Unique combination of real and digital world

Siemens introduces Industrial Operations X, an open and interoperable portfolio for industrial automation. The new portfolio is part of Siemens Xcelerator, the open digital business platform that includes a portfolio of software and networked hardware, an ecosystem of partners and a marketplace.

Industrial Operations X is the answer for production planning, execution and optimization in the new world of IT/OT convergence. It focuses on integrating cutting-edge IT capabilities and software best practices into the world of automation: low-code, edge, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are combined with industry-leading automation technology and digital services. This makes plants and production lines more flexible and modular, enabling customers to respond to change at the touch of a button.

Bringing cutting-edge IT and software capabilities to automation

A single Industrie 4.0 factory generates an average of 2,200 terabytes of data per month. Industrial Operations X solutions harness this data, for example, by leveraging AI analytics capabilities. Independent studies show that a fully digitized factory enables production increases of up to 30%. To unlock this potential, Siemens has several world firsts to present:

Virtualization of automation: introducing a fully virtual controller

Based on proven SIMATIC S7-1500 functionalities, the virtual programmable logic controller (PLC) is hardware-independent, allowing applications to be centrally managed and flexibly adapted to changing customer needs. Projects can be scaled with virtual control and easily integrated with other IT offerings via open data interfaces.

Making automation programmable with IT code: Simatic AX

Simatic AX offers IT professionals a familiar development environment based on Visual Studio Code and version control via e.g. GIT. Simatic AX is cloud-based and available as a service.
Visualization for the Industrial Edge Environment: WinCC Unified for Industrial Edge

Industrial Edge makes software management easier, more flexible and more secure. There are already a large number of apps that focus on the acquisition, pre-processing or analysis of machine or plant data. Siemens will continuously integrate the latest technological IT advances into existing automation solutions (e.g. Simatic S7, WinCC, PCS neo and Sinumerik). Industrial customers will also benefit from a wide range of interoperable offerings not only from Siemens, but from many partners.

"With Industrial Operations X, we are bringing the development of OT to the speed of software, " says Cedrik Neike, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries. "And by using AI in manufacturing, we enable manufacturers to access automation data to produce more sustainably."

Insights hub that turns industrial IoT into actionable insights

Siemens will integrate MindSphere into the core of its operations software portfolio and focus even more on generating business value from IoT data. Siemens continues to evolve MindSphere (including partners and developers worldwide) into Insights Hub as part of Industrial Operations X and the Siemens Xcelerator ecosystem. Insights Hub generates actionable insights from plant and operational data by analyzing data locally or in the cloud. With Insights Hub, Siemens offers its customers proven industrial IoT solutions with a variety of different applications, such as Insights Hub Quality Prediction to improve quality inspection and rework processes.

With the introduction of Industrial Operations X, Siemens is making industrial production processes more adaptable, autonomous and responsive - and turning customers of all sizes into sustainable digital enterprises.