Siemens & Accenture form new engineering partnership
Siemens and Accenture have announced the creation of a new business group aimed at transforming engineering and manufacturing for their clients, with a team of 7,000 professionals.
Known as the Accenture Siemens Business Group, this collaboration builds upon the existing alliance between the two companies. The group intends to develop solutions that leverage automation, industrial AI, and software from Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio combined with Accenture's data and AI capabilities.
Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens, emphasised the potential of this partnership. "By strengthening our partnership, we combine the unique capabilities of two market leaders: Siemens' technology, access to data and deep domain knowledge in software, automation and industrial AI with Accenture's power to apply data and AI in engineering and manufacturing," he said. "With the new business group, we will empower customers in all industries to supercharge their entire value chain by embedding AI at the core of their businesses."
Accenture's Chair and CEO, Julie Sweet, highlighted the strategic importance of the venture. "Engineering and manufacturing are the next digital frontier," she noted. "The Accenture Siemens Business Group scales the power of automation, data and AI to help clients reinvent their products and how they make them. Together with our long-standing partner Siemens, we will increase speed and efficiency, reduce cost and strengthen the digital core, which is essential for continuous reinvention and the creation of new value."
This is not the first partnership between the two businesses. Accenture and Siemens have previously collaborated with Kion Group, where they unified and optimised core engineering processes with Siemens' Teamcenter, enhancing Kion's engineering processes with simulation capabilities, generative AI and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).
At Navantia, a Spanish state-owned firm, the partnership has led to the development of a new product development platform using Teamcenter and Capital Logic Designer from Siemens. This has enabled digital twins of Navantia's vessels, reportedly reducing design and manufacturing costs by 20%.
The Accenture Siemens Business Group aims to extend its solutions to industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer products, electronics, heavy equipment, and transportation.
A particular focus will be placed on new engineering services, which will look at reinventing engineering and R&D models, creating global engineering capability centres, and optimising the use of MBSE. The group also plans to accelerate the adoption of software-defined vehicle (SDV) frameworks for automobile manufacturers.
The group will introduce manufacturing services that assist clients in implementing real-time manufacturing execution systems, enhancing AI-powered shopfloor operations, and providing solutions for cybersecurity challenges in operational technology devices.
In terms of industrial asset services, offerings will expand to include after-sales service, maintenance, repairs, and overhaul.
The partnership will involve Accenture's suite of Industry X digital engineering and manufacturing assets, which supports clients in creating AI agents and customising pre-built ones. These moves are intended to increase the efficiency and productivity of the clients' product development efforts.
Agentic AI could bring advancements in product development through the automatic validation of changes and designs, potentially benefiting areas such as PLM, asset management, and remote operations.
