Industry 4.0

"Plays a key role within the Volkswagen Group."
Although PLM developer PTC has scaled back its overall ambitions to bridge the gap between product development and manufacturing, it still has sharp solution suites in other domains. The ALM side and software management in product development are such. Doubtlessly, important pieces in industries such as automotive, medical technology, aerospace, and defense.
The core of this arsenal for PTC consists of Codebeamer, Codebeamer AI, and Pure Variants. Last week, the new versions were launched: Codebeamer 3.2, Codebeamer AI 1.0 and Pure Variants 7.2. These updates help organizations manage growing product complexity and regulatory requirements with greater confidence and control as products become increasingly software-driven.
PTC’s Enrique Krajmalnik, GM of the ALM pieces, claims that the launches strengthen the position of the company’s software management suite, stating that it is the leading system for software development and requirements management in the aforementioned regulated industries. This is done by strengthening traceability, change management, and introducing guided AI assistance that complies with regulatory and quality requirements.
“Our customers’ products are becoming increasingly complex and software-driven, and they need confidence that every change, requirement and decision is connected across the entire product lifecycle,” said Krajmalnik, claiming that they, “will help our customers continue to modernize their software development and requirements management efforts, build a stronger product database to manage complexity and apply AI effectively and responsibly.”
Clearly, the purchases of these solutions are among PTC’s smartest in recent years. Codebeamer was acquired in 2022 and fits well into an industrial world where software has become a key domain. Not least on the automotive side, where cars are increasingly becoming SDVs (Software Defined Vehicles). With the purchase of Codebeamer and other relevant software, such as Pure Variants (2023), and the addition of AI to the suite, a momentum has been created in the ALM domain.
• Pure Systems and the pure::variants solution are used by manufacturing companies to manage different variants of software and system technology assets in product configurations. Especially in regulated industries such as the automotive, aerospace, and medical technology markets.
• Another important piece of the puzzle is the large collaborative project around Codebeamer Copilot, together with the Volkswagen Group and Microsoft Azure AI. Here, the aim is to embed generative AI in the Codebeamer software. This is integrated with various tools for PLM, SCM (source code management), and MBSE (model-based system engineering) that are used throughout the VW family.
But what are the improvements in the new versions? Click on the title to read more on PLM&ERP News.

”Spelar en nyckelroll inom Volkswagen Gruppen.”
Även om PLM-utvecklaren PTC skalat ner på sina helhetsambitioner i att också överbrygga gapet mellan produktutveckling och tillverkning har man kvar skarpa lösningssviter inom andra domäner. ALM-sidan och mjukvaruhanteringen inom produktutvecklingen är en sådan. Allt extremt viktiga bitar inom industrier som automotive, medicinteknik, flyg- & rymd- och försvarsindustri.
Kärnan i denna arsenal utgörs för PTC av Codebeamer, Codebeamer AI och Pure Variants. I förra veckan lanserades de nya versionerna: Codebeamer 3.2, Codebeamer AI 1.0 och Pure Variants 7.2. Dessa uppdateringar hjälper organisationer att hantera växande produktkomplexitet och regulatoriska krav med större förtroende och kontroll i takt med att produkter blir alltmer programvarudrivna.
PTCs Enrique Krajmalnik, GM för ALM-bitarna, hävdar att lanseringarna förstärker positionen för bolagets mjukvaruhanteringssvit och menade att den är det ledande systemet för programvaruutveckling och kravhantering inom de ovan nämnda reglerade branscherna. Detta genom att stärka spårbarhet, förändringshantering och introducera styrd AI-hjälp som överensstämmer med regulatoriska krav och kvalitetskrav.
"Våra kunders produkter blir alltmer komplexa och programvarudrivna, och de behöver förtroende för att varje förändring, krav och beslut är kopplade över hela produktens livscykel," sa Krajmalnik, och hävdade att de, ”kommer att hjälpa våra kunder att fortsätta modernisera sina programvaruutvecklings- och kravhanteringsinsatser, bygga en starkare produktdatabas för att hantera komplexitet och tillämpa AI effektivt och ansvarsfullt."
Klart är att köpen av de här lösningarna är bland PTCs smartaste under de senaste åren. Codebeamer förvärvades 2022 och passar väl in i en industriell värld där mjukvara har blivit en nyckeldomän. Inte minst på fordonssidan där bilar i allt högre grad blir SDVer (Software Defined Vehicles). Med köpet av Codebeamer och de andra mjukvarorna, som Pure Variants (2023), och tillägget av AI-bitarna till sviten, har man skapat något av ett momentum inom ALM-domänen.
• Pure Systemes och pure::variants-lösningen används av tillverkningsföretag för att hantera olika varianter av mjukvaru- och systemtekniska tillgångar i produktkonfigurationer. Framför allt då inom reglerade industrier som fordons-, flyg- och medicinteknik-marknaderna.
• En annat pusselbit av betydelse är det stora samarbetsprojektet kring Codebeamer Copilot tillsammans med Volkswagen-koncernen och Microsoft Azure AI. Här är siktet är inställt på att bädda in generativ AI i Codebeamer-mjukvaran. Denna integreras med olika verktyg för PLM, SCM (källkodshantering) och MBSE (modellbaserad systemteknik) som används i hela VW-familjen.
Men vilka är förbättringarna i de nya versionerna? Klicka på rubriken för att läsa mer på PLM&ERP News.

K. KRITHIVASAN, CEO of TCS: "With our Expertise and AMD's High-Performance Processors, it is possible to move from AI experiments to using it on an industrial scale and production." It was indeed an interesting move by global consultancy TCS, Tata Consultancy Services, when it announced a strategic partnership with processor manufacturer AMD. Together, the companies will help organizations modernize hybrid cloud and edge environments, implement AI-powered workplace solutions, and accelerate innovation. TCS will also quickly develop skills and certify its employees in AMD's hardware and software technology. The latter has stepped up at a high development pace in recent years, in a tough fight with Intel in particular. On the one hand, this has been about CPUs, Central Processing Units, which are the brains of the computer and perform all calculations. But even more interesting in the AI context is that AMD has also been very aggressive in its development work when it comes to GPUs, Graphic Processing Units. This is a heavy point from TCS' perspective: GPUs are central to modern AI solutions. Primarily for the GPUs' ability to perform massively parallel data processing. While traditional processors are designed for sequential tasks, GPUs can perform thousands of mathematical operations simultaneously, which is crucial for the data-intensive nature of artificial intelligence. This structure makes GPUs important for high-performance workloads such as machine learning, edge computing, automation, and other things that belong to state-of-the-art product realization on an AI-driven industrial scale. Not least, AMD is currently in the spotlight due to its aggressive roadmap for AI acceleration – most recently related to the MI400 series – and its successful navigation in the volatile macroeconomic environment of 2025. With a market cap that has seen explosive growth in line with its data center revenue, AMD has become a leader in the industry’s quest for an “open ecosystem alternative” to NVIDIA’s proprietary standards. The goal is to help enterprises scale their AI adoption from pilot projects to full production, modernize existing IT environments, and build secure, high-performance digital workplaces. The companies now aim jointly to develop industry-specific solutions for AI and generative AI. This will be done by combining TCS’s deep industry knowledge and systems integration capabilities with AMD’s portfolio of computing and AI products. “This is a significant step in scaling AI for enterprises. By combining TCS’s expertise with AMD’s high-performance computing capabilities, we are enabling organizations to move from experimenting with AI to using it at scale and in production,” said K. Krithivasan (pictured), CEO and Group President, Tata Consultancy Services.
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Meet the New Nordic Boss, MATTIAS BOLANDER, in today's interview.
It will be a well-known profile the business systems world who will take over as Nordic head of the growing ERP developer IFS: Former SAP veteran Mattias Bolander, most recently the Nordic boss at Palo Alto Networks, has joined IFS. Beyond his recent roles, he brings a weighty ten-year tenure at SAP and six years at Workday. Why does he believe in IFS, and what are his priorities as cloud and AI radically rebuild company operations?
In today's article, PLM&ERP News has discussed these pieces with Bolander, who claims that IFS meets the market's needs and development almost perfectly; both when it comes to the cloud, with the IFS Cloud platform, and AI, where they have quickly developed both top-class copilot and agent solutions. The company has also continued to perform well on the revenue side with just under €1.3 billion in 2024, of which around 20 percent comes from the Nordic operations.
“Yes, the cloud and AI are key areas,” says Bolander. “My vision is that our region most clearly demonstrates how cloud, AI, and service management create real business value. We have effective tools to get this right. Above all, built on our industry specialization strategy,” says IFS’s new Nordics leader. “In their eagerness to lift everything to the cloud, many larger players have not been able to move all functionality to this platform, which has meant that some companies have received less functionality in their new cloud solutions. This is also why we have seen many new ‘cloud-native’ players using the opportunity to establish solutions on the market. Our advantage, however, is that we do not need to be everything to everyone – our focus and our acquisitions have led to us being the best at what we do within our core industries:
Clearly, Bolander’s views are not just taken out of thin air and the result of IFS marketing chauvinism. PLM&ERP News has reported, for example, that in October 2025, analyst Gartner included IFS Cloud in the ‘Magic Quadrant’, the leaders quadrant. Visionarily, IFS Cloud is regarded as the most complete solution in the leadership category with capabilities to quickly respond to changing circumstances – supply chain shortages, labor shortages, skills gaps, regulations, and environmental changes. Therefore, when an innovation wave like AI arrives, you can quickly develop and deploy new industrial processes that drive disproportionately much value.
Today's IFS announcement also means that Ann-Kristin Sander, after nearly 15 years at IFS, four of which were spent at the helm of the Nordics, is stepping down as CEO and taking on a role as Executive Advisor within IFS.
"Together with our employees, we have delivered strong growth and results within IFS Nordics by working closely with our customers and partners to solve business challenges and create long-term value," she said.
How will the Nordic movement develop with Mattias Bolander at the helm? Click on the headline to read the full interview on PLM&ERP News.

AJ INCORVAIA, senior VP, circuit board systems: “Adds groundbreaking capabilities for test technology and earlier optimization in the design cycle.”
When Siemens announced this week that it was acquiring ASTER Technologies, a market leader in test verification and design software for printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), it confirmed the company’s heavy investment in electronics design and EDA (Electronic Design Automation). It is also no coincidence that since the purchase of Mentor Graphics in 2017, Siemens Digital Industries Software has advanced to a top position in the EDA domain. The company’s related solutions are managed within the framework of the Siemens EDA division and have been continuously sharpened, partly through internal product development and integration, and partly through the acquisition of complementary companies and solutions. Today, Siemens EDA is considered one of the “big three” in the EDA domain, together with Cadence and Synopsys.
But what gives Siemens an edge over its competitors is the integration of the electronics solutions in the Xcelerator portfolio, which means that the EDA pieces can be seamlessly connected to all tools in the digital product development loop, from CAD, simulation & analysis, to digital manufacturing management and more. It is a depth that no other developer has.
The ASTER acquisition further strengthens the company's EDA capabilities. A major strategic point is that it integrates ASTER's advanced "shift-left" Design for Test (DFT) functionality directly into Siemens EDA's PCB flagship Xpedition and the Valor software. Both of these are available with the Xcelerator portfolio and include one of the most comprehensive tools for electronic system design on the market. The acquisition gives customers access to a truly integrated digital thread from circuit board design to manufacturing, enabling earlier defect detection, reduced costs, faster time-to-market, and improved product quality and reliability.
“That’s right,” said AJ Incorvaia (pictured), senior VP and GM of electronic systems at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “With the addition of ASTER Technologies, our users will have access to groundbreaking capabilities in PCB design and manufacturing. By integrating ASTER’s market-leading test technology software, customers can optimize much earlier in the design cycle.”
Notably, the acquisition comes at a critical time in the industry: Increasing demand for automotive electronics and higher levels of integration of 5G technology into electronic systems require robust test solutions for safety, reliability, and compliance with stringent standards. A comprehensive test strategy is therefore essential to detect defects, avoid costly design rework, prevent product returns, and reduce field failures. Organizations are increasingly looking for DFT functionality embedded in their PCB design solutions and an integrated PCB design workflow.
Click the link to read more on PLM&ERP News.

AJ INCORVAIA, senior VP, kretskortsystem: ”ASTER-köpet tillför banbrytande kapaciteter för testteknik och tidigare optimering i designcykeln.”
När Siemens i veckan meddelade att man köper ASTER Technologies, en marknadsledare inom testverifiering och konstruktionsmjukvara för kretskortsmontering (PCB Assembly) var det ytterligare en bekräftelse på bolagets tunga satsning på elektronik-design och EDA (Electronic Design Automation). Det är heller inga tillfälligheter att Siemens Digital Industries Software sedan köpet av Mentor Graphics 2017 avancerat upp till en toppostion inom EDA-domänen. Bolagets relaterade lösningar samlas och hanteras inom ramen för Siemens EDA-division och har kontinuerligt vässats, dels via organisk intern produktutveckling och integration, dels via köp av kompletterande bolag och lösningskapabiliteter. Idag räknas också Siemens EDA som en av ”de tre stora” inom elektronikdesign-domänen tillsammans med Cadence och Synopsys.
Men det som ger Siemens ett försteg framför konkurrenterna är integration av elektroniklösningarna i Xcelerator-portföljen, vilket innebär att EDA-bitarna sömlöst kan kopplas till alla delar i den kompletta produktdesign-loopen, med allt ifrån CAD, simulering & analys, till digital tillverkningshantering och annat. Det är ett djup och en styrka som ingen annan utvecklare kan lägga upp på bordet.
När Siemens nu köper ASTER stärks ytterligare bolagets kapabiliteter inom elektronikdesign. En tung strategisk poäng är att man integrerar ASTERs avancerade "shift-left" Design for Test (DFT)-funktionalitet direkt i Siemens EDAs PCB-flaggskepp Xpedition och Valor-programvaran. Båda dessa finns med Siemens Xcelerator-portföljen och innehåller en av marknadens mest omfattande digitala verktyg för design av elektroniska system. Förvärvet ger kunderna tillgång till en verkligt integrerad digital tråd från kretskortsdesign till tillverkning, vilket möjliggör tidigare defektdetektering, minskade kostnader, snabbare time-to-market och förbättrad produktkvalitet och tillförlitlighet.
”Så är det,” säger AJ Incorvaia, senior VP och general manager för elektroniska system på Siemens Digital Industries Software. "Med det som ASTER Technologies tillför får våra användare tillgång till banbrytande kapaciteter inom kretskortsdesign och -tillverkning. Genom att integrera ASTERs marknadsledande testteknikprogramvara ger vi våra kunder möjlighet att optimera design mycket tidigare i designcykeln."
Notabelt är att förvärvet kommer vid en kritisk tidpunkt i branchen: Den ökande efterfrågan på fordonselektronik och den ökade integrationen av 5G-teknik i elektroniksystem kräver robusta testlösningar för att säkerställa säkerhet, tillförlitlighet och efterlevnad av stränga standarder. En omfattande teststrategi är därmed avgörande för att upptäcka defekter, undvika kostsamma designomtagningar, förhindra produktreturer och minska fältfel. Organisationer söker i allt högre grad DFT-funktionalitet inbäddad i sina kretskortsdesignlösningar och ett integrerat arbetsflöde för kretskortsdesign.
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The PLM&ERP News' editorial office will be closed for the holiday season from December 23, 2025, through January 7, 2026. We would like to thank our readers for an incredible year. In our industry, 2025 was defined by major headlines, transformative shifts, and vital discussions regarding the future of our field. We hope you all enjoy a well-deserved period of rest and recovery before we begin 2026.
Click on the link to be directed to PLM&ERP News.

TAPIO JUURAKKO, CEO of Nextage: "EMIXA's technology portfolio and international experience provide great value for our customers."
Dutch PLM and integration consultant Emixa is acquiring Nordic PLM consultant in the Siemens sphere, Nextage Group, with 34 employees, revenues of just over $7 million, and Sweden, Denmark, and Finland as main markets. No purchase price was disclosed.
The significantly larger Emixa, with 530 employees and owned by private equity firm Holland Capital, is, like Nextage, specialized in solutions for design, manufacturing, and simulation, with a focus on Siemens Digital Industries Software's "arsenal" in the Xcelerator portfolio. Emixa works primarily with the full spectrum of Siemens software: The Teamcenter platform as the PLM backbone, CAD design in NX and Solid Edge, simulation in the Simcenter suite, Polarion on the ALM and software management side, and Tecnomatics for digital manufacturing. But it also uses technologies such as SAP ERP, the low-code platform Mendix, and Boomi integration.
Nextage also builds its business on Siemens software, around which it has created an interesting solution, NVP, a standardized PLM platform built on Siemens Teamcenter, "best practices", and deep PLM experience. A strong point is the record-breaking fast implementation. "Users can be up and running in ten days, including tools for CAD management, product structures, and document management," PLM&ERP News stated in an article a few years ago.
Emixa has a background that isn’t uncommon in the PLM consulting industry, where consolidations among the major PLM developers' partner side have been a hallmark of the past half-decade. The company is described in the press material as a digital transformation actor and was formed through the acquisition and rebranding of several specialized companies, starting with Holland Capital's acquisition of Magnus Digital in 2020. By 2021, PLM Solutions and Dimensys had merged, and the three companies merged to form Emixa. In the following years, Emixa continued to grow through further acquisitions, including Appronto and OnePLM, all to sharpen its PLM, low-code, and integration expertise. In 2024-2025, the group was rebranded under the name Emixa, unified its ID, and continued its expansion, especially in Eastern Europe.
With today's announcement of Emixa's acquisition, the company is expanding into the Nordic market, marking an important milestone in Emixa's European expansion.
“An exciting next step for Nextage and our customers. We have built a solid foundation in the Nordics, and with Emixa’s complementary technology portfolio and international experience, we can offer even more value and capacity to our customers,” says Tapio Juurakko (pictured), CEO, founder, and owner of Nextage Group.
“A deal based on Siemens technology that accelerates the digital transformation in Nordic industry,” says Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Nordic chief, Zandra Nilsson.
Click on the headline to read more on PLM&ERP News.

TAPIO JUURAKKO, CEO för Nextage: "EMIXAs teknikportfölj och internationella erfarenhet ger ett stort värde för våra kunder."
Nederländska PLM- och integrations-konsulten Emixa köper svenska PLM-konsulten inom Siemens-sfären, Nextage Group, med 34 anställda, intäkter på drygt 70 miljoner kronor och Sverige, Danmark och Finland som huvudmarknader. Någon köpeskilling anges inte av parterna.
Det betydligt större Emixa, har 530 anställda och ägs av private equity-bolaget Holland Capital, och är liksom Nextage specialiserat på lösningar för design, tillverkning och simulering, med fokus på Siemens Digital Industries Softwares arsenal av mjukvaror i Xcelerator-portföljen. Emixa arbetar i detta främst med hela spektret av Siemen-mjukvaror: Med Teamcenter-plattformen som PLM-backbone och med CAD-design i NX och Solid Edge, simulering i Simcenter-sviten, Polarion på ALM- och mjukvaruhantering-sidan och med Tecnomatics för digital tillverkning. Men man utnyttjar även teknologier som SAP ERP, lågkod-plattformen Mendix och Boomi-integration.
Även Nextage bygger sin verksamhet på Siemens-mjukvarorna, kring vilket man byggt upp en intressant lösning NVP, en standardiserad PLM-plattform, NVP, byggd på Siemens Teamcenter, ”best practices” och en lång PLM erfarenhet. En tung poäng med denna är rekordsnabb implementation. ”Användarna kan vara uppe och rulla på tio dagar, inkluderat verktyg för CAD-management, produktstrukturer och dokumenthantering,” konstaterade PLM&ERP News i en artikel fölr några år sedan.
Emixa har en idag inte ovanlig bakgrund i PLM-konsult-branschen, där konsolideringar bland de stora PLM-utvecklarnas partnersida varit ett utmärkande drag de senaste halvdecenniet. Bolaget beskrivs i pressmaterialet som ett digitalt transformationsföretag och bildades genom förvärv och omprofilering av flera specialiserade företag, med början i Holland Capitals förvärv av Magnus Digital 2020. År 2021 hade PLM Solutions och Dimensys gått samman, och de tre företagen gick samman för att bilda Emixa. Under de följande åren fortsatte Emixa att växa genom ytterligare förvärv, inklusive Appronto och OnePLM, allt för att vässa sin PLM-, low-code och integrationsexpertis. Under 2024-2025 omprofilerades gruppen officiellt under det enda namnet Emixa, förenade sin identitet och fortsatte sin expansion, särskilt i Östeuropa.
Med dagens besked om Emixas förvärv expanderar bolaget in på den nordiska marknaden, vilket markerar en viktig milstolpe i Emixas europeiska expansion.
”Ett spännande nästa steg för Nextage och våra kunder. Vi har byggt en solid grund i Norden, och med Emixas kompletterande teknikportfölj och internationella erfarenhet kan vi erbjuda ännu mer värde och kapacitet till våra kunder,” säger Tapio Juurakko, CEO, grundare och ägare av Nextage Group.
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CEO Roland Busch on FY2025: “Strong ARR growth, Q4 momentum for AI & PLM, and the Altair and Dotmatic acquisitions that will pave the way for a profitable future."
It was a mixed result that Roland Busch presented in Siemens Q4 FY2025 Earnings Report. The company does not disclose carved-out figures from various divisions but describes the general financial picture. For FY2025, total revenue thus increased by 4% to €78.9 billion (about $91 billion). For Siemens Digital Industries, which includes the automation and PLM segments, an expected marginal revenue decline was noted due to the global economic slowdown that primarily affected investments in automation solutions. However, Busch highlighted strong performance in its software business, including AI and PLM, contributing to record annual net income and free cash flow for the group. Full-year profit in the "Industrial Business" rose to a record level, up 3% to 11.8 billion. He specifically credited the growth in areas like software and AI for achieving record net income:
“FY2025 is the third consecutive year we have achieved a record net income, with growth in orders and revenue in the mid-single digits,” he said, adding in a look ahead to FY2026 that “the acquisitions of Altair and Dotmatics extend our leadership in software and AI.”
But while the full year showed record cash flow and growth in divisions such as Smart Infrastructure and Mobility, the Digital Industries segment, despite good growth figures in the fourth quarter, landed on less strong total growth numbers for the full year. But there were bright spots too, like the momentum in Q4: Plus 10%, for the automation side, and a significant 8% growth in the software areas, “driven by the PLM software in the Xcelerator portfolio.” The latter concerns programs such as NX CAD, the PLM platform Teamcenter, the CAE solutions in the Simcenter portfolio, the EDA software, the ALM solutions with the Polarion suite, and Opcenter for digital production management.
The company does not disclose exactly how much Siemens' PLM division will bring in FY2025, but according to analyst CIMdata, the figure in 2024 was in the region of $7 billion, just ahead of Dassault Systemes' $6.7 billion. The company was thus the commercial number one. According to the same source, the growth rate for Siemens PLM software revenues between 2020 and 2024 has been steady at an annual growth of around 6%. If this trend continues, the PLM division will reach the $7.5 billion revenue level for 2025.
But with that said, there is one figure that stands out: the ARR growth, Annual Recurring Revenue, which landed at plus 10% for FY2025Q4 compared to FY2024Q4. This figure covers the core of Siemens' GTM strategy. Why is it so important?
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