WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT

Why Plant Design systems are not used as default option in the design phase ?

That is a remarkable fact, especially if we reflect that the oldest 3D Plant Design systems have been available for the last thirthy years or so. Much of the Medium to Small size projects are still done manually or with 2D CAD. These systems are often used only to build a 3D model when the project is complete.
But 3D models are really good during design to maintain consistency amongst different construction documents.

The answer is simple: they are either too complex and costly or too limited. But although Plant Design, as a technology in itself, is not an easy one (lot of people, requirements, specifications and documents involved) the technology to computerize this environment is not necessarily so complex.

EPLANT-Piping, our flagship module, was designed with simplicity in mind. It has no frills whatsoever designed to impress the casual user, but instead it is very easy to setup and use. It works seamlessly integrated in the AutoCAD environment, using native AutoCAD format: no Proprietary Objects whatsoever that create visualization problems without the original application that built them.

After so many years it is the only system on the market to automatically generate Material Requirements integrated into the system, not simple MTO. Material management has always been for us a focus point.

Why are other systems so complex ?

We think there are many reasons. Some of them suffer from very old architectures. Others, paradoxically, from new architectures designed without sound criteria. Most of the cases they are not designed by engineers but programmers and, in some cases one may suspect they are so complex just to justify astronomical license costs, training, etc.: sometimes technology is used as a good smoke screen to build big business, if the customer has no sound criteria.

If this is true, why are people still buying those systems ?

The most expensive the product, the farthest the user is from whom has the power to decide its purchase. Designers and drafters are generally not in the decision chain. And when a system is setup, "computer specialists" will stick to it. The very people that everyone assumes are technology driven will resist new and easy technology.
More complex systems justify greater salaries for the specialists. Let us not be naive: how are they going to suggest changing to an easy tool that can set them aside?

Is EPLANT a new product ?

No. It saw first light in 1991, with AutoCAD R11. Since then, hundreds of projects have already been made with its help, stimulating new and better versions.

Has EPLANT equivalent scope of major systems currently on the market ?

Of course it has. The proof is that, using the EPLANT-PDMS Converter, 3D models generated with EPLANT can be exported to the PDMS system (recognized as one of the most complete system available, see www.aveva.com) with perfect compatibility between both systems.

Last updated December 16, 2008.