AutoCAD P&ID 2008 set to storm plant design market

AutoCAD P&ID 2008 is set to be a key application in a forthcoming suite of products that Autodesk says it will bring to the plant design market. Built on the AutoCAD platform, it should require no additional training, and this latest version appears to improve on many aspects – including in project setup, drafting usability, equipment behaviour, data access, editing, DWF publishing and ISO standards support, as well as customisation. Bruce Jenkins, president of research and co-founder of analyst Spar Point Research, says: “In addition to being a familiar, widely adopted P&ID drafting application, AutoCAD P&ID 2008 now lets engineers extract accurate P&ID logic and information necessary for critical operational and design decisions, without requiring the central database or highly structured project-centric setup procedures associated with much more complex systems.” Sandwich, Kent-based Pfizer Engineering Services says it expects to see significant time and cost savings. “The overall costs of our services to our company will be reduced because our P&IDs can be drawn more efficiently. Staff are familiar with AutoCAD, they have additional data rich information within them, and process engineers now have quick and easy access to complex reporting functionality,” says Tim Delbaere, drawing office manager, Pfizer Engineering Services.