Siemens and BAE Systems have announced an agreement that will see the two businesses collaborate on innovation in engineering and manufacturing technologies embracing digital transformation, whilst leveraging digital capabilities throughout program lifecycles.

The five-year agreement is designed to explore and develop a strategic blueprint for the engineering of the future and factory of the future capabilities across design and manufacturing disciplines within BAE Systems. This builds on and exploits the recent deployment of Siemens’ NX™ software for product engineering and Teamcenter® software for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software. Edge computing solutions and technology validation have also been successfully used across multiple catapult and technology centers.

Through the agreement, Siemens Digital Industries and BAE Systems commit to working together regionally and internationally in the fields of Sustainability, Industrial Digitalisation, and Supply Chain Modernisation, to develop a framework to accelerate the commercial application benefits to BAE Systems within technology exploitation and adaptation.

The framework for collaboration follows decades of successful partnership between the two companies. This has included the development and delivery of a range of Siemens’ technology, knowledge sharing between engineers, and joint showcases of solutions at industry forums.

Siemens and BAE Systems will also continue previous initiatives to innovate and develop new approaches to digital manufacturing supporting the Factory of the Future initiative within BAE systems.

Brian Holliday, managing director at Siemens Digital Industries in the UK and Ireland, said: “This agreement builds on a well-established, successful collaboration between BAE Systems and Siemens, companies which share ambitions to promote manufacturing careers and innovation. Technology is transforming manufacturing at an accelerated pace and we are proud to work with BAE Systems at the leading edge of Industry 4.0 in the UK.

“The partnership is a good example of Siemens’ broader vision for how we want to work with customers via Siemens Xcelerator. which is built on the digital portfolio, eco-system thinking, and a digital marketplace. The principle is that by working together in a focussed way, we can accelerate the time to business and sustainability benefits through technology.”

Iain Minton, Technology Capability Delivery Director at BAE Systems, said: “Collaborations like this help us develop and invest in digital thread-enabling technologies in a much more integrated and seamless way. Siemens understands the complexities of our operating environment, so we can very quickly mature an idea to the point where it is put into practice, for example when we are looking to implement/optimize new engineering, support, or manufacturing capabilities. That’s the real value of this collaboration – the trust and understanding we have built together creates a really powerful force in driving results for the aerospace sector.”

Ben Sheath, vice president and managing director, UK & Ireland, Siemens Digital Industries Software, said. “We are pleased to extend Siemens’ two-decade-long relationship with BAE Systems as it continues to deliver on strategic plans to build the factory of the future. We look forward to working alongside the team at BAE Systems as they leverage the power of Industry 4.0 to help achieve the company’s digital transformation goals. This is another great example of how leaders in aerospace are choosing to partner with Siemens and adopt the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio as the foundation of their digital transformation.”

Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware, and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering, and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.

Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions, and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 72,000 employees internationally.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology to add real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the every day for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare.

In fiscal 2023, which ended on September 30, 2023, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €77.8 billion and net income of €8.5 billion. As of September 30, 2023, the company employed around 320,000 people worldwide.