Siemens Joins Ford Motor Company to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Moving Assembly Line

Siemens is demonstrating the latest software and hardware technology in automotive manufacturing production within the Ford Motor Company display during the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, January 13-26, 2014.

For more than 25 years, Siemens and Ford Motor Company have worked together, leveraging innovation and technology to maximize manufacturing efficiency and apply global standards through the adoption of Manufacturing Engineering and Production Automation solutions. As a result, Ford has been able to reduce the energy needed to produce a vehicle, increase the safety for people building the vehicle and improve the flexibility of plants and processes.

“Siemens is honored to showcase how our technology is supporting Ford, and what better way than to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ford’s moving assembly line, an innovation that has withstood the test of time“ says Raj Batra, President of Siemens Industry Automation Division. “Historically, the automotive industry has been a trendsetter for manufacturing as a whole and today is no different. As Ford’s NAIAS display makes clear, the future of manufacturing is upon us, where software, industrial integration and resource efficiency are increasing productivity and flexibility, and reducing time-to-market. Few companies demonstrate this real-to-virtual innovation better than Ford.”

Ford’s exhibit at the NAIAS features four vehicle bodies representing different levels of the assembly process. Two elevator stations bring the four vehicle bodies down to the show floor level for public viewing. In addition to showcasing a variety of Siemens PLM software solutions, the exhibit includes more than 1,000 Siemens components, including the SIMATIC S7-1500, a new programmable logic controller (PLC) introduced by Siemens in 2013.

The Siemens-Ford partnership extends across the entire lifecycle of the product:

• Ford uses Siemens technology globally to manage engineering information and corporate product requirements, visualize product designs, define manufacturing equipment and processes digitally and control the embedded software for each vehicle.
• Siemens supports Ford’s machine builders, providing standards for the planning and implementation of powertrain production systems.
• Siemens drives and automation technology is used globally in powertrain and stamping operations.
• Ford uses Siemens controls hardware as the Global PowerTrain Manufacturing Engineering standard. Through Ford’s standard development and implementation, the company has experienced a significant reduction in launch issues and engineering hours with Tier 1 suppliers.
• Ford uses Siemens PLM software to verify manufacturing processes early in the vehicle program, enabling manufacturing processes to be optimized in the virtual domain and supporting the use of global standards and engineering collaboration.
• Siemens is working with Ford and Google to pilot a new app called “IntoSite,” that facilitates virtual navigation into assembly plants using the Google Earth infrastructure.

On March 19-20, 2014, Siemens and Electro-Matic Products, Inc. will host the Manufacturing in America Symposium, a two-day event that brings together manufacturing and automotive industry executives, technology leaders, policy makers and academia to explore how technology is driving a manufacturing resurgence in America. The event will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, and will feature more than 34 different technical seminars and 24 different vendors. For more information or to register, visit http://www.industry.usa.siemens.com/automation/us/en/events/ManufacturingInAmerica/Pages/Manufacturing-In-America.aspx?stc=usiia100023&sp_source=usiia100023

For further information about Siemens‘ portfolio of products and services supporting the automotive sector, visit http://www.industry.siemens.com/verticals/global/en/automotive-manufacturing/Pages/Default.aspx?stc=usiia100023&sp_source=usiia100023

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The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly automation and drive technology, industrial software and technology-based services. The Sector's comprehensive portfolio covers the entire industrial value chain, from product design, engineering and production to services. Siemens enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency, and flexibility in a wide variety of different industries. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies. For more information, visit http://www.siemens.com/industry