Shadowing Practice: Functional-Oriented Documentation in Automation - Eplan & IEC 81346 Explained - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

443 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hello and welcome to ePlan Spotlight.

Our topic today is standardization.

My name is Thomas Michels and I'm here with my dear colleague Anders Darnas.

Hi Anders.

Hi Thomas, nice to be here.

Nice to have you in the studio.

Thank you, appreciate it.

So when it comes to this topic of standardization, to be honest this is not a new topic.

So this is somehow circling around when it comes to industrial automation, when we are looking at the ecosystem of industrial automation.

But this is also somehow, even if it's already there on the table for a long time,

it still sounds like a challenge for customers and our users.

And let's take this opportunity here in that spotlight to really have a look at the complete ecosystem of industrial automation.

So for example, when we take the role of the engineers, of the maybe machine builders, of the system suppliers, what does that mean for them?

On the other hand, when it comes, for example, from the operator point of view to these topics of service and maintenance,

so we have this topic of digital maintenance, more digital, less paper.

And finally, when we think about the interaction here, it's important that maybe now let's use this wording, that they have a common language,

that they have an easy environment to collaborate and then it's finally of course also this topic of supplier guidelines.

But finally behind all these topics here, this is this topic of standardization.

So find a way to collaborate as easy as possible.

But let's start really from the topic, from the core of the topic.

So Anders, what is the reason why?

Why standardization?

Well, Thomas, I would say it depends on really what kind of eyes you are using,

if it's the operator perspective or if it's really the subcontractor's perspective.

Let's start on the operator side.

And as you know from the operator,

they are not only maintaining and utilizing the assets of one machine or multiple machines.

It's a complete plant.

And of course as a complete plant you need to think

about various aspects like common safety aspects for the whole plant

but also the personal safety of the production staff that they need to think about.

You also need of course to think about the high productivity of their plant

and of course if there is mistakes or repairs that they are reduced to the minimum.

So for them,

they always think about standardization of the concept of simplifying communication to their subcontractors and simplifying collaboration to their subcontractors.

And this is really a key element for them to be able to assure

that all machines and systems that they are investing into are utilizing the same type of technology, for example.

And this is really to simplify for every field service engineer to manage the same type of HMIs,

for example, in their plant or PLC systems and of course

if you have completely different systems and for every machine

that would be an enormous challenge for the field system engineers to manage this.

So when you think about the fact

that you have for example a failure on one part of the line

which is utilizing a system

which has specific PLC system in the next hour you are jumping to the beginning of the line

and this part has a completely different PLC system, of course this creates a lot of challenges for them.

So to harmonize and simplify this, this is really a key element and of course to have

field system engineers that knows all the system requires really high training of course,

but of course for a new engineer coming into that plant would be an enormous time to onboard as well of course.

So this is really in the end of the day from

the operator perspective to reduce the complexity within the plant to maintain and handle their systems altogether.

On the other side, if you think from the subcontractors point of view, they have a slightly different, of course, view.

Because they are producing a machine, for example, in a line, which they are not going to maintain in the next 10 or 20 years.

So for them, it's about efficiency.

So utilizing standardization to ensure

that they are able to reuse their engineering from machine to machine or plant to the next plant.

And this is really to also have insurance that they are competitive in the market.

And also, of course, as they are maybe having multiple engineers in their firm,

that they are ensuring the same type of quality in every project, regardless who are involved.

And this is also what standardization do for them, as two examples.

Okay.

When we have a look at this list of benefits, that sounds quite reasonable.

There is a lot of added value in standardization, makes things easier, simplifies communication,

collaboration etc. So that is quite obvious from the operator point of view or as you mentioned also from engineering departments.

But the experience was made that when we talk to customers, when we have customer meetings on fairs and customer events,

and also not only customers but prospects, when you make the first steps with ePlan and we address this topic of standardization,

the first initial feedback is always that's not possible for us because we have individual solutions for our customers, we have variants in our machines,

we have modules, options, and we build every machine is is quite special yeah it's individual yeah

so yeah is this true and

and that's of course true Thomas I also experienced the same meeting companies in most countries actually

so when you

when you think from the very common view they think very commonly from let's say a mechanical perspective

and when you think from a mechanical perspective, yes the machine or plant or line whatever they are manufacturing,

it might be physically quite different so to speak.

However, when you look from the electrical engineering perspective and the controls design, well in general you have all the systems are quite the same.

So of course for every machine you need a power supply, you will need some type of controls in the sense of

PLC you will need some sensors you will need some actors then the question is only about for example sizing

so what is the size of the motors or drives

or how many sensors do you have or how many actors do you need

and of course this determines however if you look from an electrical perspective

that you can actually standardize because you can from a graphical perspective not see a difference

if the motor is 5 kilowatt for example or 10 kilowatt and

of course this makes only in the back logics what kind

of part numbers I need what kind of motor overload drive

I need for example what cable sizing do I need

which is has no graphical spec

but it has a big impact of course on the data behind it

but this is something that you can standardize

and build typical surround to really be able to standardize your engineering

so that I think is an important aspect to think about the difference in between mechanical and electrical

and the more functional view of the electrical let's call it

schematics yeah the 2d drawings to define the automation system

and to maybe put these glasses on and

and think a little bit different

but on the other hand of course you have to follow global global standards official standards

and the different markets we have IEC NFPA whatever is valid for for the special regions

or maybe for the interaction between the operators and the subcontractors

so are there or are these standards are driving the idea of standardization yeah definitely

so when you look from from functional engineering to what traditional is called production oriented engineering which is

100

when you can say for example production oriented is where you

101

find for example the engineering done based on not the function what the the system are doing

102

but rather where you're looking on on hardware perspective

103

so you look at the PLC input card and you put

104

that on the one page and then you put the output card on the next page

105

and so on and so forth and of course

106

when you look from a functional aspect you put actually every aspect of that controls in one page.

107

If that is the motor drive for example you need the input for example you need the output

108

and this is all then connected to the same page.

109

we talked now a lot i opened the topic i said

110

the functional view then you stepped in functional engineering can you go a little bit into detail what what

111

that really means of course tomat

112

when we think about functional design of course we have to think about two different aspects so

113

traditionally a lot of companies work with what we call production oriented documentation

114

and this is more focusing on the hardware

115

and how this is installed like a plc card you have

116

on one page for the input you have an output on the next page

117

and you are linking up your your sensors and and valves

118

and so on and so forth however from an reusability perspective this is not really efficient and and

119

when you think from an engineering perspective most engineers you want

120

to think about how the components are connected in the design and this is exactly what the IEC 81346 is doing.

121

It's focusing on the function itself and not on the hardware.

122

So if you think about the picture that we are now looking at, we have three major aspects that we think about.

123

On one side we look at the object from what it does based on the function itself.

124

On the other side we think about the location and

125

that means of course based on where this now function is placed on the machine or a plant.

126

And last but not least, what is the product?

127

What is it built?

128

What is it doing? so to speak itself

129

and based on these three elements I can very easily structure my function in

130

that standard and in my documentation to structure it further we normally also apply a fourth aspect

131

and that's the IEC 61355 which is determine the documentation structure and the documentation structure determines

132

different aspects of my my project itself if we think first about

133

if you look at the screen here we look from an

134

pumping function we can also see how this have done different

135

let's say sub functions looking to the safety for example to the switches

136

that is necessary and various connections and so on and so forth.

137

And this is giving, let's say, a grouped view on a functional design.

138

If we then think about the last and fourth aspect that I mentioned, which is documentation structure, this also helps to document the project in different aspects.

139

So as we look now on the screen, we also see some examples of how you can easily determine if I'm looking at documentation for controls design,

140

electrical controls design if it's a cable diagram a fluid diagram

141

or a parts list for example and of course this helps a lot

142

when it comes to the to the structuring aspect as well

143

so let me also show you maybe another aspect which is important

144

when you're talking about documentation and reusability and documentation

145

and what is important when you're talking about the naming convention is also cross -trade because normally

146

when you think about a project you need them for example not only to having electrical controls designed

147

but you also need pneumatic design for example

148

so you are controlling certain cylinders for example based on on air

149

and of course based on

150

that documentation you need to think about the cross trade within the same project

151

and traditionally in let's say old standards this is not really considered

152

because that was not necessarily supported based on the engineering systems available.

153

However, with the IEC 81346 we think of course based on all the cross -trades

154

that you need to have and document within the same system.

155

And as you know based on the ePlant platform we have multiple different engineering disciplines

156

that we are utilizing in our engineering platform.

157

So to just take the example of fluid design utilizing eplan fluid

158

and also electrical controls design using eplan electric p8 here is

159

an idea of how you can see how the project capsulating

160

both engineering standards using the ic81346 to also have the same naming convention

161

and this is something that is getting more and more important

162

and that's one additional reason why more and more engineers and more companies are changing from the traditional,

163

let's say, production -oriented documentation to a more functional -oriented documentation.

164

So maybe just to give you a little bit inside the software, just so you can get a feeling how it looks inside the ePlan platform.

165

So let's switch over to the ePlan platform and have a look.

166

So on the left side you can see now one of the industry samples that we have provided from e -Plan.

167

We see the project and here we see also the first structure.

168

This is what we are looking at right now is the IEC 61355, which is, as I mentioned earlier, is related to the documentation structures.

169

And here, for example, I can very easily find, for example, the documentations

170

which is related to electrical controls design this was the EFS

171

for example we can based on the structure below we can see the plus

172

which was the location in this case we see

173

that this is then located for the enclosure one

174

and we see also here for example the function

175

which is related to a 400 volt supply

176

and based on this i can then open the page

177

and i directly find all related components related to that power supply

178

so this is how you can see in a very simple

179

way how you're replicating both the IEC 61355 for the documentation structuring

180

but also the functional aspect of the documentation related also to the IEC 81346 okay

181

so we you introduced these from my point of view

182

or maybe in the market it's and you said that

183

that customers are more and more switching to these new standards

184

and these very powerful standards that really support this idea of functional engineering

185

but when we look back there is a traditional way to create documentation

186

and of course there is a reason why

187

so is this argumentation for production oriented documentation still valid it's an interesting aspect of course Thomas

188

because obviously we are faced with this question time and time again

189

because of course the legacy aspect is always an important factor

190

but also the legacy is also built on systems

191

that was not really supporting functional design

192

and this means for example just to take an example

193

so in the typical hardware design

194

or production design aspect you had to go through a lot of different papers to find the same information to

195

that function on the other side today

196

when you do it in functional design actually this is not at all necessary

197

because in in eplan you have the ability to create all

198

the data you need to collect all the information for the manufacturing

199

if that is then related to for example wiring

200

or to any other aspects in in the panel this can be collected out of all the functions

201

so that means

202

that the engineers can now support both the requirement on the

203

manufacturing floor as well as the end customer the operator

204

that is requiring a documentation which is much easier to to rely on

205

when it comes to repairs and and maintenance so to speak so

206

that is somehow maybe a change from the view to this

207

to this documentation to this electrical documentation to have all the information in

208

that functional structure in the schematics and then derive it to prepare it for the target group.

209

So to extract a wiring list, to extract a bill of material and have all these different views

210

but one source for this information and this source is easy to engineer so to say.

211

We started with talking about the ecosystem and within the ecosystem the operator plays a major role because he's the order party.

212

So he is is asking for machines

213

and of course it's then also demanding for documentation

214

and how is the operator now able to share this maybe

215

there's a template project there are rules to do the engineering

216

what is the possibility to share this with the with the sub suppliers yeah good question Thomas

217

so of course when we think about standardization we normally talk about three different level of standardization

218

so it's different operators have different requirements on their subcontractors.

219

Of course, you have it from, let's call it basic standardizations in supplier guidelines,

220

as we call them, to more enhanced and detailed requirements on their end.

221

And if we start about the first level, what you're looking at here is the system level.

222

And when you talk about the system level, it's more on what kind of software or documentation formats is required,

223

what version do you need to deliver in for example how do you install it how do you license it

224

so on a basic level basically defining the the standardization for

225

those who want to go further they also talk about the layout guidelines And this also means that you are going,

226

let's say, more deeper into guiding the subcontractors to define a specific project structure as an example.

227

You want to have them in a specific device name structure.

228

You want them to have specific graphics that they are using.

229

And of course, based on this, you are guiding the subcontractors more and more to have a recognizable documentation

230

or structured documentation that all their field engineers are familiar with.

231

and normally when we go the furthest level

232

which is then design guidelines we also go really deep into

233

also the graphical design rules it could be also even defining

234

for example what predefined parts they are allowed to use in the projects as I mentioned earlier

235

when you think about the operator they want to be able

236

to have maybe a store spare parts in their their facility

237

and of course instead of storing all manufacturers available on this earth of course they want to structure

238

and standardize to a certain maybe brands or specific systems

239

that is well known by the field engineers

240

so this is normally where we talk about this three level of guidelines

241

that operators work with towards their subcontractors a takeaway when when i have a look at these three

242

steps there's the idea behind that it's scalable

243

so the first steps are maybe some basic steps

244

but they already can have an effect yeah

245

when I just think about the system guidelines to standardize on the system so

246

that you get the documentation based on e -plan for example

247

you have these e -plan files coming from all the different sub suppliers

248

that already has a great effect

249

and then of course I think the operator can move can develop

250

and go more and more into detail and get more

251

and more holistic definitions of how the engineering has to be done

252

and I think it's also a good idea to really get into collaboration

253

and get into this work together with this with the sub suppliers

254

and maybe even from the from the machine builder

255

or from the supplier point of view it could be interesting

256

to really address these ideas into the direction of their order party to think about hey how can we synchronize

257

and really have a common understanding and not maybe too late find out

258

that they did not follow a standard in that project yeah

259

so that i think has both i think added values for both parties

260

and what i took away is it is important to share the guidelines maybe standards data and whatever

261

so now let's go maybe maybe more to the feature level

262

or to the function level so what are the offerings from our portfolio to support this collaboration and sharing of data?

263

Well Thomas, actually ePlan is utilizing the cloud

264

and we are utilizing various different cloud applications to support

265

that process and as you can see on top of our ePlan platform you see various different applications that we are providing.

266

Some are free and some are subscription

267

and as you can see on for example the e -manage

268

this is the base tool to start sharing projects where for example the operator can very easily upload their standard

269

and share with multiple different subcontractors

270

equally they can define the rights of course to what subcontractor gets what kind of information

271

they can besides of course e -plan data share any kind of documentation from word

272

or excel or so on and so forth

273

and equally the same the subcontractor can then upload their projects also to the image environment environment

274

so when you also look at for example a viewer aspect

275

so for those who doesn't have an eplan license they can

276

of course still view the project they can have a look onto the documentation

277

but they can also as the project proceeds you also maybe need to do some verification of the progress.

278

And of course, the ePlanViewer is then a perfect tool to go in, have a look into the documentation,

279

and also for the ability to handle redlining.

280

So where they identify, for example, mistakes into the documentation, they can redline it, mark it up, and also communicate back to the engineering itself.

281

Another aspect, and I mentioned it earlier, where the operator actually provide a clear standard for their subcontractors

282

to work with specific component manufacturers they can even already pre -define them

283

and provide it through the e -stock environment

284

and based on this there is an approved parts list

285

so to speak that every of the subcontractor can then work with

286

and they don't have to reinvent the wheel again by utilizing new parts into the documentation Okay.

287

Is it possible to have a short look at the ePlan cloud so that we get an idea? Of course.

288

So what we are looking at here is now the cloud environment.

289

And as I mentioned here, we see, for example, the various apps in our environment.

290

We also see my current projects that I'm working with.

291

I also see various different guidelines and e -learnings provided by ePlan in this environment.

292

But let's start with the eManage and open to have a look on the projects that it's currently here in my environment.

293

And as you can see here, we have a tab which is defining the internal project, but also where we are defining the external project.

294

So again, as I mentioned earlier, you can define different rights to specific locations to divide it between different subcontractors

295

that you want to provide certain data with and of course

296

when we look at the different projects we can go in here

297

and have a look where we see then the project details

298

when it was created we can download this to start working

299

with these documentation we also see here an example of a pdf

300

which is of course also possible to to share together in between

301

and directly from here I can for example also open my eView

302

and this is also directly accessing the project online without any licensing

303

and directly are going into the project documentation

304

and as we can see here on the left side we see the same structuring referring to the same standards

305

that I talked about earlier we see the view of pages at the moment

306

but of course I can also see see for example

307

if it's a cabinet designed in a 3d environment with our

308

eplan pro panel you can also look from a device oriented perspective

309

but I can also have a look on the red linings for example that has been done in the project

310

but just to take an example we were in earlier in the EFS look area for documentation

311

which is electrical controls design we can of course also see here different type of functions we see the locations

312

and i can directly go into my documentation

313

you can also see here on the right side this is

314

where i can do my for example redlining based on the same i can also then mark the area

315

which is going to be marked and communicated that there is a change

316

and based on this i can write the necessary information i cooperate this and of Of course,

317

I can then communicate it back to the engineering company or subcontractor that it's actually doing this.

318

So I have a direct link between the subcontractor

319

and the operator working together simultaneously based on the data that it's worked with.

320

So this also shows a very quick view on the eView.

321

But also maybe just jump back to also talking about the eStock, for example, as I mentioned earlier

322

and this is also an application directly here in the cloud environment

323

and this is where I can see for example it's directly

324

opening up my parts on the left side we see the general information

325

but I can also see the the graphical macro

326

that is available from a 3d perspective or a 2d perspective

327

and also a product picture

328

and this is also where I can see the all the necessary technical information

329

that I'm utilizing and of course this is also available for the engineer

330

so if I open ePlan again I of course also find the ePlan cloud here

331

and based on the ePlan cloud I can also find the

332

eStock environment where it's now opening up also all the same parts

333

so I can go and have a look

334

and based on the parts I can also see the same

335

part here to start working also with this terminal for example

336

so as an operator the different level

337

and different solutions in the cloud can support again the collaboration together with the subcontractor

338

and simplify communication and simplifying the management of the guidelines in between

339

so i understand it was really a presentation

340

and introduction of a very powerful really let's call it an engineering environment We talked about these aspects,

341

the benefits of standardization, we talked about the different aspects.

342

So we have these design topics, the system topic, we have then also these structuring topics coming from these standards.

343

We talked about parts, libraries are standardized so that you have a common basis to work together.

344

And now we finally saw these services that support the communication between different departments

345

and now just the question that is popping up in my mind is

346

when customers say yes we want to do we say okay

347

they can start right even maybe better today than tomorrow

348

but there is of course a question coming up okay how is eplan supporting in that topic of standardization and

349

start to structure engineering.

350

Maybe you can just summarize it in short words.

351

Yes, of course Thomas.

352

I would say ePlan have multiple ways to support our customer

353

in their journey and I would like to mention a few of them here today.

354

So I would like to start to promote our ePlan engineering standard.

355

This is a fantastic opportunity to start with ePlan not from scratch but with really a lot of data,

356

not only from best practices from different type of industries

357

but also from multiple different standards including different type of typical

358

drawing reports from the different type of industries basic projects and

359

so on and so forth let me show you live where you find it

360

because you need to go to eplant .com

361

so as you can see now on the screen this is where we were actually before

362

when we looked in our cloud apps for eManage and EVU and eStock and so on and so forth.

363

So on the same location you will scroll down and you will also find our ePlan engineering standard.

364

So as we can go in here to discover more we will find more information what it is all about

365

but also you find our download page as well.

366

Here we'll be able to find also on the left side how you can filter on different best practices

367

or industry standard projects for example but also what type of norms

368

that you're looking for for the IEC for example or an FPA

369

and also here you will find every aspect from as I said basic projects from building automation for example or

370

if you are in the machine building environment you of course

371

also find the same type of projects here you find typical information from various also suppliers like Phoenix Contact

372

and Rockwell and Siemens and so on and so forth.

373

So here you find really a lot of information

374

that really helps you to get started where you have perfect standard with the highest quality that you can expect also

375

referring to standards like IEC 81346 as I mentioned earlier in the standardization phase

376

and here you can really find perfect reference project and best practice project from your industry and just download and start using.

377

So this is one way Thomas that I would like to promote.

378

Another way would be also

379

if you think from the operator perspective as I mentioned earlier they important to ensure

380

that your subcontractors are really aligned on your expectation how you want the projects to be designed,

381

how you want them to be also delivered, how you want them to qualify the quality that you are delivering for example.

382

And this is something that the operator is commonly doing also by creating what we call e -learning.

383

So they are providing trainings to the subcontractor basically.

384

And this is also something that ePlan provides to create for various operators

385

that wants to educate and share and coach their subcontractors to do the design in their preferred way.

386

And this is also something that you also find not only for of course the specific operator,

387

but you find e -learnings also on the eplan .com environment.

388

So if I start also the e -learning environment, this is also where you can filter on the different type of e -learnings.

389

Of course, Also here you find the update trainings that we provide, but also all the other specific information for Fluid,

390

for example, or how to handle reports or how to handle multiple terminal, for example.

391

So the e -learning environment is also something that we share to all our customers, of course, to get deeper knowledge in the e -plan environment

392

and the e -plan platform

393

but also we help operators to specifically share how they want their design to look like

394

and to be delivered and to be also trained to their subcontractors.

395

To mention, last tip would also be to promote our professional service organization.

396

And this is, of course,

397

where experienced consultant coach and help our customers to take the journeys and take the step by step implementation of their standardization.

398

And, of course, also building up their reusability to ensure efficient engineering in their design process.

399

They also help, of course, operators to help them with the supplier guidelines to standardize.

400

And of course here in the portfolio of where you find on our homepage where I'm currently looking, you will find multiple different approaches how we help our customers.

401

Everything from standard personal coaching to where we promote, for example, consulting subscription,

402

where you can on a yearly basis continuously educate your team to explore more

403

and more of the power in the ePlan platform.

404

So Thomas, these were three examples how ePlan helps the customer to take this journey into standardization and efficient engineering.

405

A very powerful package when we see it from the solutions, the data,

406

the experience and the guidance and then of course also the very flexible way to do it via e -learning for example.

407

But I will not miss to point also something out that the consulting team,

408

you mentioned the experience in the consulting team and also the experience in these standards and norms.

409

So they put together this small booklet here and this is really a full description of what we talked about today.

410

So standardization, following these norms, how to make the first steps into that topic.

411

So this will be available for download from the ePlan homepage

412

and really gives a compressed overview and enables the first steps into these topics.

413

So thank you very much to the consulting team.

414

They put all their know -how and experience in these pages.

415

So that's really helpful.

416

So, before we come to the end of that session, Anders, I would say thank you very much for sharing all your knowledge,

417

all your experience and introducing these topics across all the options ePlan offers to make the first steps into standardization.

418

Thank you very much for that.

419

Thank you, Thomas.

420

It was a pleasure to have you here.

421

But before we finally close, I think it's also important that we address further spotlights.

422

So you are also in other topics.

423

Yeah, for sure.

424

And I would like to really promote our service and maintenance spotlight.

425

So this is also looking more deeper into the operators world where the projects are,

426

let's say, operational and how they also look from a maintenance point of view into their assets.

427

A second spotlight I would like to promote is also the new 2025 version.

428

We're showing all the news and of course this will be really cool to see.

429

Okay and then I just add two more topics when we go a little bit earlier into the engineering process.

430

We talk about pre -planning, so all the things that are done in basic engineering

431

and then of course we show the continuity of the engineering process based on the ePlan engineering platform.

432

And one topic of course is also the idea

433

and our topic to have electric P8 when you do your schematic design

434

and use the automation functions that are available in ePlan.

435

So maybe get rid of all these manual tasks

436

and really use the schematic to put all the data to describe the automation system

437

and then use functions like from scratch auto connecting,

438

report generation and so on to make your engineering faster and raise the quality of the overall documentation.

439

Okay, so very interesting topics.

440

Again thank you very much Anders and hope to see you in further spotlights.

441

Thank you very much for your attention.

442

Thank you.

443

Thank you.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

43 sentences

Using Selection & Scan Processing tools for reverse engineering | Geomagic Design X

Business EnglishWorking Adults

44 sentences

TOEIC Speaking Respond Using Information (Questions 8–10): A Trade Fair Agenda and a Product Launch Plan

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishWorking Adults

150 sentences

15 IT Terms Everyone In Tech Recruitment Should Know – IT & Tech Recruitment Insights

Business EnglishWorking Adults

48 sentences

Understanding the Quality Department tasks and structure: Supplier Quality Engineer (6/9)

Business EnglishWorking Adults

106 sentences

What is Engineering?: Crash Course Engineering #1

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

93 sentences

NPI Process 1: Why A Pilot Run Before Mass Production Is Very Useful

Business EnglishWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 443 sentences and 5862 words to shadow. The speech runs for 38:32. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

documentation /ˌdɑkjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/ (noun) — A documentary.
operator /ˈɑpəˌɹeɪtɚ/ (noun) — A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
topic /ˈtɑpɪk/ (noun) — A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
aspect /ˈæspɛkt/ (noun) — Any specific feature, part, or element of something.
functional /ˈfʌŋkt͡ʃənəl/ (adjective) — In good working order.
electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/ (adjective) — Related to electricity (or electronics)
utilize /ˈjuː.tɪ.laɪz/ (verb) — US, Canada, and Oxford British English standard spelling of utilise.
cloud /ˈklaʊ̯d/ (noun) — A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air.
define /dɪˈfaɪn/ (verb) — To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
supplier /səˈplaɪə/ (noun) — One who supplies; a provider.
automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The act or process of converting the controlling of a machine or device to a more automatic system, such as computer or electronic controls.
spotlight /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/ (noun) — A bright, directional light or lamp, especially one used to illuminate the focus or center of attention on a stage.
collaboration /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/ (noun) — The act of collaborating.
hardware /ˈhɑɹdˌwɛɹ/ (noun) — Fixtures, equipment, fasteners, tools, and devices used for general-purpose construction and repair of a structure or object. Also such equipment as sold as…
fluid /ˈflu.ɪd/ (noun) — Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
talked about (adjective) — Discussed by many people.
go in (verb) — To become obscured by clouds.
step into (verb) — To take or assume a role.
come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: documentation /ˌdɑkjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, collaboration /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: documentation /ˌdɑkjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/, operator /ˈɑpəˌɹeɪtɚ/, electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, collaboration /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like documentation, operator, topic.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are reduced · are involved · was made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	engineering which is · mentioned, which is · aspect which is
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have done · have provided · has been done

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Functional-Oriented Documentation in Automation - Eplan & IEC 81346 Explained - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Introducing: Company Knowledge

HOW TO COMMUNICATE SEW MOVIGEAR WITH SIEMENS PLC?

Ricardo Vargas Shows How to Implement Governance During Project Execution

#03 Strategic Types of Human Resources Management

Best-Practice Process Modeling | SAP Signavio Process Manager

ESSENTIALmonitor - Rieter Digital Spinning Suite

Using Selection & Scan Processing tools for reverse engineering | Geomagic Design X

TOEIC Speaking Respond Using Information (Questions 8–10): A Trade Fair Agenda and a Product Launch Plan

15 IT Terms Everyone In Tech Recruitment Should Know – IT & Tech Recruitment Insights

Understanding the Quality Department tasks and structure: Supplier Quality Engineer (6/9)

What is Engineering?: Crash Course Engineering #1

NPI Process 1: Why A Pilot Run Before Mass Production Is Very Useful

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?