Siemens 2007 Annual Report Download - page 27

At a Glance 27
Our innovators and innovations
Industry
Energy
Healthcare
Raymond Liao Henrik Stiesdal Thomas Flohr
From wireless wizard to industrial revolutionary
Raymond Liao’s Ph.D. thesis in electrical engineering actually focused on wireless telecommunications net-
works. But when the dot-com bubble burst, he found another area in which to apply his skills. Ever fl exible,
Liao changed direction, joined Siemens and developed a wireless communications solution for industrial
applications that far surpasses anything our competitors have to offer.
Industrial wireless LAN (IWLAN) technology makes it possible – for the fi rst time – to precisely control
industrial machines without using expensive cable connections. The solution increases factory fl exibility
and improves production quality. By guaranteeing data transfer rates in the millisecond range, special
IWLAN software allows the effective monitoring and control of machines while eliminating data bottlenecks
and costly error chains.
Unleashing the power of the wind
Henrik Stiesdal built his fi rst wind turbine on his family’s farm right after he fi nished high school in 1976.
A larger version, which he developed while still working on his university degree in biology, was one of the
fi rst commercially viable wind turbines in the history of modern wind power. Stiesdal – an enthusiastic
sailor – later joined Bonus Energy, which was funneled into Siemens Wind Power in 2004. Today, he focuses
on two main goals: to optimize annual electricity yields and maximize reliability.
In Denmark, we’re using a patented single-cast process to manufacture turbine blades for wind power
systems. Produced without joints, the blades are the toughest in the wind power industry. As the global
market leader in the offshore sector, we offer the world’s most powerful wind turbines in series production.
With a capacity of 3.6 MWs, our turbines generate over 100 times more power than the fi rst wind turbines,
which were marketed some 25 years ago.
Helping people through technology
Thomas Flohr has been developing computed tomography (CT) systems at Siemens Medical Solutions for
the past 18 years. In that time, he’s made key contributions in the fi eld of CT imaging. Flohr – who has a
doctorate in physics – explains his approach this way: “You constantly exchange ideas with your customers
while keeping the focus on their requirements.” Flohr pursues his goals with great enthusiasm and
persis-
tence. And, as the fi gures show, this is clearly a recipe for success: Med is now a global leader in CT scanners.
Siemens’ SOMATOM Defi nition has revolutionized CT technology. Boasting two X-ray tubes and two de-
tectors that rotate in synchrony, the innovative system provides twice the temporal resolution, operates at
twice the speed and delivers twice the power of conventional scanners – with substantially lower radiation
exposure. The outcome: enhanced patient satisfaction and unprecedented image quality, so that diseases of
the blood vessels, heart and other organs can be detected earlier, diagnosed faster and treated more pre-
cisely than ever before. The technology’s wide popularity is yet further proof of its effectiveness: Since mar-
ket launch, more than 250 SOMATOM Defi nition scanners have been installed worldwide.