Siemens and SAP consolidate process and business IT in power plants

Munich, Germany, From now on, Siemens and SAP will be jointly marketing new operating software for utilities. In order to do so, Siemens Energy Management Suite SPPA-M3000 will be certified by SAP in the framework of an Endorsed Business Solution (EBS) partnership and incorporated in the SAP portfolio for utilities. The Siemens software solution combines the power plant’s IT with the business data from operational management. This is the first time that process control information has been integrated with accounting systems via standardized processes and interfaces. The advantages for company management and operational control are obvious: The real-time information brings a clearer overall picture and higher-quality data for management, operations and maintenance. This is the basis for higher energy efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

The challenges in the utilities area are clearly apparent. Power plant operators need to ensure optimum capacity utilization despite fluctuating demands and guarantee high availability coupled with low operating costs. To do all this, they require efficient plant operations and highly professional management. “With the Energy Management Suite SPPA-M3000, Siemens offers a holistic solution that supports the political energy agenda but also brings customers a good deal of added value on the economic front" says Johannes Viereck, head of the Energy subdivision at Siemens IT Solutions and Services.

This solution, for example, can combine data from the SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP ERP PM) module - such as cost information for equipment - with status data from technical systems like plant control. This means that optimum maintenance measures can be carried out for each different group of equipment. What’s more, the Energy Management Suite ensures that the newly captured and collated data is always accurate to the minute. This opens up a wealth of possibilities for flexible decision-making – whether for the manager, dispatcher, trader or maintenance engineer.

The Energy Management Suite SPPA-M 3000 consists of three product lines for utilities, with 15 modules that can be implemented individually and independently of each other. The technical platform is made up of tried-and-tested Siemens systems for power plants together with components from Osisoft or SAP, such as Enterprise Asset Management, NetWeaver and Enterprise Portal. The Energy Management Suite is part of Siemens environmental portfolio, with which the company generated sales of almost 19 billion euros in 2008. This corresponds to roughly one quarter of Siemens total sales, making the company the world’s largest supplier of environmentally friendly technology.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services is an internationally leading provider of IT solutions and services. It covers the entire IT service chain from a single source, from consulting to system integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. In addition, Siemens IT Solutions and Services extends the range of offerings of the other Siemens Sectors to include IT solutions. With its comprehensive know-how and industry-specific knowledge, Siemens IT Solutions and Services provides measurable added value for its customers. Founded in January 2007, the new Siemens Division employs more than 41,000 people and posts annual sales of about 5.3 billion euros, of which over 70 percent are generated outside of the Siemens Sectors. More information at www.siemens.com/it-solutions.

SAP AG , whose headquarters are located in Walldorf, Germany, is the world’s leading provider of business software and services that enable companies of any size and in more than 25 industries to focus their business processes on growth and profitability. Roughly 75,000 customers (including customers of Business Objects) in over 120 countries use SAP applications. Established in 1972, SAP is today the world’s third-largest independent software company, with offices in more than 50 countries. In fiscal 2007, SAP had sales of 10.2 billion euros (excluding Business Objects). SAP (including Business Objects) currently has more than 51,440 employees, of whom more than 15,300 work in Germany. SAP is listed on several stock exchanges, including the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: SAP). Further information: www.sap.de or www.sap.com