HANNOVER, GERMANY – Panasonic and Siemens signed a memorandum of understanding with the intention of working more closely together on automation concepts for the electronics industry.

The focus lies on standardized line integration concepts, which the partners plan to develop not only for individual production lines but also as overarching integration concepts for all process steps at the factory level, and as company-wide automation standards for globally distributed production networks.

Over recent years, Panasonic and Siemens have worked independently on pioneering concepts linking digitalization and automation, the former with its Smart Factory, which encompasses automatic assembly systems and the Manufacturing Execution System application PanaCIM, and the latter with its Digital Enterprise, which encompasses the core elements of industrial software and automation, industrial communication, security and services.
 
At the signing of the MOU, Panasonic director of Factory Solutions Business Hiroyuki Aota said, "To significantly improve the productivity and quality of electronic equipment assembly, it is vital to connect all the equipment of any vendor in order to control the entire factory floor in real time. So concluding the memorandum for collaboration with Siemens, a company that has excellent technologies based on control devices and optimization software will enable us to enhance our smart factory at the global level."
 
Anton Huber, CEO of Siemens' Digital Factory division added, "Electronic production offers enormous potential for digitalization. The use of integrated automation solutions paves the way for substantial increases in both productivity and quality. Cooperation with Panasonic offers an exciting opportunity to selectively advance our Digital Enterprise portfolio for companies in the electronics industry."
 
The firms did not indicate whether developmental work would continue on their automation tools outside of the partnership, or whether the MOU precludes either party from developing similar arrangements with other vendors.