Siemens and IFS partner to connect engineering design with factory operations

Siemens and IFS have announced a strategic partnership aimed at helping manufacturers connect engineering intelligence with operational reality across the full product lifecycle, using industrial AI.

The partnership combines Siemens' capabilities in industrial AI, engineering, automation and manufacturing execution with IFS's strengths in enterprise asset management and field service.

Together, the companies said they intend to address a persistent problem in manufacturing: disconnected production, maintenance planning and supply chain systems that leave engineering intent, real-world performance and service strategy operating in silos.

Central to the collaboration is a closed-loop Digital Twin, combining Siemens' engineering, simulation and manufacturing context with IFS' service history, asset behaviour and operational lifecycle data. 

The companies said the resulting model would be secure, governed and auditable across design, simulation, service records and factory execution, and built for deployment at industrial scale.

"Industrial AI only delivers value when it is grounded in both engineering intent and real-world performance," said Tony Hemmelgarn, president and chief executive officer at Siemens Digital Industries Software. 

"Together with IFS, we are bringing these domains together by connecting design, manufacturing and asset lifecycle data in a secure, contextualised data fabric. By converging our combined strengths in industrial AI, together we will empower our customers with our vision of an executable Digital Twin that will enable them to accelerate innovation with confidence.”

"Manufacturers need their factory floor to behave the way it was designed. This partnership with Siemens brings together two companies that each own a critical piece of the puzzle," said Mark Moffat, chief executive officer at IFS.

“By combining our collective strengths in Industrial AI, we can help manufacturers close the loop between design and reality, and unlock real, measurable performance gains."