| Abstract: | Tilo Brandis steps down and the leader of Siemens Systems Engineering takes over the reins. |
| Keywords: | UGS, PLM provider, new president, Tilo Brandis, Helmuth Ludwig, UGS PLM Software, Siemens Automation and Drives, 2008 strategic plan
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UGS PLM Software, in an internal memo to employees late last week, announced that Tilo Brandis, president of the company now operating as a division of Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D), will be replaced by Helmuth Ludwig, who currently serves as president of Siemens Systems Engineering, a division of A&D.
Brandis, appointed president of the UGS PLM Software unit when the company's acquisition by Siemens closed in May, is unable to continue as president due to family health issues that will prevent him from relocating from Germany to UGS headquarters in Plano, TX, the memo said.
UGS officials declined to comment on the announcement.
Ludwig, who has served as president of Siemens Systems Engineering since 2002, has been with the company since 1990, when he started in a corporate strategy position. He was responsible for the first Siemens organization in Kazakhstan, and joined the A&D organization in 1996 in charge of Process Instrumentation Systems. From 1998 to 2001, he was head of A&D's Energy and Industry division in Buenos Aires, moving in 2001 to the A&D Software and Systems House.
According to Ed Miller, CEO of PLM market research firm CIMdata, Ludwig's solid background in software should position him well to handle the role of president.
Brandis, who was intimately involved in the UGS/Siemens integration effort since the acquisition was announced early this year, reported to UGS Chairman and CEO Tony Affuso, with responsibility for day-to-day operations and the integration of the two companies along product, organizational, and cultural lines, Managing Automation reported at the time.
"Thanks in great part to [Brandis'] efforts, the integration effort has surpassed even our own high expectations and continues to gain strength," said the internal memo, which was signed by Affuso, UGS Executive Vice President and CFO Peter Bichara, and Brandis.
The memo, shared today with members of the press, also mentioned the A&D management board's recent approval of the company's strategic plan for 2008. The plan, which features six key initiatives, according to the memo, was not described in detail, but "will provide the focus we need to lead the next evolution in PLM and automation technology."
CIMdata's Miller told Managing Automation that he expects that UGS' plans for 2008 will focus on leveraging the acquisition by Siemens to gain a footing in the automation market, as well as to deliver PLM services to the Siemens customer base.
Miller also expects the company to focus on its major product announcements, including the first Teamcenter 2007 customer deliveries.
"We expect to see a real push of Teamcenter 2007, since that's the product that delivers on the roadmap announced when UGS was first formed" after being spun out from EDS, Miller said.
Another key area of focus, Miller predicted, will be Tecnomatix, which provides the digital manufacturing bridge between UGS' CAD offerings and the factory floor, "essentially providing a way to directly link PLM functionality with Siemens' control products," and enabling PLM to increase its value to the factory floor.
"A&D is a giant business with the market presence to establish more credibility for PLM in the manufacturing world," Miller said. This will translate into benefits not only for UGS, but also for the entire PLM industry, including UGS rivals Dassault Systemes and PTC, he said.
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