Local authorities and industrial companies have many things in common. One of them is water − a precious resource, gathering increasing attention with good reason. To allow its use and reuse, water must be imperatively filtered, purified and demineralized. This is a real public health issue for the protection of our planet’s main natural resource. For nearly 25 years, a French company has the objective of meeting all the needs of the industrial and drinking water cycle. Their name? Chemdoc Water Technologies. A company committed to water quality. An objective that has been accomplished twice as fast for two years running, thanks to SEE Electrical Expert from IGE+XAO. Christophe Lemaître, electrical engineering manager at Chemdoc Water Technologies, explains.
When he joined Chemdoc Water Technologies, located in the South of France, in 2015, Christophe Lemaître did not yet suspect the impact his work would have. His company with 20 employees and several temporary workers, designs and manufactures high-tech units for filtration, drinking water treatment and desalination.
How? By developing − thanks to its expertise in membrane processes and water chemistry − services and solutions adapted to the needs (among others) of industrial companies for cooling systems as well as domestic hot water networks. “Our customers are both local authorities and manufacturers who, for example, manufacture components for aerospace such as Collins Aerospace. They specialize in waste treatment, methanization units, agri-food, pharmaceutical or even nuclear. For each of them, we design tailor-made installations that meet the strictest water qualities (ultra-pure water, pure water, demined water, etc.)“. Necessary customizations, but terribly time-consuming for the company!
This is why, two years ago, Chemdoc Water Technologies turned to IGE+XAO. Objective: change the software package for creating electrical diagrams in order to increase productivity! “Thanks to the many benefits of SEE Electrical Expert, improving our productivity and saving time were almost a promise. Anyway, we didn’t risk much, our first contract was only for one year (Freedom Next subscription) allowing us to judge for ourselves the value of this package − before possibly purchasing an unlimited license. Two years later, the only thing that immediately comes to mind – why didn’t we change software sooner?
In practice, the software change made by Chemdoc Water Technologies did not happen by chance! “Our customers, in particular manufacturers, were more and more insistent: when building their equipment to have their diagrams in DWG format. Most of them already use this format and usually ask for this native format for the machine they own. This allows them to have the basic project available and make changes to it if necessary. »
After studying the software and its benefits, time saving appeared to be a significant advantage for the growth of Chemdoc. A major asset was to be able to take on more projects without losing reliability and quality.
“The use of SEE Electrical Expert was the logical continuation of the evolution of the company. With the current challenges and climate problems, we had to double our workforce in the space of a few years to meet the demand for solutions capable of both:
From there, we could no longer be satisfied with a “basic” software, without any real evolution in terms of electrical project management. The use of SEE Electrical Expert has represented a positive turning point for the company, for its customers and for the environment since it gives us the ability to work on several important files at the same time. “
Varied benefits for Chemdoc Water Technologies – Work time halved – Bill of materials calculated as accurately as possible – Simplified assembly as it is completely dimensioned |
With SEE Electrical Expert, there is truly a “before and after”, as Christophe Lemaître points out. “It is a very complete software and the benefits are multiple. There is the methods modularity, the complete customization of the workspace, the various automatic processes, the error checking and the huge library of symbols available in the software. The time saved by this software is undeniable! Everything is well thought out, including the aesthetics and the layout which allow me to have something really clean (and not messy) to present to my clients. All the equipment that is integrated into the electrical cabinets is already referenced in SEE Web Catalogue, the software library − a huge database! And if a new element – just launched by a brand – is not yet present, all you have to do is make a request to the technical department. It is even possible to create a symbol yourself, which opens up endless possibilities since everything can be created as needed! “
For the electrical engineering manager of Chemdoc Water Technologies, everything relating to the electrical documentation (labelling, order and manufacturing Bill Of Materials, layout plans for cabinets to scale, etc.) was a real evolution for his work as for the company. Thanks to scaled layout sheets, Christophe Lemaître and his colleagues have managed to rationalize the size of their electrical cabinets, correctly integrate all the equipment and therefore avoid any surprises during installation.
“Before, I drew the layout freehand. It was not precise and I always planned a margin in my orders so as not to be blocked once at the customer. However, in our case, we can totally make a custom-made cabinet since our machines are themselves custom-made. In addition, we are already integrating reserves and our cabinets are not intended to evolve – or very little. With the SEE Electrical Expert software, we can now focus just in terms of quantity of materials or layout.” A real guarantee of savings which, ultimately, goes hand in hand with the quality commitment, but also the objective of reducing the environmental footprint that the French water treatment company is aiming for.
FROM PRO TO PRO! Practical, SEE Electrical Expert “also allows us to work on our old diagrams which were not in DWG format. We can import the schematics and/or integrate a certain part of it into the new schematics that I make. The export is done in DWG and if the customer does not have SEE Electrical Expert, he can still use it with another software package. » |
“Getting started with the software is quite simple! As I did not have time to follow the training offered by IGE+XAO, it was the technical support that guided me when I needed it. The latter is very responsive and that is a real asset. The software has good ergonomics and you quickly understand how to use it. It’s quite intuitive and this is fortunate, because I learned the software directly on the project I was working on at that time. I had to create the new water treatment units for the Orano Malvési site in Narbonne. “
A project like no other! The Orano plant is the largest uranium processing site in France. Uranium arrives there from all over the world in the form of yellow powder which must then be purified and transformed into nuclear fuel. “It’s a very specific area, and this is also found at the schematic level via very precise specifications to be met… I immersed myself in the software, and let it be said, I didn’t think it would be so easy to respect these very exact specifications while learning how to use the software! I contacted the technical support several times. I didn’t always have the same person, and yet I had the impression that no matter who I was talking to, they knew perfectly the level of skills that I didn’t have on the software, my previous questions ,etc. I didn’t need to re-explain everything, everyone gave me tips, explained features that could be useful to me. It was a real plus – especially in the context of such a project. And it worked: the project was completed without any problems. As for the client, they were delighted with the schematic rendering and electrical documentation. “
THE EYE OF THE PRO! What features immediately made the difference? – Automatic production of terminal blocks – Cable diagrams – Error prompts and checks – Automatic Bill Of Materials or production lists (for shop floor workers) – Automatic production of all cable, element and wire marker labels, depending on the material used What is the feature that satisfies you the most today? “I can’t choose just one, as this package is so practical and powerful. However, its recent evolution has generally made it even more ergonomic and user-friendly. We use fewer clicks to access all the parameters (thanks to a small pop-up window from which I can fully manage attributes). This allows me to optimize my time even more, it’s great!” |
“If I hadn’t had SEE Electrical Expert, I would still be working on projects from 2015!
Powerful, intuitive, fluid and complete, this software has allowed me to take charge of multiple projects. This has opened up different perspectives for us, we are more than ever motivated to participate in the protection of water, which it is imperative to stop wasting and polluting. “
“While our custom-made equipment saves water, we also do R&D on isolated sites. For example, we are soon going to install a totally autonomous water purification unit (powered by solar energy) at Lac du Salagou in Southern France. We have produced all the filtration equipment for the Bonneval water source, which is now drinkable and marketed. We would also like to work on the African continent. We have already installed four containerized drinking water treatment units there. »
