Siemens and IFS Bridge the Gap Between Planning and Operations

Siemens and IFS have entered into a strategic partnership with the goal of helping manufacturers more closely integrate technical insights with operational realities. The focus is on using industrial AI to optimize products and production facilities throughout their entire lifecycle.

Siemens brings its expertise in industrial AI, engineering, automation, and manufacturing control, while IFS contributes its expertise in enterprise asset management and field service. Together, the companies aim to address a classic pain point in industrial practice: the gap between factory planning and actual operations. Unplanned downtime, poorly coordinated maintenance intervals, siloed production data, and supply chain issues continue to cost companies in terms of throughput, flexibility, and profit margins.

The fact that many companies still use systems that do not communicate with one another exacerbates the problem: design intent, actual plant performance, and service strategy often run parallel to one another without intersecting. This is precisely where the collaboration comes in. Siemens’ Digital Twin covers the areas of design, simulation, and manufacturing, while IFS contributes maintenance history, plant behavior, and operational data. Together, they aim to create a comprehensive Digital Twin that reflects both the original design intent and actual performance in operation—traceable, rule-based, and deployable on an industrial scale.

Industrial AI plays a key role in this context. Unlike generic AI models, it must meet the highest standards of precision, reliability, and regulatory compliance in industrial settings—because incorrect decisions can jeopardize safety, compliance, and expensive equipment.

“Industrial AI only creates added value when it is based on both technical goals and actual performance in practice,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, President and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries Software. “Together with IFS, we’re bringing these areas together by linking data from engineering, manufacturing, and plant lifecycle management within a secure, context-aware data structure.”

IFS CEO Mark Moffat adds: “Manufacturers must ensure that their production facilities operate as intended during the design phase. This partnership with Siemens brings together two companies, each of which holds a crucial piece of the puzzle. Agentic AI is the key innovation, and leading industrial companies need solutions that incorporate closed-loop models and data, as well as a comprehensive context that leaves no room for misinterpretation during active operation.”