Powering progress: Trimble’s ProDesign and Integrum Power Engineering

March 25, 2024

Efficiency in electrical engineering, with Trimble's ProDesign

With an expanding team and increased work across multiple sectors, the simplified workflow provided by ProDesign combined with the technical support from Trimble has been invaluable for Integrum Power Engineering, with the company growing from strength to strength.

Part of the OCU Group, Integrum Power Engineering provides a full range of electrical engineering services across UK infrastructure projects and asset management, from the outline design and procurement of equipment to the detailed design, operations, construction, testing and commissioning. As well as working within the transport sector, including delivery of new traction substations as part of rail electrification projects, Integrum Power Engineering also has a large presence within the energy sector, delivering and supporting renewable energy projects such as Battery Energy Supply Systems (BESS).

The Challenge: Scaling Electrical Design

The company first switched to Trimble’s electrical design software, ProDesign, back in 2020 and they now hold eight named-user licences for Trimble Electrical Designer 2D, Trimble’s suite of electrical products on subscription, across its 15-strong design team.

Paul Walker, Engineering Manager said: “The last few years have seen significant growth across the whole company, growing from 11 staff members in 2022 to our current workforce of over 90 employees. As a result of taking on more projects, we needed more electrical designers and, in turn, more tools and resources to enable them to do their job to the highest ability."

"ProDesign has been able to grow with us, with the ability to expand the number of software licences we hold in line with our changing needs. It’s also enabled us to be more flexible, with design engineers able to move between the transport and energy teams, pick up a project in ProDesign and run with it. As well as using the software to fulfil a project’s planned deliverables for our client, it’s also there for the more reactive jobs and the quick site checks when needed."

The Results

The Trimble Electrical Designer 2D suite of products provides a comprehensive and user-friendly 2D design and calculations solution. Beyond the simple and intuitive design process, ProDesign offers integrated manufacturer-approved component data and multi-region compliant calculations. With a live-link to a comprehensive product database offering the UK’s largest selection of manufacturer-approved fuses, circuit-breakers, relays, protective devices, cables and manufacturer-specific busbar ranges.

Paul commented: “The verified manufacturer-specific content is a really useful advantage of ProDesign. Rather than having to manually seek out the specifications or datasheets from the manufacturer, all the information is readily available within the software and is regularly maintained and updated."

“The software also has the Electrical Installation regulations (BS7671) built in, with all data kept up to date. Whereas some companies have had to manually create spreadsheets to store the regulations information for reference, ProDesign does it all for you – it really is a ‘one stop shop’."

“Our designers can create drawings in a matter of moments, helping to facilitate a more efficient and streamlined process. The sizing of cables, miniature circuit breakers and protection devices is simplified, while the inclusion of the derating factor on cables is excellent. It helps to remove the manual, repetitive and challenging aspects, compared to the traditional ways of designing.”

When it comes to upskilling a workforce and expanding digital processes, it’s not just the product itself that’s important but the level of technical support offered too.

“It’s here that Trimble really shines,” continued Paul. “Their sales and support teams are incredibly helpful and make regular contact with us, as well as being readily available should any issues arise – whether that’s technical queries from the designers or helping to manage the number of licences we hold as a company."

“With a growing team, the development of our staff is key. Some of our design team already have ProDesign experience, while others have never used the software before; however, they are all ready and willing to expand their capabilities. We recently arranged for the ProDesign Introduction Training to be delivered with the new team members and the feedback has been excellent. Those who participated are now even more keen to use ProDesign and put their learnings into action.”