EPLAN Installation Site (`++`) vs Location Designation (`+`) Reference Guide

EPLAN P8: Installation Site vs Location Designation

Quick Comparison

Aspect	Installation Site (++)	Location Designation (+)
Scope	Groups all locations at ONE site	Identifies specific location within site
Level	HIGHER level (site/facility)	LOWER level (specific address/position)
Hierarchy	Parent/Container	Child/Instance
Purpose	Defines the installation/facility	Specifies exact location in facility
Example	“Factory Building A” (site)	“Control Room - Cabinet 5” (location)
Symbol	++ (double plus)	+ (single plus)
Granularity	Broad geographic area	Precise physical position
Availability	Not available in dialog	Identifying/Available

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Installation Site (++) - The Facility/Building

Definition

Defines the physical installation facility or site where all related components are deployed. This is the highest-level geographic grouping.

Characteristics

• Represents entire site, building, or major facility
• Groups multiple subordinate locations
• Describes where the overall system is located
• Often represents a manufacturing plant, warehouse, office complex, or site
• Can span multiple rooms/departments
• Broadest geographic scope

EPLAN Example

Installation Site (++): Factory Building A
├── Location Designation: Control Room Cabinet 1
├── Location Designation: Production Floor Panel
├── Location Designation: Maintenance Shop
└── Location Designation: Warehouse Charging Station

Real-World Electrical Examples

++  Main Factory Plant
    +   Assembly Department - Panel A
    +   Assembly Department - Panel B
    +   Welding Station - Cabinet 1
    +   Packaging Department - Motor Control

++  Remote Substation 5
    +   Transformer Room
    +   Breaker House
    +   Communications Cabinet
    +   Power Distribution Terminal

++  Data Center Building 3
    +   Server Room 301
    +   UPS Room 302
    +   Cooling Plant 303

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Location Designation (+) - The Specific Physical Position

Definition

Identifies the specific, precise location within an installation site where a component is physically installed.

Characteristics

• Pinpoints exact room, rack, cabinet, or mounting location
• Subordinate to installation site
• Unique identifier for physical position
• Describes specific address within the facility
• High granularity (can include coordinates, rack position, level)
• Precise geographic specificity

EPLAN Example

Location Designation: Control Room - Wall Panel 1
Location Designation: MCC Room - Cabinet A-5
Location Designation: Basement Level 2 - Electrical Room
Location Designation: Building 2, Floor 3, Rack 15

Real-World Electrical Examples

+   Assembly Line 1 - Motor Control Center
+   Assembly Line 1 - Safety Relay Cabinet
+   Welding Station 3 - Main Contactor Box
+   Packaging Floor - Conveyor Drive Panel
+   Charging Station Bay 5 - Power Supply Unit

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Hierarchical Structure in EPLAN P8

Page Structure: [Installation Site (++)] + [Location Designation (+)] + [Function] + [Document Type]

Example Full Designation:
++Factory Building A + Control Room - Cabinet 5 = Main Motor = Schematic
└─ Site
           └─ Specific location within site
                                                  └─ Function at that location
                                                                      └─ Document type

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Practical EPLAN P8 Example

Scenario: Multi-Building Manufacturing Complex

Configuration:

Installation Site (++): Factory Building A
├─ Location Designation (+): Assembly Department - Panel A
│  ├─ Main Motor Starter
│  └─ Safety Relay
├─ Location Designation (+): Assembly Department - Panel B
│  ├─ Backup Motor Starter
│  └─ Cooling Control
└─ Location Designation (+): Electrical Room - Main MCC
   ├─ Incoming Breaker
   └─ Distribution Transformer

Installation Site (++): Factory Building B
├─ Location Designation (+): Packaging Department - Panel C
│  ├─ Conveyor Motor
│  └─ Pressure Sensor
├─ Location Designation (+): Storage Area - Cabinet 1
│  └─ Forklift Charging Station
└─ Location Designation (+): Maintenance Shop - Workbench

Installation Site (++): Remote Substation 5
├─ Location Designation (+): Transformer Room
│  └─ Main Transformer 500 kVA
├─ Location Designation (+): Breaker House
│  ├─ Main Breaker 1000A
│  └─ Feeder Breakers
└─ Location Designation (+): Control Room - Wall Cabinet
   ├─ SCADA Interface
   └─ Communications Module

Generated Full Designations

++Factory Building A + Assembly Department - Panel A = Main Motor Starter & Schematic
++Factory Building A + Assembly Department - Panel A = Safety Relay & Schematic
++Factory Building A + Electrical Room - Main MCC = Incoming Breaker & Single Line
++Factory Building B + Packaging Department - Panel C = Conveyor Motor & Schematic
++Remote Substation 5 + Transformer Room = Main Transformer & Technical Data
++Remote Substation 5 + Breaker House = Main Breaker & Single Line Diagram

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When to Use Each in EPLAN P8

Use Installation Site (++) When:

• Multi-building/multi-facility projects (factory complex with multiple buildings)
• Creating a geographic hierarchy for large installations
• Need to group all locations at one facility
• Building distributed control systems across a site
• Want site-level organization in documentation
• Performing site-wide electrical audits

Use Location Designation (+) When:

• Identifying specific cabinets, rooms, or panels within a site
• Creating unique addresses for each control point
• Need precise physical location for maintenance/troubleshooting
• Component installation documentation (where exactly to mount)
• Cable routing and wiring diagrams
• Preventive maintenance schedules tied to locations

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Data & Electrical Analysis Perspective

Information Hierarchy

Level 1 (Installation Site ++):    Facility/Building
Level 2 (Location Designation +):  Room/Cabinet/Panel
Level 3 (Function Designation =):  Component/Device
Level 4 (Document Type &):         Document Class

Why This Matters for Electrical Data:

Cable Routing Analysis:

{
  "installationSite": "Factory Building A",
  "locations": [
    {
      "designation": "Assembly Department - Panel A",
      "distance_from_breaker": "45m",
      "cable_required": "4x10mm² + PE",
      "voltage_drop": "2.1%"
    },
    {
      "designation": "Assembly Department - Panel B",
      "distance_from_breaker": "67m",
      "cable_required": "4x16mm² + PE",
      "voltage_drop": "1.8%"
    },
    {
      "designation": "Electrical Room - Main MCC",
      "distance_from_breaker": "8m",
      "cable_required": "2x25mm² + PE",
      "voltage_drop": "0.3%"
    }
  ]
}

Load Distribution by Location:

{
  "installationSite": "Factory Building B",
  "totalInstallationLoad": "185 kW",
  "locations": [
    {
      "designation": "Packaging Department - Panel C",
      "load": "95 kW",
      "breaker_size": "160A",
      "protection": "Selective"
    },
    {
      "designation": "Storage Area - Cabinet 1",
      "load": "15 kW",
      "breaker_size": "32A",
      "protection": "Instantaneous"
    },
    {
      "designation": "Maintenance Shop - Workbench",
      "load": "75 kW",
      "breaker_size": "125A",
      "protection": "Selective"
    }
  ]
}

Electrical Calculation Example

Installation Site: Factory Building A
├─ Location: Assembly Panel A (45m from main)
│  Load: 30 kW @ 400V
│  Calculation: I = P/(√3 × U × cos φ) = 30000/(1.73 × 400 × 0.95) = 45.6A
│  Cable: 4×10mm² (Voltage drop: 2.1%)
│
├─ Location: Assembly Panel B (67m from main)
│  Load: 40 kW @ 400V
│  Calculation: I = 40000/(1.73 × 400 × 0.95) = 60.8A
│  Cable: 4×16mm² (Voltage drop: 1.8%)
│
└─ Location: Main MCC (8m from main)
   Load: 150 kW @ 400V
   Calculation: I = 150000/(1.73 × 400 × 0.95) = 228A
   Cable: 2×25mm² (Voltage drop: 0.3%)

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Installation Site vs Location Designation Use Cases

Maintenance & Service

Technician receives work order:
"Repair motor at ++Factory Building A + Assembly Panel A"

Search hierarchy:
1. Go to Factory Building A (site)
2. Navigate to Assembly Panel A (location)
3. Find Main Motor (function designation)
4. Refer to Schematic (document type)

Asset Management

Inventory tracking by location:
++Factory Building A
  + Control Room - Cabinet 5: 12 relays, 8 contactors, 3 VFDs
  + Assembly Floor - Panel 1: 4 motor starters, 6 pushbuttons
  + Electrical Room - MCC: 1 main transformer, 6 breakers

++Factory Building B
  + Packaging Area - Panel C: 2 conveyors, 3 sensors

Risk Assessment & Redundancy

Backup system analysis:
Installation Site A: Main facility (100 kW load)
  ├─ Primary: ++Factory A + Main MCC (active)
  └─ Backup: ++Factory A + Emergency Panel (standby)

Installation Site B: Remote location (50 kW load)
  ├─ Primary: ++Substation 5 + Breaker House
  └─ Backup: Local UPS at ++Substation 5 + Control Room

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++ vs + in Cable & Conduit Planning

Scenario: Multi-Location Cable Routing

Installation Site (++): Factory Building A
│
├─ Location (+): Assembly Line 1 Control Room (3rd floor)
│  │ Distance from main panel: 120m
│  │ Conduit route: Main panel → Riser A → Floor 3
│  │ Cable requirement: 4×16mm² (95A @ 3% drop acceptable)
│  │
│  └─ Components: Main Motor (30kW), Safety Relay, VFD
│
├─ Location (+): Assembly Line 2 Floor (Ground floor)
│  │ Distance from main panel: 45m
│  │ Conduit route: Main panel → Direct underground
│  │ Cable requirement: 4×10mm² (45A @ 2% drop)
│  │
│  └─ Components: Pump Motor (15kW), Pressure Switch
│
└─ Location (+): Maintenance Shop (Basement)
   │ Distance from main panel: 80m
   │ Conduit route: Main panel → Vertical duct → Basement
   │ Cable requirement: 4×6mm² (25A @ 1.5% drop)
   │
   └─ Components: Tool Charging Station (10kW)

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Key Takeaway for EPLAN P8

Perspective	Meaning
Geographic	Installation Site = City/Region, Location = Street Address/Room
Organizational	Installation Site = Division/Plant, Location = Department/Workstation
Physical	Installation Site = Building, Location = Room/Cabinet/Rack
Data	Installation Site = Schema/Database, Location = Table/Record
Electrical	Installation Site = Supply Point, Location = Load Point

Visual Analogy

Installation Site (++) = Google Maps: View of entire city/campus
Location Designation (+) = Google Maps: Street-level view of specific address