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WMG and Siemens PLM Sign £22 Million Software Deal for New Digital Lab

Siemens PLM Software, a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, and WMG, an international research and education group at the University of Warwick, today announced a deal to provide access to over £22 million of software to researchers, students and businesses using the new Warwick Digital Laboratory. Although Siemens globally has entered into similar arrangements with top universities in the USA and China, this is the only deal of this size ever to be struck with a UK university.

WMG is developing the Digital Lab, a £50 million initiative involving the construction of a £13 million high specification building on the Warwick University campus, due to be opened in September 2008. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for innovative problem solving through collaborative research, demonstrators, knowledge transfer, education and training.

The Lab’s work will be led by WMG in partnership with other academics and organisations such as Siemens PLM Software. This work will include research in a number of areas including digital manufacturing, e-security, e-business, mass customisation and digital healthcare.

As part of the agreement, WMG will gain access to a portfolio of Siemens PLM Software, including the latest technologies within digital manufacturing. The use of the software will facilitate collaborative research opportunities, create effective transfer of knowledge between academic and industrial disciplines and generate new knowledge and skills in digital manufacturing.

Siemens PLM digital manufacturing technology combines knowledge management with process improvement in a virtual environment that lets organisations optimise the quality, process, plant, resource and simulation aspects of their manufacturing operations. The latest 3D visualisation techniques and interactive tools will be used to bring together students, designers and customers in the conceptual design, prototyping and testing of products in virtual reality before production. This type of technology is particularly effective in promoting innovation – as the cost of design failure in a virtual world is minimal.

"This agreement will allow postgraduates, WMG staff and their clients to visualise and interact with a virtual product," said Guy Langley, UK managing director at Siemens PLM Software. "At the same time, Siemens PLM will be able to further develop and train our staff in the latest techniques in digital manufacturing, and drive opportunities to work with WMG and its clients. We’ll also gain additional feedback in the use of our tools in a leading-edge environment."

"British industry risks lagging behind low-cost emerging markets that are continuing to develop their manufacturing excellence," said Mark Pickering, Director of Development at WMG. "The work of the Digital Laboratory will inspire academia and industry to collaborate on new technology and techniques within digital manufacturing and help position UK manufacturers as the best in the world."

NOTES TO EDITORS

About WMG

WMG’s mission is to improve competitiveness through the application of innovation, new technologies and skills deployment, bringing academic rigour to industrial and organisational practice. WMG has pioneered an international model for working with industry, with thousands of collaborating companies and centres in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

WMG is an academic department of the University of Warwick, headed by Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya. For more information go to: www.wmg.warwick.ac.uk

Media enquiries: Zoë Howard, Head of Communications, WMG: 07824 540845

About Warwick Digital Laboratory

The Digital Lab is the latest of WMG’s ambitious projects to establish the first digital research centre of its kind in the world. A multi-disciplinary centre for research and learning, WDL will showcase the latest technology and create a platform for new collaborations. For more information go to: www.warwickdigital.org.uk

Media enquiries: Zoë Howard, Head of Communications, WMG: 07824 540845

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 5.5 million licensed seats and 51,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software’s open enterprise solutions enable a world where organizations and their partners collaborate through Global Innovation Networks to deliver world-class products and services. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

Media enquiries: Neil Dunsmuir, UK Marketing Director, Siemens PLM: 07989 549513

About the Siemens Industry Automation Division

The Siemens Industry Automation Division (Nuremberg), a division of the Siemens Industry Sector, is a worldwide leader in the fields of automation systems, low-voltage switchgear and industrial software. Its portfolio ranges from standard products for the manufacturing and process industry to solutions for whole industries and systems that encompass the automation of entire automobile production facilities and chemical plants. As a leading software supplier, Industry Automation optimizes the entire value added chain of manufacturers – from product design and development to production, sales and a wide range of maintenance services.

 

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