Siemens PLM eyes consumer segments

While the automotive segment was the biggest revenue earner for Siemens PLM Software India private limited, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation division, it was now eying retail, packaging, pharmaceuticals segments in India where the company already had a global presence.

In India, the company was currently focussed on providing product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions to manufacturing processes like those involved in the automotive, machinery, defence and aerospace and shipbuilding.

It was involved both in research & development (R&D) as well as production.

It claimed to be the largest player in the segment.

While the company looked at enlarging its footprint among the existing customer base with more tools and seats, it also focussed on tapping the vibrant small-to-medium enterprises market here. The automotive segment accounted for around 40 per cent of its net revenue in India, and the industry led the pack when it came to investments in R&D.

The industry spawned an entire eco-system of tier-I and tier-II suppliers. Most of these units were using two-dimensional CAD software for designing.

A large section could switch to three-dimensional design tools and provided a business opportunity for Siemens PLM India.

Of the 300 odd customers that Siemens PLM added last year in India, more than 200 were small and medium players.

"Our company had taken a global initiative to come up with customised solutions for this segment we call the'velocity portfolio' and the results have been very positive", said Vivek Marwaha, director, marketing, Siemens PLM.

The software license market was around $100 million in India. It was open to entering other verticals like retail and pharmaceuticals where the PLM software could find application.

The software broadly had three components, digital product development, digital lifecycle management, and digital manufacturing.

The process of simulation and validation coupled with collaborative work across processes could find way into these industries.