Driving the digital enterprise in South East Asia

Siemens presents showcasing a range of refined solutions as well as expertise for the digital transformation of the manufacturing and process industries towards Industrie 4.0. 

Manufacturers today are facing fundamental challenges from all aspects of their industries. Due to ever-changing consumer demands, they have to be flexible in terms of creating products that meet individualized needs, and at a speed that is faster than competitors. They also have to enhance product quality to ensure that the consumers like what they see and would return for more. All these while under the pressure to increase plant efficiency and protection in order to sustain energy, production cost and security.

Raimund Klein, Executive Vice President, Country Lead for Digital Factory (DF) and Process Industries and Drives (PD) divisions at Siemens Pte Ltd, said: “Digitalization provides interoperability between all the available data, so that they can seamlessly communicate with each other. This will enable manufacturers to make production significantly more efficient, and at the same time give them greater flexibility when it comes to tailoring production to meet market requirements. Companies looking to succeed and distinguish themselves from competitors should start exploring opportunities that digitalization can bring.”

The digitalization of the manufacturing industry, which is also known as “Industrie 4.0”, is a topic of global interest. New products must be brought to market in ever-shorter timeframes. Consumers demand for customized products to meet their specific needs. Rapidly changing markets call for a growing level of flexibility. And the constant desire for increased efficiency means shorter development time and the efficient use of resources and energy. All while maintaining, or even improving quality, in some cases.

Digital Enterprise is Siemens’ answer to Industrie 4.0. The Digital Enterprise Suite enables manufacturing companies to streamline and digitalize their entire business process, seamlessly integrating suppliers into the mix. They can begin at any point of their value chain, from product design to service, and can extend digitalization gradually, depending on their current needs.

With the Digital Enterprise Suite, Siemens offers a comprehensive portfolio of software-based systems specifically for the discrete industries. It integrates and digitalizes the complete value chain from Product Design, Production Planning, Production Engineering, Production Execution to Services. The result of the integration and digitalization of the complete value chain is a perfect digital copy of the value chain – the Digital Twin. This enables companies to perform simulation, testing, and optimization in a completely virtual world – before ever committing any resources in the real world. The connection of the virtual and real worlds leads to shorter time-to-market as well as greater flexibility, quality, and efficiency.

Separately, based on a consistent data model across the entire lifecycle of a plant, Siemens is enabling its customers in the process industries to take the next evolutionary step on their way toward Industrie 4.0. With an approach from Integrated Engineering to Integrated Operations, Siemens is making it possible for customers to achieve shorter time-to-market, greater flexibility, and efficiency gains in already existing plants or in new projects.

Also included in Siemens’ Digital Enterprise offerings is MindSphere, the cloud-based, open Internet-of-Things operating system that forms the foundation and fulfils an essential condition for data-based industrial services. As an open cloud platform for industrial applications, MindSphere opens up scope for the link-up of devices and plug-and-play connectivity using open standards. In addition to offering data analysis and versatile connectivity, it also supplies tools for developers, applications and services. MindSphere helps customers to evaluate and utilize their data in ways they had never previously envisaged – such as by optimizing the performance of their operating equipment to achieve maximum availability. MindSphere also paves the way for completely new business models such as the sale of machine hours, while users profit from benefits such as a transparent pay-per-use pricing model.

To cater to customers in Southeast Asia, the company launched ZerOne.DesIgn™, Digital Factory Manufacturing Design Consultancy, last year. Officiated by Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) Mr S Iswaran, it is the first-of-its-kind for the controls and automation industry globally to offer such technical consultancy services to help companies achieve their Industrie 4.0 vision. The consultancy possesses the technical expertise to propose effective technology improvements to help customers optimize their manufacturing processes, and digitalize their assets and machineries to enable analytics to better manage operations on a facility-wide level.

Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), this consultancy plugs a critical capability gap in the market, as while manufacturers, especially in markets like Singapore, are keen to digitalize their factories to remain competitive, many lack the knowledge and expertise of the smaller steps they can take to do so.

“In Southeast Asia, manufacturers face stiffer competition and more challenges – whether they are local small and medium enterprises or multi-national companies with small or big facilities. Regardless of size, companies are looking to be more competitive in the market and become strong players in the regional and global markets,” said Mr. Klein. “Siemens is paving the industry’s way towards digital transformation. Through our comprehensive Digital Enterprise portfolio, as well as the Siemens ZerOne.DesIgn™, we are drawing on our expertise and technological advancements to support our customers in their journey towards digitalization at every step of the way.”