| Company name | Group | Parent | Subsidiary | Customer | Supplier | Alliance | Bank | Shareholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friedhelm Loh Group |
EPLAN announced that Takaaki Hoshino has taken office as Representative Director as of September 1, 2026. Mr. Hoshino has more than 30 years of experience in the factory automation and industrial equipment industry, and has demonstrated extensive leadership both domestically and internationally. The new representative outlined a strategy to drive digital transformation and deepen collaboration with customers and partners.
EPLAN Inc. announced that as of September 1, 2026, Yasuhiko Hoshino has been appointed as Representative Director. Mr. Hoshino has over 30 years of experience in the factory automation and industrial equipment industry, with achievements at Siemens and KUKA Japan. He will focus on supporting digital transformation and deepening collaboration with customers and partners.
EPLAN has released the beta version of its next platform, "EPLAN Platform 2027", adding numerous new features to help electrical designers improve design efficiency and reduce work time. A key highlight is the integration of "EPLAN Copilot", with a formal release planned for September, but a pre-demo will first be shown in "Eplan Next26". New features have been added to the Preplanning, Electric P8, and Pro Panel software, improving parts comparison functionality and simplifying design and planning tasks, expected to boost design speed.
EPLAN announced the AI assistant "EPLAN Copilot" at Eplan Next26 held in Munich. Copilot connects engineering knowledge and platform capabilities in a conversational format, improving users' operational efficiency, consistency, and decision-making power. CEO Sebastian Zaitz emphasized the importance of building a powerful yet secure foundation.
Eplan will unveil the refreshed Eplan Platform product portfolio at the 2026 Hannover Messe. Users in the electrical design field will enjoy a simple, high‑functionality all‑in‑bundle, and the process will be visualized end‑to‑end. In fields such as control panel manufacturing, dedicated machine manufacturing, and plant engineering, "simplicity" is emphasized as a key attribute of an integrated engineering solution that supports the entire workflow.
On April 20, 2026, German Federal Republic Prime Minister Friedrich Merz visited the EPLAN and Rittal booths at Hannover Messe and discussed the importance of strengthening industrial IT infrastructure and AI data centers. Both companies urged the need to review industrial growth strategies amid intensifying global competition.
On May 20-21, 2026, at Cavalluna Park in Munich, Germany, EPLAN Next26 will be held. Over 1,200 companies, users, and partners will gather to discuss the future of industrial automation and engineering. This event introduces a novel format unlike before, emphasizing its position as a global festival.
At Hannover Messe (Hall 27 / Booth D50), Eplan and Ritaru showcased solutions that support manufacturing processes across a wide range, from design and procurement to system technology, automation, and service domains. By integrating software, hardware, and automation, they presented the "three pillars" that achieve improved speed and scalability. Additionally, they introduced enhancements to the Eplan product line and examples of implementing Eplan Smart Sourcing.