Accenture is building a range of applications for MindSphere, a cloud based platform from Siemens to enable industrial equipment makers to benefit from new services based on data insights.

MindSphere is an industrial IoT ecosystem with easy connectivity for all types of industrial assets. It enables the development of applications from Siemens and third party suppliers. Accenture is aiming to support original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by building a suite of applications for MindSphere to enable new digital services, such as predictive maintenance or remote condition monitoring.

Using these applications, manufacturers of machines and industrial equipment will be able to benefit from increased revenues and customer satisfaction while reducing claims and warranty costs. Their customers can reduce downtime, maintenance related costs and energy consumption, while increasing the lifetime of their machinery.

OEMs will have timely and continuous visibility into assets and equipment as a result of the convergence of Operational Technology (OT) with Information Technology (IT) and machines becoming increasingly connected with production management, manufacturing execution, logistics and enterprise planning systems. By applying advanced analytics from Accenture to the data their systems generate, they can identify and predict performance bottlenecks and make smart decisions about how to improve asset operations, manage workforce, optimise supply chain risks, and enhance the product design process.

Accenture research has shown that predictive asset maintenance can save up to 12 percent in scheduled repair costs, reduce overall maintenance costs by up to 30 percent, and result in up to 70 percent fewer breakdowns.

“Accenture’s digital capabilities, wide range of client relationships with leading industrial companies and proven track record in systems integration makes them a valuable alliance partner for Siemens and our customers,” said Ralf-Michael Wagner, Head of Plant Data Services at Siemens. “Our collaboration will allow us to build on our ecosystem related to MindSphere for current and future clients.”

Patrick Vollmer, managing director at Accenture, said, “The shift to digital is putting more pressure on industrial companies to ensure their production data is contributing to the success of the company. Accenture’s vast experience in industrial analytics, data monetisation and industrial internet of things are being applied to create the best use of MindSphere and the implementation of data driven business processes to create a new range of services for OEMs and their customers.”

Accenture is starting to work with MindSphere customers to help define business opportunities by using production asset data and by defining new business services. Accenture is applying its broad range of digital consulting, analytics and system integration capabilities for these customers. Siemens has designated Accenture as one of the preferred systems integrator for MindSphere.

MindSphere has been designed as an open ecosystem to optimise plant performance by collecting and analysing large datasets in industry. MindSphere also forms the basis for applications and data-based services from Siemens, such as for the predictive maintenance of machine tools (Machine Tool Analytics) or integrated drive systems (Drive Train Analytics).

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