Control Panel Design & Electrical Engineering for Industrial Systems
Structured planning, standards-compliant design, and custom control solutions
Challenges in Planning and Electrical Design
In electrical design, the quality of the documentation determines the success of the entire project. Incomplete drawings, legacy systems built up over several generations, or a lack of a comprehensive database become apparent at the latest when systems need to be expanded, maintained, or modernized.
In addition, requirements regarding standards, equipment labeling, and international markets are constantly increasing, while there is a shortage of qualified designers skilled in EPLAN tools.
Common challenges:
- missing or incomplete system documentation
- organizations that have evolved over time without a reliable database
- lack of in-house capacity for electrical design and EPLAN engineering
- Inconsistent equipment labeling and control cabinet layouts
- Different standards depending on the target market (CE, UL, CSA, ATEX)
- Interface issues between design, manufacturing, and software
Our Services in Control Panel Design & Electrical Engineering
Implementation: Control cabinet construction and PLC programming
Thorough planning is the foundation—for a system to function properly, design, manufacturing, and software must work seamlessly together. At Membraflow, you get all three steps from a single source.
Why MEMBRAFLOW?
Customers outsource electrical design because a specialized engineering firm brings together the expertise and experience that is difficult to maintain in-house on such a broad scale. We take the pressure off your engineering department where it matters most and ensure that every step fits together seamlessly.
Fewer interfaces. Greater reliability in execution.
What this means for your project:
- Relieving the burden on internal teams: Your IT department can stay focused on core business and operations
- Expert knowledge of circuit diagrams, standards, and custom systems
- Quick implementation when the project is under time pressure
- Security for complex requirements that standard solutions cannot address
- One-stop service: electrical design, control panel construction, and automation
- less coordination effort thanks to a single point of contact
- End-to-end digital EPLAN workflow as the data foundation for manufacturing and service
Detailed Control Panel Design
Every system has its own specific requirements for control cabinet design. We design cabinets tailored to each specific application, from component selection to Climate calculation all the way to the 3D layout of the mounting plate.
Design and layout:
- Component selection based on function, performance, and availability
- Layout of the mounting plate, taking wiring routes into account
- Climate calculation (Thermal calculation) for stable operation even under full load
- 3D Layout Design with EPLAN Pro Panel
Housing and materials
- Sheet steel for economical standard applications
- Stainless steel for hygienically sensitive areas
- Plastic or aluminum for special requirements
Environmental and Operational Safety:
- Protection ratings based on the location of use (IP rating)
- Air Conditioning and Heat Dissipation
- Dust, moisture, temperature fluctuations
Facts and Figures on Electrical Design
Electrical Design with EPLAN – Fully Digital
We rely on end-to-end electrical design using the EPLAN platform. From 2D and 3D design to automated wiring and structured documentation, for control systems, control cabinets, and fluid power systems.
Accurate documentation is only possible with a consistent data structure—EPLAN serves as the foundation for every project we undertake.
EPLAN tools used:
Creation of circuit diagrams, terminal and wiring diagrams, and parts lists based on a standardized component database.
3D layout and assembly planning for the control cabinet. Components, wiring, and cable trays are positioned virtually—allowing collisions and bottlenecks to be identified before manufacturing begins.
Specialized cable and wiring design for complex cable systems, such as those found in custom-built machines or facilities with a high volume of cabling.
Preliminary and conceptual planning using R&I diagrams and process flow charts—even before the actual electrical design begins.
Design of pneumatic and hydraulic schematics within the same data model, ideal for systems with fluid power components. Starting with EPLAN 2026, Fluid is integrated into Electric P8.
Cloud-based visualization, annotation, and sharing of projects. Customers and partners can comment on plans without having EPLAN installed locally.
Digital Wiring Guide (part of EPLAN Smart Production). Reduces wiring errors and significantly speeds up production compared to traditional paper schematics.
Digital assembly instructions for the workshop (part of EPLAN Smart Production). Assemblers receive step-by-step instructions on a tablet for populating the assembly panel.
Functional Safety – Performance Levels with SISTEMA
Safety-related control systems must achieve a defined Performance Level (PL) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 13849-1. We calculate and evaluate the achieved Performance Level as early as the design phase using SISTEMA and fully document the design. SISTEMA is a software tool from the DGUV/IFA for evaluating safety-related control systems in accordance with ISO 13849-1.
SISTEMA evaluates the Functional safety of machines by grouping safety-related components (input, logic, output) into subsystems and calculating their probability of failure. This makes it possible to verify at an early stage whether the planned safety architecture meets the required specifications, even before hardware is ordered or wired.
What we do:
- Design of safety-related control systems in accordance with DIN EN ISO 13849-1
- Calculating the achieved performance level using SISTEMA
- Selection of appropriate safety components (sensors, F-PLCs, actuators)
- Complete documentation as evidence of conformity assessment
Customers, who trust MEMBRAFLOW
Note Printing Australia
1 of 26Oesterreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH
DSB Anlagenbau GmbH
Granata - RMZ / Pomegranate
3 of 26BASF Antwerp
Konings Trudo
BOSCH
Daimler Benz
SEVEROFRUCT
6 of 26Stihl
Cargill
SILMET AS
8 of 26Carl Zeiss, FAG
Technology Ventures GmbH
Martinrea Honsel Germany GmbH
Gleitsmann Security inks gmbh
Destilla GmbH
Chemical plant Bad Köstritz GmbH
Heraeus Precions Metals GmbH
Fischermanns GmbH & Co
Badischer Winzerkeller eG
Fruchtsaft Bayer GmbH & Co. KG
Klenk GmbH
Hirschbrauerei Heubach GmbH & Co. KG
KOSOMA GmbH
MAPAL Dr. Kress KG
Bank of Greece // Printing works Department
10 of 26Pannonia Ethanol
Vaja-Fruict
Carl Zeiss Vision
Sandoz Industrial Products SpA
12 of 26Banknote Factory Of the National bank of Kazakhstan
13 of 26Vateris SIA
14 of 26Carl Zeiss Vision Manufactura
15 of 26GELITA Nederland B.V.
16 of 26OJSC "Lesnaya Yagoda"
OJSC "Dairy plant Penzenskij
JSC "Brayansk Dairy Plant"
JSC "MolAgroTop"
Johnsen Mattey
Rustenburg Platinum Mines Limited
memcon
BASF
MEMON
FABRICA NACIONAL DE MONEDA Y TIMBRE
20 of 26Mercatus Engineering AB
21 of 26Thai Union Group PCL
Rodenstock (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Arisu Gida Dis Tic. A.S.
23 of 26Banknote Printing and Minting Works of National Bank of Ukraine
24 of 26Brine Recovery systems
DGF // GELITA
Cerestar // Cargill
JV "AGROMIR-SAMARKAND" LLCJV
"SP AFROSIAB MEVA"
For reasons of confidentiality, it is not possible to list all our customers.
Standards and Initial Inspection
Relevant standards:
- DIN EN 60204-1 / VDE 0113-1 – Electrical equipment of machines
- DIN EN ISO 13849-1 – Safety-related control systems (Performance Level)
- CE, UL 508A, CSA – European and North American markets
- ATEX and IECEx – Hazardous Areas
Talk to our engineering expert
Frequently Asked Questions About Control Panel Design and Electrical Engineering
Electrical planning involves the overall design process, such as defining requirements, developing a system concept, selecting components, and determining interfaces. Electrical design is the subsequent detailed engineering phase, which includes circuit diagrams, wiring diagrams, terminal diagrams, and layout and wiring plans. We handle both steps under one roof.
External engineering service providers bring together experience from numerous projects and industries, possess specialized tool expertise (EPLAN, SISTEMA), and can quickly mobilize the necessary resources. Typical reasons for this include internal capacity constraints, time pressure on a project, a lack of specialized knowledge for specific requirements, or the desire for an end-to-end solution from planning through commissioning.
Control cabinet design encompasses planning, engineering, and documentation—in other words, all the steps that take place before the control cabinet is manufactured. Control cabinet construction is the subsequent implementation: manufacturing, wiring, assembly, and commissioning. At MEMBRAFLOW, you get both services from a single source.
We use the EPLAN platform throughout our design process—Electric P8 for electrical schematics, Pro Panel for 3D layout planning, Smart Mounting and Smart Wiring for automated manufacturing, Fluid for pneumatic and hydraulic diagrams, and Cable proD for complex cable systems. This results in consistent engineering data that remains usable in manufacturing and service.
Yes. As part of our consulting and project planning services, we assist with requirements gathering and the development of specifications tailored to your engineering and procurement needs.
We calculate the performance level in accordance with DIN EN ISO 13849-1 using SISTEMA, the IFA’s tool. This allows us to verify, as early as the design phase, whether the planned safety architecture meets the required standards, even before hardware is ordered.
Yes. We can import existing EPLAN projects, older schematics, or files in third-party formats, adapt them, and integrate them into our digital workflow. This allows us to create a clean database for future expansions, especially for existing facilities.
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