Siemens grants UniSA nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of software

Manufacturing giant Siemens has announced an advanced industrial product lifecycle management (PLM) software grant to the University of South Australia worth more than $450m of in-kind commercial value.

The grant gives the university’s students and researchers access to the same advanced software, processes and best practices used to develop Space X rockets, the Mars Curiosity Rover, and the Maserati Ghibli.

The suite includes tools such as the Teamcenter portfolio for engineering collaboration, NX software for 3D design, the Simcenter portfolio for predictive engineering simulation and analytics and the Tecnomatix portfolio which includes digital avatars.

“For over 145 years, since 1872 when we commissioned the then technological breakthrough of the Adelaide to Darwin telegraph line, Siemens has been using innovative technology to continuously push boundaries and transform the very fabric of Australia. It is a proud moment for me to stand in the state where we started from in Australia over 145 years ago to announce the advanced industrial software grant that will help South Australia and Australia prepare for future growth underpinned by digital technology,” said Siemens Australia chairman and CEO Jeff Connolly at the announcement today.

“As the world changes rapidly through digitalisation, we need to ensure that our future workforce is equipped with the right digital tools to speak the same global digital language so we can not only participate in, but lead global supply chains. The software included in the UniSA grant will help build on the state’s current shipbuilding, defence and manufacturing capabilities and progress it to meet Industry 4.0 standards.”

Siemens – the biggest industrial manufacturing company in Europe – said that the grant was the largest of its kind ever to be given in Australia.

The grant is part of Siemens’ commitment of more than $1 billion in advanced PLM software grants to select universities nationally. It follows a grant given last year to Swinburne University of Technology’s ‘Factory of the Future’.

“Not only will it allow us to give our students experience of an industry 4.0 environment, it will also deliver huge benefits for manufacturing research at UniSA and for the industry partners we work with every day to support innovation and enterprise,” said University of South Australia vice chancellor Professor David Lloyd.

“Across space, mining, environment, defence and biomedical technology – it will allow us to model and prototype new ideas and give our students experience of advanced technology in the production of things, systems and processes.”