Siemens 2013 Annual Report Download - page 214

92 A. To our Shareholders
117 B. Corporate Governance 155 C. Combined Management Report
156 C. Business and economic environment
173 C. Financial performance system
179 C. Results of operations
192 C. Financial position
204 C. Net assets position
207 C. Overall assessment of the economic position
209 C. Subsequent events
210 C. Sustainability
227 C. Report on expected developments and
associated material opportunities and risks
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net efficiency rating of .% at an output of  megawatts.
In April , three additional power plant blocks featuring
H-Class gas turbines commenced commercial operation in
Cape Canaveral, Florida. Another combined-cycle power plant
with this turbine as the main driver has been commissioned in
August  in Dangjin, South Korea. It also reaches an effi-
ciency level of approximately %.
In fiscal , Siemens installed the HelWin offshore plat-
forms in the North Sea. With a capacity of  megawatts
(MW), these platforms will supply clean wind-generated elec-
tricity to more than , German households on the main-
land. HelWin will link the two offshore wind farms, known as
Nordsee Ost and Meerwind, to the mainland. The alternating
current power generated by the wind turbines is transformed
into low-loss high-voltage direct current (HVDC) for transmis-
sion onto land. The total transmission losses for this connec-
tion are less than %. Siemens’ HVDC Plus technology not only
reduces the space requirements for HVDC systems, which is a
decisive factor for installation at sea, but also features self-
stabilization. This enhances grid reliability in the event of
power fluctuations, which can occur with wind-based power
generation.
The R&D activities in the Healthcare Sector are focused on
meeting customer requirements, which are the result of two
major trends: the world’s population continues to grow steadi-
ly and to get older. These trends increase the pressure on
healthcare providers to treat more and more people at increas-
ingly lower costs in order to stabilize rising healthcare expen-
ditures. To overcome the challenges of making healthcare
more efficient and more effective, the healthcare measures
have to focus on the individual patient and the success of the
treatment.
One of the Sector’s R&D fields involves the development of
systems that help physicians make precise diagnoses of large
numbers of patients and are also robust, easy to use, and inex-
pensive to purchase and maintain. One example is the world’s
first wireless ultrasound device, Acuson Freestyle. The system
makes it easier to use advanced ultrasound technology in ar-
eas that need to be aseptic, or sterile. Examples include inter-
ventional radiology, anesthesiology, intensive care, catheter
labs, and emergency care. Ultrasound with wireless transduc-
ers is also ideally suited for minimally-invasive procedures
such as nerve blockades, access to blood vessels, and position-
ing for therapeutic interventions and biopsies.
Along with its full-size computed tomography scanner
SOMATOM Perspective , Healthcare offers a version designed
especially for outpatient clinic and small and medium-sized
hospitals named SOMATOM Perspective . It reduces radia-
tion doses for patients by up to  percent, with improved
image quality. The system needs only  square meters, it can
be installed in less than two days, and it comes with low
energy consumption and air-conditioning requirements. Both
versions are among the most economical scanners in their
respective classes.
Another focus area is automating clinical work processes and
optimizing laboratory diagnostics, with a goal of enabling phy-
sicians to identify diseases more precisely and at an earlier
stage. Physicians are then able to monitor the effect of medica-
tions more accurately and benefit from the evaluation and ana-
lytical capabilities of modern computer technology. As a result,
therapies can be tailored more closely to a patient’s needs. The
Sector also develops products that meet the specific, targeted
requirements of the healthcare systems of emerging countries.
One of the R&D priorities in the Industry Sector is the soft-
ware-based integration of product planning and production
processes within the framework of product lifecycle manage-
ment. The objective is to accelerate processes at every point
along the value chain. A good example is the technology for
industrial production of implants. With the help of intelligent
software solutions, prosthetics can be produced more effi-
ciently and cost-effectively. Innovative technologies like
these can cut the time from design to market in the manufac-
turing industry by up to %. The further development of
automation and drive technology, and industrial software in
particular, plays a major role here. This applies to the product
development and production process as well as to the inte-
gration of the drive system. It also applies to metal manufac-
turing, where the software-assisted planning and operation
of entire steel mills are increasingly influencing production.
Moreover, the Industry Sector is striving to achieve greater
energy efficiency, reduce raw material consumption, and
lower emissions. These objectives also guide the develop-
ment of technology-based service concepts such as energy
management and remote maintenance systems, as well as
the creation of efficient, resource-conserving solutions for
steel production.
R&D activities in our Infrastructure & Cities Sector focus on
urban growth issues. Main research fields therefore cover sus-
tainable technologies for major metropolitan areas and their
infrastructures. The main aims are to increase energy efficien-
cy, reduce burdens on the environment, increase cost-effec-
tiveness, and improve the quality of life in cities. To this end,
the Sector develops building technologies that conserve energy,
solutions for ensuring an efficient and secure supply of elec-
tricity in cities, and intelligent traffic and transport systems.