Adidas, Siemens partner in digital production

Adidas and Siemens have announced plans to collaborate in the digital production of sporting goods at the ongoing Hannover Messe in Germany. As part of a joint research and development program, the partners will be working to drive forward the digitalization of the Adidas SPEEDFACTORY to ultimately develop capabilities for fast, transparent and individualized production. The Adidas SPEEDFACTORY heralds a new era in the manufacture of sporting goods. It opens doors for the creation of products which are more closely in touch with the consumer and are completely unique to their fit and functional needs. The manufacture of individual sporting goods calls for flexibility in production and rapid integration of new technologies. As the world market leader in digital factory automation and simulation solutions, Siemens is bringing invaluable expertise to the table. A “digital twin” of the SPEEDFACTORY will allow the entire production process to be simulated, tested and optimized upfront. Merging the virtual and real worlds will help shorten the time to market, bring greater flexibility and provide improved manufacturing quality and efficiency. “Everything we do is focused on our consumers. They demand the highest level of individuality and quality. With SPEEDFACTORY we can completely rethink conventional processes and live up to these high expectations,” explained Gerd Manz, vice president Technology Innovation at Adidas. “By digitalizing the value chain, we will be able to implement new technological innovations more quickly, make more efficient and transparent use of the resources available and so respond more flexibly to the individual needs of our consumers – to give them what they want when they want it.” “The SPEEDFACTORIES run by Adidas are a perfect illustration of where the production of the future is heading,” said Klaus Helmrich, member of the Management Board of Siemens AG. “The social trend towards greater customization coupled with new technologies capable of actually fulfilling these expectations will permanently change many production processes.” Digital Enterprise from Siemens is a portfolio of products and solutions for the discrete and process industries – and is aimed at companies of any size. The solutions on offer encompass the entire value chain from product design through production planning, production engineering and production itself through to services.