Siemens and Accenture launch joint business group to transform manufacturing

At Hannover Messe 2025, Accenture and Siemens announced an extension of their strategic partnership in the form of the Accenture Siemens Business Group, an Accenture-based joint business unit that will employ 7,000 professionals with manufacturing and IT expertise worldwide.

The group will develop software-defined products and factories, combining industrial technology with AI-supported engineering and manufacturing expertise. To achieve this, the group will leverage the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio for automation, industrial AI, and software, as well as Accenture’s data and AI expertise, to help companies redesign their engineering and manufacturing processes.

Digitalization of manufacturing

Roland Busch, president and CEO of Siemens AG, extolled the advantages of the partnership: “Two market leaders bring together their unique capabilities: technology, data access, and strong expertise in software, automation, and industrial AI — and Accenture’s strength, data, and AI in engineering and manufacturing.”

Julie Sweet, CEO and chair of Accenture, underscored the importance of the collaboration: “Engineering and manufacturing mark the next chapter of digitalization.”

The two companies have been working together for some time. To demonstrate the success of their collaboration, the partners cite two key example projects at KION AG and Navantia.

For German multinational manufacturer of materials handling equipment KION, Accenture and Siemens are standardizing and optimizing central engineering processes with Siemens Teamcenter as a unified system for product lifecycle management. Thanks to simulation capabilities, generative AI, and model-based systems engineering (MBSE), KION can rethink and further develop its engineering processes.

At Spanish state-owned company Navantia, which is active in civil and military shipbuilding, Accenture and Siemens have developed a new product development platform using Siemens Teamcenter and Capital Logic Designer. The platform enables the creation of digital twins of Navantia’s ships. The digital twins improve product design and reduce the company’s overall design and manufacturing costs by 20%, according to Accenture and Siemens.

Engineering and manufacturing solutions

The Accenture Siemens Business Group will primarily develop solutions for software-defined products and factories. Target industries include automotive, electronics, semiconductors, consumer goods, aerospace, mechanical engineering, transportation, and defense.

In terms of engineering solutions, the group will focus on transforming its clients’ engineering and R&D models. This includes building global engineering centers of excellence and supporting the development of software-defined products. Furthermore, the group is optimizing the use of MBSE and accelerating the adoption and implementation of the software-defined vehicle (SDV) framework for automakers, recently introduced by Accenture and Siemens.

For manufacturing solutions, the group’s aim is to help companies implement, harmonize, and migrate manufacturing control systems for real-time monitoring and control of production processes. By applying principles from IT, the group will advance AI-enabled automation and manufacturing for customers. Additionally, the group will offer managed security services that enable organizations to protect their operational technology (OT) and critical engineering and manufacturing systems from cyber threats. These services include Accenture’s Managed Extended Detection and Response (MxDR) platform.

In addition, the Accenture Siemens Business Group develops solutions for customer service, maintenance, repairs, and general overhauls of industrial plants.

Agentic AI

Another business focus of ​​the group is agentic AI, with the development of AI agents to optimize industrial processes being a key priority. The Accenture Siemens Business Group relies on solutions from Accenture’s Industry X business unit for digital engineering and manufacturing.

The plan is to help companies create AI agents and adapt pre-built agents and basic AI models — for example, for simulation and robotics. This will enable companies to comprehensively manage all AI components used in their organization.