Manitou signs up with Siemens for digital design

Manitou Group has teamed up with Siemens Digital Industries Software to develop a global solution for managing the lifecycle of its products through standardising its design processes.

Siemens’ Teamcenter software for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is dedicated in particular to the management of the machine database and components. This will streamline and simplify product design on Manitou’s 10 production sites in the US, India, Italy and France.

From the left: Julien Waechter, VP R&D Manitou Group; Jean-Marie Saint-Paul, CEO Siemens Digital Industries Software France; Maurizio Achilli, VP Sourcing Manitou Group

In addition Siemens’ NX software, for product engineering, has been chosen as the company’s CAD (Computer-Aided Design) tool.

Julien Waechter, vice president R&D at Manitou Group, explained, “This major investment will allow us to modernise our tools, particularly through virtual reality, to enhance our performance and to achieve the same design across several sites without having to rework the data.

“In practice, we will have unique data for each product for all group employees. The advantage of the Siemens solution is also its ability to connect to our existing tools, including our ERP. Siemens’ reputation and the expertise of the support teams convinced us that we were making the right decision.”

Another recent example of Manitou taking the next step in design was through the majority acquisition of easyLi, a specialist in the design and production of lithium-ion batteries.

Time saving 

By implementing this global solution, the Group will be able to optimize the time spent on its product development, while working on a single tool that allows the entire product life cycle to be centralised. Around 1,600 users will be impacted by the change, primarily in the design and R&D offices, along with technical documentation and after-sales departments and marketing teams over the next three years.

The group’s goal is to implement the solution in the US by the end of 2024, with roll-out in Europe and India estimated for 2025.

“We are delighted that Manitou Group has selected the open and interoperable Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of software and services and we are fully committed to supporting Manitou during its journey to achieving its digital transformation goals,” said Jean Marie Saint-Paul, CEO Siemens Digital Industries Software France.

“It’s another great example of how industry pioneers are choosing our solutions to help them build the products of the future and we look forward to helping Manitou Group across the globe.”