Eaton, an expert in smart energy management, and Trace Software, an expert in software development for electrical and photovoltaic engineering, are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership. This will make it even easier for installers and end-users of electrical installations to work with Eaton’s products and applications while complying with regulations.
Integration into elec calc™
Trace Software develops elec calc™ software, a complete design and calculation solution for high and low voltage electrical installations. Both intuitive and powerful, it allows installers to model any type of network architecture, whilst maintaining compliance with current international regulations.
“elec calc™ is an important tool for our partners,” says Roland Feijen, Account Manager for Low Voltage Products at Eaton. “The integration of our electrical protection equipment into this platform not only makes it easier to design installations with our high-quality products and applications, but also to easily comply with current regulations. Indeed, a compliant plan established in elec calc™ is an important part of ensuring a safe installation. We are pleased to welcome our partners through the cooperation with Trace Software.”
Strengthening strategic cooperation
Eaton’s is already working with the most well-known panel builders and installers. The integration of applications into elec calc™ will not only deepen existing partnerships, but also enable new large-scale collaborations. “We want to strengthen our position in the market, offering quality products and services. Our partners can count on us and we are demonstrating it once again today,” says Luc De Clercq, Account Manager Panel Builders at Eaton.
Origin of the collaboration
Traditionally, Eaton has been a supplier of high-quality electrical protection products for the industrial market. A few years ago, the tertiary building market sent out signals in favour of quality solutions that would protect buildings and people from poor electrical design. We still saw too many risks for buildings or precarious situations for people in electrical installations and the fact is that training and visual controls aren’t enough. The entire industry, as well as manufacturers, inspection bodies and legislators, have carried out a critical analysis, each in their own field, resulting in an adaptation of the legislation in terms of using and correctly installing the right electrical protection devices according to the specificity of the entire installation. Everything has therefore been adapted to radically improve the safety of people and buildings.
Product liability
Eaton takes great responsibility as a manufacturer to ensure high-quality installation safety throughout the products it distributes to installers.
Installation delivery
It is then mainly our installers and panel builders who deliver the installation to our end customers. Given the efficiency we are always looking for, it was necessary to automate the schematics so that they were well drawn and the cables were calculated according to the short-circuit capacity of an installation.
System with multiple manufacturers
The main aim was to automate an open system that included switchgears from most vendors. In previous years, most vendors had their own software that could usually only be used for their own products.
Multi-brand software
- Trace Software could clearly offer a solution to the integrator market to start building a reliable and user-friendly tool for all brands. It also saves our integrators from having to buy software from the various industry suppliers and having to train their staff on each program.
Control method
This way of working is also appreciated by the inspection bodies, who are ultimately responsible for the safety of buildings and people. As a result, they are reassured by the correct method of calculating and selecting the appropriate switchgear.
“We are proud to present Eaton as a new and important partner for our elec calc™ software. Such important collaborations help us serve our customers in the best possible way, with the goal of simplifying their daily lives. The addition of Eaton’s products is undeniably an added value for our users.”
Jérôme Mullie
Technical Director
Expansion into new target groups in the future?
Electrical installations are no longer a small matter and are regularly adapted according to the capacity and type of consumers. The energy transition, with the emergence of alternative energy sources and other types of consumers, is very topical. Just think of the introduction of photovoltaic installations and electronically controlled systems (lighting, HVAC, e-mobility, etc.). These developments and adaptations require constant analysis in which building managers will also have to make key decisions. To do this, they will also need to build on the initial study and inspection of the facility.