How do large companies with their inevitable bureaucracies innovate and grow? Through acquisition. Siemens has recently acquired two companies to strengthen its offerings in the water and transportation sectors.
Siemens acquires BuntPlanet to strengthen its artificial intelligence portfolio in the water sector
BuntPlanet offers cloud-hosted AI solutions for water utilities
Offering to be integrated into the Siemens Xcelerator business platform
Siemens has announced the acquisition of BuntPlanet, a technology company based in San Sebastian, Spain. BuntPlanet’s award winning software has been deployed around the world to support customers with smart metering solutions, water quality, asset management, and integration of hydraulic models and artificial intelligence for detecting leaks and other anomalies in water networks. Siemens has had a licensing agreement with BuntPlanet since 2019 to sell their leakage detection software known as SIWA LeakPlus. With this acquisition, BuntPlanet’s entire offering and team will be integrated with Siemens’ application portfolio for water utilities making it even more comprehensive for water customers.
BuntPlanet’s core offering, BuntBrain, is a software platform with solutions for leak detection, water quality improvement, end-use water analysis, water loss reduction, asset management, digital twin and water meter management. The application includes the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence, big data, and hydraulic simulation to pre-locate leaks and other anomalies, minimizing risk of damage to infrastructure and reducing operational and maintenance costs. With proven integration with Siemens Measurement Intelligence hardware portfolio the combination of sector leading instrumentation and software has demonstrated detection of leaks as small as 0.25 liter per second.
Once the integration has fully concluded, Siemens will make BuntPlanet’s offering also available on its open business platform, Siemens Xcelerator.
Siemens strengthens market position with Heliox acquisition
Heliox develops fast charging for e-bus and e-truck fleets, marine, port, mining vehicles and more.
Heliox expands Siemens eMobility’s offering for the growing eBus and eTruck charging market, and for depot and fleet solutions
Accelerates value creation in Siemens’ fast-growing eMobility business
Adds attractive digitalization and software potential
Siemens AG has completed the acquisition of Heliox, a technology leader in DC fast charging solutions, serving eBus and eTruck fleets and passenger vehicles. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Heliox employs approximately 330 people.
The acquisition complements Siemens’ existing eMobility charging portfolio, adding products and solutions ranging from 40 kilowatts (kW) to megawatt charging solutions for depots and en-route charging. Heliox’s portfolio also extends Siemens’ market reach, primarily in Europe and North America, while improving capabilities in power electronics. Heliox’s mobile, scalable and parallel charging solutions will enable Siemens to serve these markets better.
Next to DC fast charging solutions, Heliox offers charger monitoring and energy management services. This expands Siemens eMobility’s IoT product portfolio and strengthens its digitalization and software offering.
Siemens eMobility is part of Siemens Smart Infrastructure. It offers IoT-enabled hardware, software and services for AC and DC charging from 11 kW to 1 megawatt for a broad range of applications. Siemens acquired Heliox from private equity firm Waterland and an entity owned by a group of employees and individual shareholders.
Poor manufacturing, or poor design, or both? One wonders about the 737 Max program at Boeing.
I don’t want to oversell myself, but I have worked in product development and program management. The stories about the program following the two early crashes hinted at management interference in the program. It almost sounded like pressure for shortcuts to get the planes out. They had many orders, but no plane. Then they had a plane, more orders, and needed to ramp up production. No shipments, no income. I’m sure we’ve all been there.
Why has the board of directors not fired the CEO? That’s all weird in some companies, though. I worked at one place where a ranking manager made several mistakes on programs that cost significant amounts of money—and that person was promoted. So, you never can tell.
This contains a word of warning for all of us manufacturing and production professionals. What we do can have serious repercussions down the line. It’s best to do our job well. And like in a well run Lean plant, pull the cord to stop production when we see a significant problem.
Some news about electric vehicle (EV) design from Hexagon.
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and JSOL Corporation have entered a strategic partnership to accelerate the virtual prototyping of electrified powertrains through multi-physics simulation. The collaboration builds on a long-term technical alliance offering global customers accurate and high-productivity virtual prototyping of. complex electro-mechanical systems
The new strategic partnership will enable customers to combine Hexagon’s extensive engineering simulation software suite with JSOL Corporation’s JMAG electromagnetic field analysis software to solve a full spectrum of system design problems in the virtual world more quickly, thoroughly, and cost effectively than physical prototyping allows.
Mahesh Kailasam, general manager of design and engineering at Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, said: “As the move towards electrification accelerates, new challenges need to be addressed to improve vehicle performance characteristics, from the component to system level. For example, improvements to noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance now require simulation solutions to provide answers at much higher frequency ranges. Our partnership with JSOL solidifies our commitment to serve our existing and new customers in this rapidly evolving market.”
Takashi Yamada, chief technology officer at JMAG Business Company, said, “We are excited to work with Hexagon in this electrification journey. This partnership will now allow us to expedite electric vehicle NVH solution development between JMAG and Hexagon’s flagship products MSC Nastran and Adams, along with Romax and Actran.”
To stay ahead in the market, electromagnetic powertrains need to be very efficient and light, using new designs, materials, and manufacturing techniques. Hexagon and JSOL offer digital platforms and virtual environments for engineers to develop advanced electric powertrain technologies.
The partnership will advance several key areas to enhance their product design strategies for electric vehicles and enable more efficient and harmonious product development. A primary focus is to address NVH, enabling engineers to improve product comfort and reduce noise through innovative simulation-based design adjustments. Furthermore, by developing advanced simulations, the new solutions will inform robust and durable designs and make refinements to finalize products within space constraints. Another significant focus for the two companies is helping customers tackle the complexities of modern electro-mechanical machines, controls, and gearboxes with integrated solutions that foster collaboration between engineers from different disciplines.
Powersys, a global provider of design and engineering solutions for electrical vehicles and grid applications, will apply its expertise to help customers accelerate the implementation of these solutions. Olivier Toury, founder and president, Powersys, commented: “We are excited to build on our work with JMAG to offer our customers eNVH and virtual prototyping solutions with Hexagon’s portfolio. Using trusted simulations from Romax, Adams, Actran, or MSC Nastran with JMAG is helping customers make real progress towards zero prototyping for electric vehicles and we are getting busy with U.S. customers already.”
Hexagon provides extensive NVH computer-aided engineering (CAE) support from concept to final system validation and review through its Elements software for system modelling, Romax powertrain simulation, Actran acoustic simulation, Cradle CFD (computational fluid dynamics) air-structure simulation, ODYSEE AI (artificial intelligence) and optimisation platform, and physical simulation partnership with VI-GRADE.
Petroleum-based plastics have become an international waste hazard. Microplastic has invaded every part of our ecosystem—even into our bodies. The search for compostable, yet usable, alternatives has not been satisfactory so far. This press release just came my way. It tells a story (unlike most publicity) about the development of compostable plastic made from agricultural waste usable in existing injection molding machinery and quickly reverts to usable compost to return to the farm. Brilliant!
The company is PlantSwitch and here is its story as told by their publicity agent.
In 2019, 22-year-old Dillon Baxter was a senior at Southern Methodist University studying engineering while interning at a private equity firm when a proposal for a plastic alternative came across his desk. Although the company didn’t land an investment with the private equity firm Baxter was interning with, his interest was piqued.
One of the reasons previous plastic alternative companies hadn’t been able to take their product into the stratosphere, explains Baxter, was that they failed to entice big business because they didn’t offer a drop-in solution. “Large corporations that need to mold plastic products have already made significant investments in their existing machinery,” explains Baxter. “They were never going to embrace a plastic alternative that requires new machinery, thereby driving the costs way up and undermining corporate profits.”
He knew that if he was going to engineer a viable plastic alternative, it would have to be what he calls a “drop-in solution,” meaning his plastic alternative pellets would need to be compatible with existing plastic processing machinery.
Baxter got in touch with Maxime Blandin, a fellow SMU student with tight connections among suppliers and the two got to work. “I left my job and career track at a Private Equity Firm to set about our crazy goal of creating the world’s first environmentally sound, sustainable, scalable plastic alternative.”
After several trials, Baxter and Blandin discovered a method of upcycling agricultural waste derived from everything from rice husks, wheat straw and other cellulose rich byproducts combined with a polymer to make sustainable and scalable bioplastics while simultaneously upcycling agricultural waste.
The result mimics the texture, durability, and performance of traditional petroleum-based plastic completely, drops into existing plastic processing machinery and costs less than any other plastic alternative ever brought to market. Best of all, it is the only plant-based plastic alternative that completely breaks down within hours in an everyday home composting bin. The company, called PlantSwitch (founded in 2020), also has a carbon negative production process.
PlantSwitch is the game changer for all single use plastics that hundreds of millions of us use every day.
Corporate America and the U.S. Government has taken notice. Baxter and Blandin’s PlantSwitch has raised a total of $19.5 Million, to date, including a recently closed bridge round with Dallas-based alternative investment firm NexPoint Capital. Other investments include a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Having institutional backing is a huge step for PlantSwitch and for our environment,” says Baxter, now 26. “With our steadily growing capital, we will be able to continue to scale our business and deliver sustainable and biodegradable bioplastics to some of the largest companies and conglomerates in the U.S.”
PlantSwitch’s 52,000sf manufacturing facility has the capability of making 50 million lbs. of its bioplastics annually.
“Our goal is to replace petroleum-based single-use plastic with plants through the manufacturing and distribution of our compostable bioplastic resin,” shares Baxter.
PlantSwitch has recently entered into framework contracts with several nationwide restaurant and grocery store chains that will begin supplying as early as January 2024.
Investment in Momenta Industry 5.0 venture capital fund gives Rockwell early access to innovative technology that promotes resiliency, agility, and sustainability
The first Automation Fair by Rockwell Automation that I attended was in 1997. The last one in 2022. I decided that a trip to Boston was just too expensive with no anticipated financial return on that investment. I also looked at the agenda available at the time and calculated that I could cover the even just as well from the comfort of my home office and local coffee house. And, sure enough, here is the first press release.
I may rearrange my schedule to watch the keynote livestreams, but keynotes seldom add much to my coverage. If I could have been assured of more interviews, but those are off the table for mere trade media types now. I don’t ask many questions in the canned media events because why give everyone else answers?
Enough of my justifications. Rockwell made a big splash with a huge investment in PTC a few years back. They have since divested. They did pick up some crucial software technology, but then they acquired Plex and FiiX and plugged a big software hole.
This is another strategic investment with the hopes of picking up early stage technology that may take the company to the next level.
Rockwell Automation, Inc., the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, announced its investment in Momenta’s Industry 5.0 Fund, a venture capital and value creation fund that supports entrepreneurs focused on resilient, sustainable, and human-centric industrial operations, providing Rockwell early access to innovative technology that has the potential to disrupt industrial markets and increase sustainability.
Switzerland-based Momenta launched the $100 million fund in cooperation with the EU Commission to support start-up companies working to advance the Commission’s Industry 5.0 initiative. The initiative highlights research and innovation as drivers for a transition to a sustainable, human-centric, and resilient industry, moving the focus from shareholder value to stakeholder value. It puts people at the center by empowering them with information and technology to make decisions with clarity and confidence. Aimed at early growth-stage innovators driving the digital transformation of energy, manufacturing, smart spaces, and supply chains, the Industry 5.0 Fund will deliver venture capital investment and direct value-creation to entrepreneurs in Europe and North America.
Rockwell is an anchor investor in the fund, and its Venture team will work closely with Momenta and the portfolio companies, offering a wide breadth of expertise and Rockwell’s strategic network. The investment complements Rockwell’s inorganic growth strategy, giving the company insights and access to next-generation technologies driving digital transformation that are still in the early development stage.
Rockwell Automation keeps its acquisition team busy. This announcement reveals an acquisition in the cybersecurity area bolstering the services business part of the company. Before long the services business will be larger than the software & control business. Still trailing the traditional product portfolio, though.
Rockwell Automation Inc., the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verve Industrial Protection, a cybersecurity software and services company that focuses specifically on industrial environments, expanding the offerings of Rockwell with an industry-leading asset inventory system and vulnerability management solution.
The Verve Security Center platform enables real-time asset inventory, vulnerability management, and risk remediation that will strengthen Rockwell’s current offerings and address these issues.
“The foundation of OT cybersecurity starts with visibility into assets – you can’t protect what you don’t know you have. This continues to be a critical challenge for manufacturers,” said Matt Fordenwalt, Rockwell’s senior vice president, Lifecycle Services. “With the Verve acquisition, our customers can quickly assess their assets, prioritize risk, and apply countermeasures to mitigate vulnerabilities – all within a single platform. The addition of Verve to our suite of solutions allows customers to further build resiliency and continuously improve the security, safety, and availability of their operations.”
The Verve Security Center platform was built to provide IT-level security while addressing the unique challenges of the OT environment. At the center of the Verve platform is an asset inventory system that recognizes all industrial assets, regardless of manufacturer. Verve’s proprietary approach communicates directly with the assets, gathering critical information without impacting network performance and interrupting production. It then aggregates a wide range of data sources, including Rockwell’s partner technologies, into its platform as a “single pane of glass” that provides actionable insight for customers to quickly address their highest risk assets.
Verve professional services also provide ongoing remediation, along with strategic roadmap and business case development, further deepening Rockwell’s cybersecurity consulting capabilities. Going forward, customers will benefit from comprehensive capabilities that span the entire attack continuum with the combined expertise of Verve, Rockwell, and Rockwell’s technology partnerships.
The acquisition is subject to customary approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of Rockwell’s fiscal year 2024. At close, Verve will report into Rockwell’s Lifecycle Services operating segment.
