thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering has adopted the Siemens Industrial Copilot, integrating it into their operations to improve productivity and address challenges such as competitive pressure and a shortage of skilled labor. This collaboration involves using generative AI to enhance machine visualization in WinCC Unified and facilitate TIA Portal project creation. The copilot assists engineers by speeding up structured control language code development for programmable logic controllers, automating data management, and sensor configuration.
Dr. Rolf-Günther Nieberding, CEO of thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering, expressed optimism about the partnership: “I expect that rolling out the Siemens Industrial Copilot across our machines will help us – and therefore our customers – to implement demanding projects in a much shorter time.”
The Siemens Electronics Factory in Erlangen has also implemented the copilot for its soldering machines. This tool helps operators understand error codes by translating them into natural language and suggesting solutions based on historical data, thus reducing machine downtime and improving efficiency.
The Siemens Industrial Copilot's expansion includes multimodal capabilities for image analysis and agent-based automation. It will be available as an on-premises hardware-software bundle with Simatic Industrial PC (IPC 1047E), ensuring data security by processing information locally without requiring an internet connection.
For engineering tasks, the copilot supports multimodal input by detecting changes in ECAD documents used for electrical planning. These changes are automatically incorporated into TIA Portal projects. Agent concepts further automate complex automation projects by breaking them down into subtasks and executing required actions independently.
The Engineering Copilot TIA Essential is accessible via the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace since July 2024. It utilizes powerful GPT models through Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service to ensure enterprise-grade performance, data protection, and reliability.
Siemens emphasizes that their generative AI solutions are designed to be reliable, secure, and trustworthy, making industrial AI accessible globally.