A good MES installation improves quality control and increases uptime, while reducing inventory and costs. A key benefit of such a manufacturing system is improved product traceability, material affinity, and the like – which is important for manufacturers who must meet regulatory compliance and transparency requirements.
In Siemens’ case, the MES platform Opcenter possess many of these characteristics and, with support for multi-site architectures, reduces the burden on regional IT teams and helps lower the total cost of ownership (TCO).
We touched on the integration pieces in the introduction above and can note that Opcenter is seamlessly integrated with solutions in the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, including Teamcenter (cPDm, Collaborative Product Definition Management), Simcenter software (Simulation & Analysis), Insights Hub (data analysis), AX4 and Supply Chain Suite and Tecnomatix factory simulation software.
The Introduction of Opcenter X Opens Up for SMB Companies
However, with today’s increasingly complex product and process management, disruptive technologies, supply chain volatility and tight margins, Siemens recently introduced Opcenter X (2024), primarily designed to enable small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to embark on a progressive digital transformation journey through cloud technology and access to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), reducing the time and cost barriers for organizations to adopt MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management). Its modular approach enables companies to start small and scale up as their digital businesses mature. “By connecting and customizing modules, SMB’s can achieve rapid return on investment (ROI) while benefiting from reduced time to market, ease of use, flexibility and up-to-date functionality,” Siemens claims.
A Broad Solution Stack Delivered Through Xcelerator
That said, let’s take a closer look at why IDC has ranked Siemens at the top of the “leaders’ wave” in the 2024-2025 MarketScape:
First and foremost, IDC notes that Siemens’ MES portfolio, Opcenter Execution, is part of Opcenter’s MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) product brand, which is based on the key capabilities of several previously acquired players and solutions, such as Orsi Automazione, Camstar, Mentor Graphics, IBS and Preactor, among others.
The analyst further points out that with the Mendix acquisition in 2018, Siemens has acquired and over time integrated a low-no-code application development platform into its MES solution stack. This has its advantages, for example for deploying applications that can be tailored to individual user requirements, while being easy to upgrade.
We mentioned Siemens’ cloud and SaaS efforts above, and the launch of the cloud-based MES solution Opcenter X in 2024. IDC notes in this that, “Siemens continues to lead and invest in modularization (aka application composability) with Opcenter on a modern, cloud-based architecture.”
“This entire portfolio has been brought together under the broader Siemens Digital Industries Software business unit, which provides PLM and simulation technologies for manufacturing, in-plant logistics (IPL) and supply chain execution functionalities (AX4). As such, Opcenter Execution integrates with Teamcenter, Simcenter, Insights Hub (IoT, data analytics), Opcenter Quality Management System, Opcenter Advanced Planning and Scheduling, and Tecnomatix, among others. This broad and deep solution stack is delivered to the market through Siemens Xcelerator, Siemens’ cloud-based architecture, ecosystem, and marketplace that allows customers to build, integrate, and extend existing data and network systems,” IDC writes in its assessment.
Support From a Diverse Partner Ecosystem
Moreover, the analyst points at Siemens’ hybrid SaaS offerings that integrate on-premises MES and cloud-based collaboration, computing, and storage. “Full cloud/SaaS-based deployments are also available in both private clouds and Siemens-powered clouds as a pay-as-you-go option. This allows manufacturers to choose the best scenario for their IT environment and does not force them into a particular path.”
“Opcenter customers also have the choice to purchase access to software licensed either perpetually or via a subscription. They can also purchase access to related services for implementation and ongoing support. With a strong presence in all major countries worldwide, Siemens has a diverse global and regional partner ecosystem that includes Accenture, Capgemini, Atos, ATS, AWS and TCS, among others.”
Maintaining a High Rate of Innovation
IDC notes that despite providing MES solutions for decades, Siemens has been able to maintain a high rate of innovation. The analyst writes:
“From an architectural perspective, Siemens is evolving its Opcenter application architecture towards a modular and containerized model that facilitates ‘pick and chose’ combinations of components into packaged functions/solutions.
The company is also making the solution deployable in a more distributed environment from edge computing solutions to cloud with containerization.
To support complex projects with multiple facilities, enables Opcenter to run one instance for multiple factories, but to keep configuration and data separate. Siemens also leverages the concept of common components to transfer capabilities from one product to other products to offer the same UX across the board (e.g., transferring QMS-related capabilities to industry-specific MES implementations).”
“Siemens leverages the low-code platform Mendix to support the deployment of custom UX screens and features by exposing all Opcenter APIs in a standard way for easy construction of mashup apps, connection to Data Hubs, and integration into the customer’s IT environment, including ERP and PLM as well.”
Some Challenges
Here, the analyst believes that the breadth of Siemens’ portfolio can sometimes make potential customers unsure about which solution elements and combinations best meet their specific needs without requiring input from a consulting partner:
“Customers should consider a relatively longer journey to be able to fully benefit from the full articulation of Siemens’ portfolio. Some smaller customers have initially found it challenging to deal with Siemens, given the large size of the organization. Siemens is addressing this by working closely with local partners and offering an SMB version (SaaS) available on the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace, where ecosystem members can explore, evaluate and exchange digital offerings in a simple and seamless way.”
Own Manufacturing Experiences a Particular Strength
Finally, IDC points to the importance of Siemens, which is a giant with its own manufacturing alongside the software pieces, being able to test, develop and learn from its role as a manufacturing company. It can thus bring its direct, practical experience as an MES user to the software provider side.
Siemens’ vision is that the Xcelerator portfolio should holistically be able to manage all parts of its own rich software portfolio and also validated third-party software. The consequence will be a superior ability to manage the entire digital thread and production process to ensure the entire lifecycle and the entire production process.
