NUREMBERG, Germany – Bentley Systems and Siemens announced this week “a strategic collaboration to advance the integration of digital product design and manufacturing processes design with information modeling for facilities lifecycle design.” The two have signed a memorandum of understanding to “deliver intelligent and sustainable digital factory infrastructure.” At the outset, the focus will be on automotive and discrete manufacturing.
The Siemens Division Industry Automation and Bentley Systems will initially collaborate on common file formats and content, integrated workflows for factory layout, and the convergence of process and layout, according to a press release. The two organizations have previously deployed technology offerings developed by the other, they said. In the longer term, the companies will explore opportunities for jointly developed technology to expand industry-centric solutions and further collaboration interoperability between Siemens’ Teamcenter and Bentley’s ProjectWise software.
Teamcenter product lifecycle management software is designed to manage complex product design and fit in with global operations. Similarly, ProjectWise is designed for “work sharing, facilitating the use of virtual talent, dynamic review for improved project quality, and content reuse for extended value.” Together, they stand to bring equipment design and facility design into one common collaboration environment.
Siemens Industry Automation Division CEO Anton S. Huber said in a statement, “Together we will drive the paradigm shift that will establish unified and fully collaborative product and production lifecycles for our customers. This will facilitate workflow efficiencies moving our users to the next level of productivity.”
Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley said in the same release, “We at Bentley have redefined asset performance management to span OPEX and CAPEX and are bringing our information mobility technologies to bear on the unification of the project and asset lifecycles. With Siemens converging product and manufacturing process lifecycles, the digital factory seems the ideal inaugural target application for a combined and expanded unification effort.”
