By Dick Slansky.
At the recent Siemens PLM Connection Users Conference and Analyst Day, Siemens presented a look at new markets for PLM, future directions for the company in R&D, innovation, and new technologies, and the realization of the company’s end-to-end virtual lifecycle, from concept and design to factory floor operations. Siemens Industrial Automation (IA), Siemens PLM’s parent division, is integrating and expanding its product design (CAx), collaborative product data management (cPDM), and digital manufacturing (DM) software offerings with its plant lifecycle engineering (COMOS), and manufacturing operations execution (SIMATIC IT) software. Siemens IA’s solution set now ranges from product design through manufacturing, to operations on both the plant and factory floor.
Business has rebounded well for Siemens PLM, with strong license growth in the first two quarters of 2010. The good news for Siemens PLM and the PLM market in general is that new markets like energy, shipbuilding, and healthcare provide a significant amount of this new growth. Business appears to be rebounding in the automotive, aerospace, and industrial & heavy equipment sectors, all traditional strengths for the PLM market. Siemens PLM continues to focus on these industrial verticals with constantly evolving design/build solutions.
Siemens PLM Solutions Focus on the Virtual Lifecycle, Complexity, and Systems Engineering
All industrial sectors must deal with multiple challenges and issues in bringing new products to the market and maintaining market presence once they establish a niche. In his keynote presentation, Tony Affuso, CEO of Siemens PLM, pointed out how the company is focusing on several areas to address these challenges. Product complexity has become one of the major issues for manufacturers, and can be a key differentiator for a company’s growth and sustainability in its markets. Siemens PLM addresses this issue with platforms and solutions that deal with developing smart products and processes through systems engineering-based integration of multiple engineering disciplines. These platforms enable mechatronic development of mechanical, electrical, and software systems that produce smarter, but also more complex products and production systems.
Smarter products and processes drive a shift toward more dynamic processes and integration methods needed for building and testing new products, as well as the need to innovate constantly. Affuso pointed out that in today’s business enterprise, CIOs focus 55 percent of their time and effort on innovation. Companies place much more emphasis on the virtual development process, from concept and design through testing, manufacturing, and support. Manufacturers understand the benefits of virtually validating all phases of the lifecycle versus delaying quality assurance and product validation until physical prototypes are available. Siemens PLM regards the systems engineering approach critical to dealing with complexity in product development, and many of its applications and development platforms currently reflect this. By leveraging this product development approach, users can accelerate time to market, enhance quality, and reduce production costs. It will be a key differentiator for companies.
Siemens Industrial Automation Integrates the Total Lifecycle
Helmuth Ludwig, President of Siemens PLM, offered his view of how Siemens Industrial Automation now offers all core elements of the global industrial software market. This fulfills the vision Siemens IA had when it acquired Siemens PLM (UGS) several years ago: an end-to-end lifecycle of software solutions starting with concept and design, through manufacturing, and culminating with factory/plant operations and automation. This complete lifecycle platform includes product design (CAD) and test (CAE) with Siemens’ NX and Solid Edge, collaborative product data management (PDM) with the company’s Teamcenter, and digital manufacturing with Tecnomatix. Further, these design/build domains are then integrated with SIMATIC IT for manufacturing execution and factory operations and with Siemens’ COMOS for plant and process lifecycle engineering. Teamcenter will function as the core collaborative repository for all design and processes data.
HD-PLM Technology Streamlines Decision-Making Process
Chuck Grindstaff, CTO & EVP of Products, provided a glimpse into the Siemens PLM High Definition (HD) PLM technology framework. HD-PLM provides a comprehensive inter-disciplinary source of information across all product lifecycle domains. HD-PLM represents a virtual 3D repository of information that includes design models, simulation, manufacturing processes, and all data stakeholders need in the product development lifecycle to make the right decisions in the development process. As Grindstaff explained, HD-PLM provides four primary functions in obtaining and using information: 1) Personalize the user experience, 2) Assist decision-making, 3) Clarify understanding with rich information, and 4) Validate decisions against best practices. The idea, according to Grindstaff, is for HD-PLM to enable users to move through the planning, development, manufacturing, and support stages for the product lifecycle with all information necessary and accessible to accomplish each stage. HD-PLM can be applied to any industry and the processes unique to that industry.
Siemens PLM Brands Cover the Development Lifecycle
Steve Bashada, VP, Teamcenter Products, provided a strategic update for the Teamcenter collaborative product data management solution set. He reviewed upgrades for all 14 of Teamcenter’s major modules. Some key Teamcenter investment areas included HD-PLM (described previously), Systems Engineering, Collaborative Product Development (CPD), and client strategies. Systems engineering was a significant focus based on the trend for more complex products along with multi-engineering discipline development requirements for mechatronic-based products. Teamcenter’s systems engineering methodology guides engineers through the stages of requirements mapping to functional specs, logical component development, to the physical parts. Other key investments included improvements in performance and scalability and a product and production lifecycle review process. Additionally, Teamcenter will play a key role in the Siemens Industrial Automation core software architecture involving the SIMATIC IT production suite, PLC/DCS automation platforms of COMOS and automation designer, along with Tecnomatix digital manufacturing.
For digital manufacturing, Siemens PLM’s Tecnomatix brand continued to expand in terms of the scope of solutions and integration with the overall Siemens IA software portfolio. For assembly planning and validation, the company enhanced simulation solutions for automated assembly, hu-man/ergonomic applications, and robotics. In sync with the ongoing trend in manufacturing to converge MES/shop floor operations with PLM, Tecnomatix is now more integrated with SIMATIC IT through the Teamcenter Manufacturing backbone. Closed loop integration between CAM and CNC machining processes extends shop floor integration by way of an NX-CAM to SINUMERIC CNC link. This demonstrates the on-going integration between Siemens PLM solutions and Siemens IA automation technology.
Adoption of virtual commissioning and validation of production systems is beginning to move beyond the automotive, aerospace and defense industries to machine tools and other machine systems such as packaging and material handling. Tecnomatix simulation technology is beginning to penetrate these industries. Tecnomatix 9 now offers standard logic programming blocks and an OPC interface for plant simulation. Additionally, the company has integrated the quality solution Dimensional Planning & Validation (DPV) application into Tecnomatix 9.
Conclusion
Siemens PLM has emerged from the downturn of 2008 and 2009 stronger than ever and is clearly on track with its end-to-end PLM vision. At an executive panel discussion with industry analysts, company executives pointed out that Q1-2010 provided a very good indicator that business had rebounded strongly, with double-digit growth in new licenses. Interestingly, the US and Brazil led this rebound in business, indicating that American industries are doing business again, and ‘BRIC’ countries only took a short breather in their growing economies. Going head-to-head against their competition, Siemens PLM states that they win the majority of business, which the company attributes to customers that need a very fast ROI. Significantly, some recent wins involve displacing a competitor’s installed base, a traditionally difficult task to accomplish in the PLM market.
One of the more significant factors for Siemens PLM and for the PLM suppliers in general, is the move into non-traditional industries like energy, utilities, AEC, shipbuilding, consumer products, and life sciences. In energy and power, Siemens PLM has an excellent market for its PLM solutions within its own parent company, which is a major global player. Additionally, it will be able to leverage the market dominance of Teamcenter with existing customer base to move other solutions within its PLM and IA solution portfolio (NX, Tecnomatix, Synchronous Technology, SIMATIC IT, etc.). Finally, Siemens PLM feels it has fulfilled the original promise of the company’s vision for an end-to-end design/build development platform, from concept and design, through manufacturing, to the factory floor operations and automation, utilizing the best of both worlds of Siemens PLM and Siemens IA.
ARC clients can view the complete report at Siemens PLM Realizes the Vision of the End-to-End Design/Build Lifecycle
If you would like to buy this report or obtain information about how to become a client, please contact info@arcweb.com