In his keynote, Hemmelgarn discussed his vision of what the rapidly evolving and changing world requires in terms of discussions, analyses, directives and drivers for the future. Something he also said was manifested partly in, “the incredible results that our customers achieve with our tools,” and partly in the perspective of what he called, “the world’s most comprehensive digital twin technology.”
The latter is symptomatic of what Hemmelgarn means by “the world’s most comprehensive” (digital twin). The definition looks like this: “A digital twin is a virtual representation or digital equivalent of a physical object, system or process. It is created using real-time data, simulation and modelling techniques to reflect the behaviour, properties and performance of its physical counterpart.”
In this, Hemmelgarn believes that Siemens’ solution for the concept is the most advanced, integrated and open in the industry. It is also clear that the concept has now gained wide acceptance among Siemens customers. Digital twins are used in industries including manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and energy to optimize performance, monitor operations and facilitate decision-making.
Altair Expands the Reach of AI Technology
Not unexpectedly, the spectacular $10 billion purchase of Altair also came onto the stage in Detroit. It is, Hemmelgarn noted, a key to AI, HPC (High Performance Computing) and the market’s strongest simulation solutions.
“By integrating Altair’s capabilities into our ecosystem, we can now offer more comprehensive high-performance computing solutions that balance workloads between GPUs and CPUs, both on-premise and in the cloud. The acquisition also specifically strengthens Siemens’ ability to address complex engineering challenges, particularly in areas such as structural analysis, simulation and data analytics. Altair’s technologies enable more sophisticated modeling and prediction capabilities, allowing engineers to perform advanced computational tasks more efficiently and gain a deeper understanding of their products and data,” noted Siemens’ PLM leader.
He also said, which speaks firmly for the desire and aim for sustained continuity:
“Our AI investments are not new – we have been laying the groundwork for years and these technologies are now accelerating rapidly. Our goal is to ensure that our customers are not left behind, but instead, through the continuously evolving Siemens Xcelerator portfolio and our AI investments, create competitive advantages.”
He further pointed out that AI can be used in several exciting perspectives. Specifically, Siemens is applying AI in its Teamcenter PLM/PDM suite to automate problem detection, in its Simcenter portfolio to reduce engineering computation times, and in its manufacturing technologies to synchronize factory assets and manage configuration challenges.
In short, Hemmelgarn doesn’t see AI as a sudden breakthrough, but as a long-term investment that changes how companies operate and ultimately helps customers gain competitive advantage by making complex processes more intelligent and efficient.
And just as AI is not something that is suddenly adopted, the development of the company’s comprehensive digital twin concept is the result of long-term investments and thinking:
“Siemens’ focus has always been, and continues to be, on building technologies that are open, robust, and clean.”
Zero-Emissions EV Innovation with Workhorse
Hemmelgarn was joined on stage by Jeff Mowry, Chief Information Officer at Workhorse, a US-based vehicle manufacturer with a zero-emissions mission that has embraced Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio to digitally transform its business processes, from design and production to service. Workhorse has developed a compelling line of electric trucks, with its flagship Class 5 representing groundbreaking technology.
Summarizing the benefits of their Teamcenter X (the cloud version of the suite) implementation, Jeff Mowry said:
“We were a small company without an infrastructure team, and Siemens helped us get everything up and running quickly. We achieved significant cost savings, improved our cybersecurity, and gained the scalability we needed to grow our product line.”
This approach enabled Workhorse to rapidly develop its next-generation electric vehicle from design to production in just 22 months. Leveraging Siemens Xcelerator, including NX CAD from the Designcenter portfolio and Siemens Teamcenter X PLM software, Workhorse continues to push the boundaries of electric vehicle design and manufacturing, with ongoing plans to explore advanced digital capabilities.
