Eplan is introducing a new generation of AI-supported assistance with Copilot, designed to transform access to engineering knowledge. Launched during Eplan Next26, Eplan Copilot supports users as a reliable partner in day-to-day work, serving as a dependable and fully available source of information. It brings together engineering expertise, platform functionalities and specific tasks into an intelligent dialogue, helping users improve efficiency, coherence and decision-making.

Engineering is becoming increasingly complex as the lines between disciplines continue to blur and the amount of available information grows rapidly. At the same time, time pressures and quality requirements continue to increase. The challenge lies less in generating knowledge and more in making it available at the right time and in the right context. This is where Eplan Copilot comes in.

“We were very deliberate about building a strong but, above all, secure foundation for our Copilot,” says Eplan CEO Sebastian Seitz. While AI is often used in everyday life without sufficient attention to data security, engineering requires very different standards. “For industrial applications, reliable and certified architectures are required,” Seitz adds.

Eplan has taken an integrated approach in developing Copilot, with a focus on stable and reliable long-term use. Cloud integration, knowledge management and integration into existing systems and partner solutions were built into its architecture from the outset. The objective was to create a solution that can prove its value in professional use.

After its launch during Eplan Next26, Eplan Copilot will guide users step by step through the functional depth of the Eplan Platform through intuitive, dialogue-based interactions. Instead of navigating menus, functions or documentation, users can express their tasks in natural language. Copilot then provides context-sensitive answers, clear recommendations and step-by-step instructions that are understandable, precise and immediately usable. In this first stage, Copilot improves user efficiency by taking over or eliminating repetitive tasks.

A key benefit lies in the quality and reliability of information. Unlike many generic AI applications, Eplan Copilot is based on a consistent, structured and verified data foundation. This allows the AI to act as a reliable source of information for day-to-day engineering, which is critical for professional industrial use.

Eplan Copilot has been equipped with verified information and initial capabilities to support users with this knowledge. This foundation will allow Copilot to gradually gain new capabilities and eventually take over repetitive tasks such as running test cycles and creating bills of materials, connection lists, wiring lists and more.

Copilot acts as a new interface layer between people and the Eplan Platform, combining knowledge, functions and real-world applications. It works as a co-thinking partner that supports, guides and empowers users, while engineers remain the final decision-makers.

One example is the Parts Reference Lookup. If engineers want to know in which projects they have used a product or component, they only need to enter the part number. The AI then searches the projects in the cloud and provides direct links to the project pages where the respective parts are being used.

The aim is to create a mode of working that provides guidance and simplification instead of adding complexity. With this approach, Eplan differentiates itself from the wider AI market, which is often focused on short-term gains. Its focus is on long-term added value. Copilot’s development is based on stable platform structures, clear governance principles and a deep understanding of real-world engineering workflows. The result is a solution that is not experimental, but can already be used productively today, while also being designed for long-term evolution.

Technologically, Eplan is focused on scalability and integration. Unlike isolated AI features in individual tools, Copilot can also be used as a central cloud service. In future, this will allow data from customers and partners to be integrated. This will be demonstrated at Eplan Next26 using the example of Rittal cooling units.

Copilot will gradually integrate the entire Eplan ecosystem, from Data Portal to cloud services and project-specific applications. Data security remains a key focus, as with other Eplan solutions. The data transmission path from the customer’s local environment to the AI is encrypted, while the cloud also meets high security standards, supported by certifications including ISO27001, TISAX, SOC-2 and MLPS 2.0. Eplan mitigates potential additional risks through its proven, professionally managed infrastructure.

Eplan represents reliability and security, both as a company and in the use of its engineering software. Its strategy is to enable companies to derive the maximum possible customer benefit from the software. Eplan Copilot will therefore provide increasing levels of support over time.

Through the continued expansion of its knowledge foundation and ongoing skills development, Copilot will gradually take on the role of a pilot. The long-term vision is clear: from automated to autonomous engineering.