ProDesign: the ultimate tool for electrical engineers
In an industry such as construction, where mistakes are costly and margins are tight, efficient and accurate electrical design is critical. Electrical engineers and contractors face increasing pressure to help squeeze the most value out of each project while adhering to strict regulations. To meet those challenges, having the right tools is essential.
ProDesign, Trimble’s 2D electrical design software, has proven to help businesses face – and overcome – these challenges head on. From specialised renewable energy projects to diverse building services consultancies, ProDesign’s versatility is helping companies of all shapes and sizes bring more precision to their electrical design work.
We’ll explore how two customers, EvoEnergy and CBG Consultants, have been using MEP software to create repeatable electrical design quality on projects.
A versatile MEP solution for diverse projects
ProDesign has established itself as a versatile electrical design software, capable of adapting to the unique needs of each project and its requirements.
EvoEnergy, a specialist in renewable energy solutions, demonstrates how ProDesign can be a powerful tool for complex and large-scale projects. The solution’s scalability means that they have assurance that ProDesign can cater for the needs of each project without compromising on functionality and quality.
On the other hand, CBG Consultants, a building services consultancy, demonstrates ProDesign's adaptability across a wide range of project types. From residential to commercial and industrial buildings, CBG Consultants has relied on ProDesign to deliver accurate and compliant electrical designs, meeting the diverse needs of each project.
Core benefits of ProDesign
Although the types of projects both customers are involved in are contrasting, both businesses are seeing similar benefits when using ProDesign on projects.
Time savings
Both companies have found significant time savings by using ProDesign. They have access to electrical design calculations, smart design tools and a user-friendly interface that helps electrical designers spend less time on administrative tasks and more time designing.
Adam Grant, Associate at CBG Consultants, “In many ways, it’s the easiest and most logical software to use for designing and calculating circuits, meaning we can be more productive.”
Being able to work within a single platform and easily share that information with other stakeholders means there are fewer delays and setbacks during the calculation stages. It can be easily interpreted by those perhaps unfamiliar with electrical calculations and is presented in a clear, concise way.
Paul Lukehurst, Principal Engineer at EvoEnergy, echoed this sentiment, stating “ProDesign provides us with a highly credible and widely recognised way of presenting our electrical designs and calculations. As a trusted electrical design platform, it gives customers and others involved in the project confidence in the design.”
Increased accuracy and compliance
Using ProDesign enables both businesses to improve accuracy without relying on other software to cross-check results. Plus, because regular updates are delivered via an internet connection, they can be sure that calculations and content are up-to-date. Additionally, several of ProDesign's calculations are CIBSE SVA-verified, including electrical demand, cable sizing, and protective devices.
At the calculate step, ProDesign automatically performs a number of checks and highlights any errors in the design, with additional information provided about the nature of the issue. As Adam states, “One of the biggest advantages of ProDesign is the way it works from a user perspective. For example, the distribution board diagrams in the software are laid out in exactly the same way as the physical distribution board. It is also much better with circuit breaker selectivity than many other software packages and provides excellent graphical representations of faults to make pinpointing these issues far easier."
Similarly, Paul notes how simple it is to create a distribution board diagram, “we utilise ProDesign for projects of every size, both new developments and retrofits. With many of our projects involving refurbishing or expanding existing electrical networks, it is sometimes necessary to undertake an analysis of the current installation beforehand. ProDesign makes this process simple as recreating the network in the software is quick, efficient and accurate. We can then carry out the same checks and evaluation that we do with the new elements of the system.”
Another feature highlighted by CBG Consultants was the quality of product data available. To be able to design using specific components rather than generic data means they have greater accuracy of the design and calculations from the offset.
In short, both businesses are seeing the benefit of powerful calculation tools that can prevent errors, give an accurate picture of costs, and create designs more indicative of the final product.
Electrical engineering software, made for the industry
No matter the size of your business, 2D electrical design software makes it easy for electrical engineers to create quality designs in a fraction of the time.
If you’d be interested in learning how ProDesign could look at your business, watch our recent overview webinar or call +44(0) 1908 608833 (opt 2) to find out more.