Siemens introduces Industrial Operations X, an open and interoperable portfolio for automating and operating industrial production. The new portfolio is part of Siemens Xcelerator, the open digital business platform comprising a portfolio of software and connected hardware, an ecosystem of partners, and a marketplace.
Industrial Operations X is the solution for production engineering, execution, and optimization in the new world of IT/OT convergence. It focuses on integrating cutting-edge IT capabilities and proven methods from software operations in the world of automation: low code, edge, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are combined with industry-leading automation technology and digital services. The result: plants and production lines become more flexible and modular so customers can react to changes at the click of a button.
Bringing cutting-edge IT and software capabilities into automation
A single Industry 4.0 factory generates an average of 2,200 terabytes of data every month. Industrial Operations X solutions make this data actionable, for example, by leveraging AI analysis capabilities. Independent studies suggest that a digitally enabled factory delivers production increases of up to 30 percent. To unlock this potential, Siemens is showcasing several world premieres at Hannover Messe:
- Virtualizing automation: Introducing a fully virtual controller
Based on proven functionalities of the SIMATIC S7-1500, the virtual programmable logic controller (PLC) is hardware-independent, allowing applications to be centrally managed and flexibly modified to meet changing customer needs. PLC projects can be scaled with virtual control and easily integrated into other IT offerings through open data interfaces.
- Making automation programmable with IT code: Simatic AX
Simatic AX provides IT professionals with a familiar development environment based on Visual Studio Code and version control via GIT and others. Simatic AX is cloud-based and is available as a service.
- Visualization for the Industrial Edge environment: WinCC Unified for Industrial Edge
With Industrial Edge, administering software in machines is easier, more flexible, and more secure. A variety of apps is already available, focused on acquisition, preprocessing and analysis of machine or plant data.
Siemens will continuously integrate the latest technological IT advances into existing automation solutions (like our SIMATIC S7, SIMATIC WinCC, SIMATIC PCS neo, SINUMERIK). Industrial customers will also benefit from a wide spectrum of interoperable offerings from Siemens and a large community of partners.
“With Industrial Operations X, we make OT adaptable at the speed of software,” says Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries. “And by deploying AI on the shop floor, we enable manufacturers to access the terabytes of automation data locked inside their factories so that they can ultimately become more sustainable.”
Insights Hub: Turning Industrial IoT into actionable insights
Siemens will integrate MindSphere in the core of our operations software portfolio with an even stronger focus on delivering business value from IoT data. To emphasize our commitment to application value from industrial IoT, Siemens is evolving MindSphere (including partners and developers worldwide) into Insights Hub as part of Industrial Operations X and the Siemens Xcelerator ecosystem. Insights Hub highlights the focus on empowering smart manufacturing to generate actionable insights from asset and operations data, by analyzing data locally or in the cloud, and transforming it into value. With Insights Hub, Siemens gives its customers proven industrial IoT solutions that include a variety of applications, like Insights Hub Quality Prediction for improving quality inspection and rework processes.
With the launch of Industrial Operations X, Siemens makes industrial production processes more adaptable, autonomous, and resilient so that they can react fast to changes. This enables customers large and small to become sustainable digital enterprises.