Siemens SIMATIC HMI tablet and docking system
Siemens Factory Automation plans to go to market for its embedded and panel PC products in the healthcare segment, including x-ray, analyzer, imaging and diagnostic equipment plus data acquisition to patient and hospital records. These domestically sold products are now assembled in Lebanon, Ohio.
At the recent Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) show held on February 6-8 in Anaheim, Calif., the PC-based Automation Marketing Manager from Siemens Digital Factory Division, Thorsten Julich, announced that the company plans to develop the medical equipment market for its box, panels and rack PC products. In addition, Julich noted the suite of products targeted for use in the North American market are being assembled at the Siemens facility in Lebanon, Ohio, thereby shortening lead times significantly, up to 40%, for the OEM machine builders and system integrators.
“Time to market for new product development continues to shorten in the industrial PC market, while the life cycle of such products has become longer,” Julich noted. “It is critical that Siemens bring its embedded box and panel products to market in a more efficient manner.” He also observed the drive to upgrade systems from older technologies at all levels of the healthcare industry is moving quickly, as the market trends toward a digital and cloud-based environment with customized apps to enable more immediate and network-wide system of record-keeping.
Siemens IPC family
Commenting on the Lebanon, Ohio facility, Julich noted the in-house development of Siemens IPC technology for this market segment will include both software and motherboard manufacturing. Complementing the PC product offerings, rugged handheld units with Windows 7 or 10 compatibility, will be offered for technician ease-of-use and connectivity to cloud-based systems.
A scalable portfolio of products, based on Intel CPU technology, will provide a full spectrum of configurations to suit most applications currently in the medical equipment market, Julich said.
Single- and multi-touch panel PCs will be offered in 7 to 22 in. displays in the company’s Nanobox/Nanopanel and Microbox/Micropanel designs.
Julich concluded, “Because our IPC range has full interface capabilities with SCADA software plus the medical grade tablets offer full compatibility with networking solutions in the digital world, we believe the company is well positioned to enter this medical equipment market with a very substantial and sustainable suite of products and services.” He also mused the Lebanon, Ohio facility would give Siemens something of a “home field advantage” in the market.
Siemens
usa.siemens.com/ipc
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Siemens Digital Factory (DF) offers a comprehensive portfolio of seamlessly integrated hardware, software and technology-based services in order to support manufacturing companies worldwide in enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of their manufacturing processes and reducing the time to market of their products.
