How Sweco transformed its substation design
Boosting efficiency and precision with primtech solutions.
The challenge:
Sweco Norge, one of Norway's leading engineering companies, like many others, faced major challenges in the planning and design of substations before the introduction of primtech. The previous use of simple 2D and 3D programs, without an intelligent library or predefined templates, slowed down the planning process considerably. The lack of reusable components led to repetitive manual work, making it difficult for engineers to focus on more important tasks. Without a specialized software solution for high-voltage substation design and engineering, engineers struggled to meet stringent specifications. This was equally true for brownfield and greenfield projects. Customers in the industry, such as the Norwegian transmission system operator Statnett, have very strict design and engineering guidelines.
The Solution
After evaluating several options, Sweco chose primtech for its intelligent library, ease of use and compatibility with AutoCAD. Sweco has now been using primtech for five years, with around 20 users actively working with the software on projects every day. Both electrical and power engineers benefit from primtech's powerful features. The ability to reuse components through the component library and the self-created template library, which grows with each project, has revolutionized the design process.
One of the key benefits of primtech is the ability to quickly export drawings, such as DWG files, which enables seamless communication with clients and other stakeholders at various stages of the project. The software has proven to be particularly valuable when working on both brownfield and greenfield projects, where customization and compliance with customer-specific requirements are crucial.
Sweco has implemented a comprehensive in-house training program based on the primtech INSIDE platform. The training videos and resources contained there are hosted on the company's own Sharepoint site. This enables new employees to quickly familiarize themselves with primtech's easy-to-learn user interface, complete the training and receive certification in a short period of time, enabling them to start adding value very quickly.
The implementation of primtech has brought significant improvements for Sweco:
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Increased efficiency and speed: |
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Accurate and valid results right from the start: |
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Library integration for efficiency and consistancy: |
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Flexibility and freedom:
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Improved training and access to new workers:
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Quotes from the project
"The library in primtech is one of the most usable things for us. The possibility of quickly designing with intelligent components, and the fact that we already used AutoCAD, made primtech the obvious choice."
– Olav Nyhus, Electrical Engineer at Sweco Norge
He further adds:
"We are significantly more efficient with primtech.
Our design time has been cut to one-third, and we are now able to deliver better results faster. It’s much easier to show these designs to our clients, which has improved our project workflows."
Dag Slålien, Electrical Power Engineer at Sweco Norge, highlights the impact of primtech on their training approach:
"primtech is one of our most important programs, and it’s used daily.
Our training program, based on primtech INSIDE and our own Sharepoint site, gets new and yet less experienced employees to a usable level fast. This has been key in ensuring that our team can focus on what matters – designing substations, not modeling objects from scratch."
In summary, primtech has become an integral part of Sweco’s substation design and engineering processes, enabling faster project completion, greater accuracy, and improved communication both within teams and with clients.