an error occurs – e.g. a container is askew – the operator can rectify this from the control desk using a joystick. The joystick allows him to move every vehicle, every materials handling belt, and every motor. "This is essential", explains Burkhard Pöhler, "because the distances in this enormous building are so vast that it would take an operator up to 15 minutes to get to the scene of the problem. It is also important to remember that the vehicles used here travel at 160 m/min, and access to them is protected accordingly". In 90 % of cases, remote control operation is sufficient to rectify the fault.For the remaining 10 % of problems, the operator must physically go to the scene.
Hence, it is not difficult to see that a project of this kind contains an enormous amount of electrical engineering development work. In some cases, external staff had to be drafted in.According to Burkhard Pöhler, this worked extraordinarily well:"This was another factor in favour of EPLAN 21, because EPLAN 21 is a 100% Windows-compatible program. Anyone who is familiar with Word or Excel will soon get to grips with EPLAN 21 after a short period of training."

Tapping new rationalisation potential
EPLAN 21 also enabled the company to tap into another potential area of rationalisation. A wire-cutting machine cuts wires to length, automatically fits them with wire end ferrules or insulates them, and labels the wires continuously with their connection points in the switch cabinet. This machine saves up to 30 % assembly time in switch cabinets.Using an ASCII interface configured at Lödige, the machine receives the corresponding wire lists from EPLAN 21. The wire lengths are then calculated by a separate software package.In future, Burkhard Pöhler also hopes that  EPLAN 21 will help him to get to grips with another common problem – "getting the designers to work to a common denominator. If ten different designers are given the task of designing a switch cabinet, you will get ten different circuit diagrams, even if you prescribe certain requirements such as customer specifications or in-house standards.In this respect, I am confident that EPLAN 21, with its administration and hierarchy functions, will provide even greater support in future. As project manager, I prepare a circuit diagram template showing the correct procedures for the circuit diagrams, controls, buses etc. and which components and cables etc. may be used.  This original data is then given to the designer with the necessary rights to the EPLAN 21 design software in order to prepare the final circuit diagram. EPLAN 5 only supports this approach to a limited extent, because each user can access the parts they require at that particular moment, whereas EPLAN 21 can be arranged hierarchically. "Admittedly, this method of working is not always popular amongst designers, because they are keen to utilise their creative freedom. However, particularly in the area of electrical engineering, it can be extremely problematic if too many different circuit diagrams exist.
Burkhard Pöhler wishes to stress one very important point:"I actually envy mechanical engineers. They receive a large number of drawings and data on CD-ROM with corresponding DXF files from their component or assembly suppliers, and are able to position these directly in their drawings.I am constantly asking for similar support from our component suppliers. Some attempts have been made.Phoenix, for example, collaborates with EPLAN Software & Service and generates macros which I can then transfer into my draft circuit diagram. But even here, there is a great deal of catching up to do. Due to the very short product cycles, all key parts, components and assemblies should be available to users with the relevant documentation at any time from the Internet".
Electrical engineering is at the heart of machinery production. According to Burkhard Pöhler, electrical engineering now accounts for 30 % of the total product creation chain, and the trend is rising. Circuit diagrams in particular are playing an ever more pivotal role. They must be absolutely precise and contain all the necessary information. "In future, powerful modern computer support, such as that offered by EPLAN 21, will be absolutely indispensable", summarizes Burkhard Pöhler. Global competition continues to escalate, and working with the very latest tools is the only way to keep pace and remain competitive.

Last edited: 2002-07-16 14:46