What EPLAN does

EPLAN GmbH & Co. KG is a German industrial automation software company founded in 1984 and headquartered in Monsheim, Germany, with 501-1000 employees and operations in 50+ countries across EMEA, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The company develops and sells software and services for electrical engineering, automation, and mechatronics, serving machine builders, plant builders, control cabinet manufacturers, and their suppliers, alongside end-customer segments in automotive (19 of 20 largest global manufacturers), wind energy, defense, and energy infrastructure. Its flagship offering is the Eplan Plattform, which unifies multiple engineering disciplines into a digital twin of an automation system, layered with module products: Eplan Electric P8 (rule-based IEC CAD), Eplan Pro Panel (3D enclosure planning), Eplan Preplanning, Eplan Data Portal (component database with 2.3M+ static and 4M+ configurable components), Eplan Smart Sourcing (procurement integration), and Eplan Copilot (AI-augmented design). Quantified customer outcomes cited include up to 40% time savings in planning and design, 30% faster production at SPIE, and 8x faster 3D panel layouts at Conaway Electrical Services.

The core platform architecture combines model-based schematics, rule-based IEC workflows, and an internal data model that drives automated document generation, BOM creation, design rule checking, and wiring/tag numbering. Underlying components include Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service integration for generative AI capabilities and APIs into ERP, PDM, and PLM systems via a global partner network. EPLAN distributes through direct enterprise field sales supplemented by a channel of value-added resellers, with localized cloud access via apps.eplan.com and an online marketplace at eplan-software.com; in June 2026 it acquired its Brazilian partner (Eplan Brasil) to convert that channel to direct ownership.

EPLAN generates revenue from software licensing and recurring subscriptions for the platform and modules, transaction-driven Data Portal access, and professional services spanning training (Eplan Learning), consulting (Eplan Consulting), engineering templates, and support. The go-to-market is enterprise-led, anchored by participation in major industry events (Hannover Messe, DLD 2025, TECH 2025, Rockwell Automation Fair) and flagship strategic alliances with Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Rittal (related company), Microsoft, and AWS, with academic partnerships (Purdue Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Delhi) cultivating workforce development.

Name

EPLAN

Legal name

EPLAN GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://eplan.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

EPLAN provides electrical engineering, automation, and mechatronics software and services for machine, plant, and control cabinet builders, plus large manufacturers in automotive, energy, and industrial automation. Its platform unifies IEC CAD, 3D panel design, a component database with millions of parts, and AI-assisted design tools used by 525,000+ users globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) & FP&A Platforms (HDAEAEAK)

Keywords

• Electrical CAD software
• Industrial automation software
• Control cabinet design
• Digital twin engineering
• Mechatronics engineering platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Monsheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: EPLAN generates revenue through software licensing and subscription models for its engineering platforms including Eplan Electric P8, Eplan Pro Panel, Eplan Preplanning, and the Eplan Platform. The software supports schematic automation, BOM generation, and design rule checking for electrical engineering workflows.
2. Professional Services: EPLAN provides consulting, implementation, and engineering software services including training (Learning), support, and software downloads to complement its core software offerings.
3. Data Portal Access: Revenue generated through access to the Eplan Data Portal providing component data sets and engineering templates.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EPLAN develops and sells the Eplan Platform, a unified engineering software platform for electrical engineering, automation, and mechatronics that creates a complete digital twin of machines and plants. The platform combines Eplan Electric P8 for IEC-compliant schematic design, Eplan Pro Panel for 3D control cabinet engineering, Eplan Preplanning for early-stage planning, Eplan Smart Sourcing for procurement, Eplan Copilot for AI-assisted design, and the Eplan Data Portal providing more than 2.3 million static component datasets. The company also offers professional services including consulting, learning, and engineering templates, targeting machine builders, panel builders, OEMs, and energy-sector engineering teams.

Product overview

Eplan is a leading industrial automation software company offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture for electrical engineering. The Eplan Plattform serves as the core foundation, uniting software solutions for various engineering disciplines to create a complete digital twin of automation systems. The product portfolio includes Electric P8 (core professional electrical CAD for IEC workflows), Eplan Preplanning (early-stage planning), Eplan Pro Panel (3D enclosure planning), Eplan Data Portal (component database with over 2.3 million static components), Eplan Smart Sourcing (intelligent procurement), and Eplan Copilot (AI-powered engineering assistant). Eplan also offers supporting services including Learning, Consulting, and cloud-based access. The company serves 19 of the 20 largest automotive manufacturers, 70 of the 100 largest machine and plant builders, and over 525,000 users worldwide, with solutions for electrical construction, automation, energy technology, building automation, and the energy sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eplan Plattform Unified platform combining software solutions for multiple engineering disciplines to build a complete digital twin of the automation system of a machine or plant, sold to machine, plant, and cabinet builders.
• Eplan Electric P8 Professional electrical CAD/CAE software providing rule-based, data-driven IEC workflows with automated schematic drafting, project-wide tag and wire numbering, BOM generation, design-rule checking, and connectivity management; for electrical engineers and machine/panel builders.
• Eplan Pro Panel 3D planning software for enclosure and control-cabinet engineering, enabling automated production from design to manufacturing; for control cabinet builders.
• Eplan Preplanning Software for the early-stage planning and pre-planning of electrical systems before detailed engineering begins in Electric P8.
• Eplan Data Portal Web-based portal offering more than 2.3 million static and 4+ million configurable component data sets and templates from hundreds of manufacturers to accelerate electrical engineering.
• Eplan Smart Sourcing Procurement integration solution that connects electrical engineering design with intelligent component sourcing to optimize purchasing workflows and shorten the design-to-procurement cycle.
• Eplan Copilot Generative-AI powered assistant for electrical design that automates repetitive engineering tasks, delivers intelligent design recommendations, and automates documentation and layout generation.
• Eplan Education Educational solution including specialized labs and software licenses that train students and trainees in industry-standard electrical engineering tools, delivered via university partnerships such as Purdue Polytechnic Institute and SUNY Delhi.
• Eplan Learning Training, certification, and professional-development services for users of Eplan software.
• Eplan Consulting Professional consulting for Eplan software implementation and engineering process optimization.
• Eplan Cloud Cloud-based platform providing online access to Eplan applications, Data Portal marketplace, dashboards, and self-service licensing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 40% time savings in planning and design phases through automated layout generation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor, core, major and ecosystem.

• Rockwell AutomationflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2026Co-exhibition partnership at Hannover Messe 2026 (April 20-24) in Hall 27, Booth A22. EPLAN/Rittal co-exhibit alongside AWS, Microsoft, ODVA, and OPC UA within Rockwell's PartnerNetwork ecosystem, demonstrating integrated industrial automation solutions.
• SUNY DelhiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Partnership for mechatronics facility investment to create skilled talent pipeline for advanced manufacturing. EPLAN USA contributes to program development and curriculum alignment with industry requirements.
• SiemenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2025Partnership to develop generative AI-powered engineering copilots for the Siemens TIA Portal platform. EPLAN showcased its AI-driven engineering solutions including this partnership at Hannover Messe 2025. The collaboration focuses on automating repetitive engineering tasks through AI technology.
• Purdue UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2025Five-year strategic partnership with Purdue Polytechnic Institute to advance smart manufacturing education. Establishes Eplan Electrical Engineering Technology Projects Lab, providing students with software licenses, scholarships, internships, and joint R&D opportunities. Represents major investment in U.S. workforce development focused on data-driven automation essential for industrial AI.
• AWScoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-exhibiting with Rockwell Automation at Hannover Messe 2026 as part of the industrial AI and smart manufacturing showcase ecosystem.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationEPLAN utilizes Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service for AI capabilities including automated layout generation, with estimated potential time savings of up to 40% in planning and design phases. Also co-exhibiting at Hannover Messe 2026.
• ODVAecosystemTechnology or IntegrationCo-exhibiting at Hannover Messe 2026 as part of Rockwell's PartnerNetwork ecosystem, focusing on interoperability standards.
• OPC UAecosystemTechnology or IntegrationCo-exhibiting at Hannover Messe 2026 as part of Rockwell's PartnerNetwork ecosystem, promoting open platform communications standards for industrial automation.
• RittalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated company and co-development partner. EPLAN and Rittal jointly showcase solutions for switchgear manufacturing and control cabinet construction. Together they advance the 'All Electric Society' vision for energy infrastructure. Rittal and EPLAN show solutions at events including Hannover Messe and support each other's customer ecosystem.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell's FactoryTalk and Logix platforms compete in industrial automation and control design, and Rockwell is a Flagship partner co-exhibiting with EPLAN at Hannover Messe; both target machine builders and discrete manufacturers with complementary stacks.
• Bentley Systems: Bentley's OpenUtilities and Substation products target electrical and grid infrastructure design, directly competing with EPLAN's energy-sector initiatives (substations, switchgear) and pursuing adjacent infrastructure customers through infrastructure digital twin offerings.
• Dassault Systèmes: 3DEXPERIENCE and CATIA compete across mechanical-electrical-planning workflows that increasingly subsume ECAD scope; Dassault targets the same large enterprise OEMs and machine builders with a unified PLM proposition versus EPLAN's specialized electrical design stack.
• Schneider Electric (IGE+XAO / SEE Electrical): Following the acquisition of IGE+XAO, Schneider bundles SEE Electrical and ECAD offerings into its industrial automation portfolio, directly competing with EPLAN in panel-building and switchgear design while leveraging Schneider's larger installed base.
• PTC: Creo and Windchill compete in CAD and PLM for discrete manufacturers, including integration with electrical design workflows via ThingWorx; PTC pursues the same enterprise manufacturing customers as EPLAN with a broader mechanical-design-led portfolio.
• AVEVA: AVEVA's E3D and Electrical platforms compete in plant and shipbuilding electrical design, overlapping with EPLAN's plant-builder customer segment and increasingly relevant as AVEVA integrates with Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Direct peers

• Siemens Digital Industries Software: Siemens offers TIA Portal, NX, and Capital EDA, directly overlapping with EPLAN's electrical engineering and PLM scope; they are simultaneously EPLAN's largest strategic partner for AI copilots and its most capable competitor for end-to-end automation platforms.
• Zuken: Zuken's E3.series is a direct competitor to Eplan Electric P8 in the ECAD market, serving electrical and electronic design for machinery, automotive, and aerospace with comparable schematic and harness design workflows.
• WSCAD GmbH: WSCAD is a German ECAD vendor offering electrical CAD, cabinet engineering, and building automation software with comparable mid-market positioning to EPLAN, particularly strong in DACH-region panel builders and machine builders.
• Autodesk: AutoCAD Electrical and the Fusion 360 platform compete with EPLAN in schematic design and the broader CAD/CAM market, serving overlapping machine-builder and manufacturing customers with strong brand recognition and PLG/lower-cost positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/eplan
• Facebookfacebook.com/EplanDE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eplan-software-service
• Xx.com/eplan_de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPLAN