Siemens 2007 Annual Report Download - page 52

52 Industry
ning and real-world manufacturing. Information
can be seamlessly relayed from simulation to reali-
ty and back again – to the benefi t of both worlds.
The knowledge and expertise gained in the process
is then digitally stored so it can be used again for
designing and planning new projects.
Acquisition of UGS Corp.
Siemens has been driving the development of virtu-
al engineering methods for many years, working
intensively with business partners and customers
to merge the virtual factory and real-life manufac-
turing processes. And now – with the acquisition of
UGS Corp. of Plano, Texas, a world-leading supplier
of product lifecycle management (PLM) software –
these efforts are about to pay off. By plugging digi-
tal PLM expertise from UGS into its own automation
technologies, Siemens is poised to bridge the gap
between the virtual world of product and produc-
tion design and the nuts and bolts world of the fac-
tory fl oor.
BMW Spartanburg
The complete upgrade of BMW’s Spartanburg,
South Carolina facility at the start of 2006 pro vided
a preview of what the new partnership between
Siemens and UGS holds in store. As part of the
overhaul, key plant components – such as the com-
plex marriage system that automatically joins car
bodies with powertrains – were completely rede-
signed. Using software jointly developed by
Siemens and UGS, the new machines were simulat-
ed on PCs and every step in the process was tested
in advance. The results were impressive: BMW engi-
neers completed real-world commissioning of all
basic machine functions in only one day – a process
that previously took more than a week.
In just a few years, the virtual commissioning of
manufacturing systems – still a novelty at BMW
Spartanburg – will be the industry standard. Virtu-
al engineering and real-world manufacturing are
morphing into one. And Siemens is pioneering the
process. With its acquisition of UGS, the Company
is now the fi rst supplier in the industry sector to
offer seamless hardware and software solutions
covering the entire lifecycle of products and manu-
facturing facilities – an advance that will enable
cus tomers to boost effi ciency to unprecedented
levels.