PLANO, Texas, October 18, 2011 - Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced a new supplier parts catalog web portal for Solid Edge® software – including the latest release, Solid Edge ST4 – that provides access to a massive number of commercially available and purchasable components and assemblies, in 3D native Solid Edge format. Eliminating the time needed to manually model purchased, supplier or catalog parts, the new on-line catalog – enabled through a new partnership with CADENAS GmbH – helps Solid Edge customers significantly improve product design productivity, quality and time-to-market.

“With today’s announcement, our Solid Edge customers now have access to millions of commercial, purchasable components they can drop right into their product designs without the need for additional modeling or the time consuming effort of understanding supplier product configurations or looking up part numbers,” said John Fox, vice president of Velocity Series Marketing, Siemens PLM Software. “In addition to this clear boost in productivity and design integrity, our customers will also benefit from knowing that the supplier parts they are incorporating into their products are orderable, available and certified by the manufacturers. The result is a reduction of potential production delays, enhancing Solid Edge users’ ability to get their products to market ahead of the competition.”
Proven strategic parts management

The new web portal announced today provides individuals with access to a Solid Edge specific version of the PARTsolutions 3D catalog management system from CADENAS, a leading software manufacturer in strategic parts management and electronic product catalogs. The system enables Solid Edge users to quickly find, reuse and control commercial parts, providing several methods of searching the data base, checking if configured parts have been previously downloaded, and controlling or restricting catalog access with project specific login.

The web portal contains no actual solid models because each native 3D Solid Edge model is built to order in real time. As a result, users have access to a massive number of parts – such as valves, actuators, bearings, etc. – and the system will automatically configure only the possible product sizes, options and features that are orderable and available from the manufacturers. Over 300 catalogs are available, with any one catalog having the ability to configure millions of components. By charging a fee to the companies represented on solidedge.partcommunity.com, CADENAS is able to provide models at no charge to Solid Edge users without infringing copyrights. End users can search for catalog parts based on a unique vendor or part number, and the ability to search for parts based on geometric size – which is useful when the shape is known but not the vendor – is expected to be available before the end of the year.

After a part or assembly has been selected, a complete package of information and geometry is available for instant access via e-mail, or via download to a directory on the user’s computer or directly into Solid Edge. In addition to the accurate 3D Solid Edge model – complete with a full feature tree and all defined interfaces necessary to easily model connecting parts – the user can also chose to receive detailed electronic product sheets and 2D views of the standard parts to be used in engineering drawings. Standard components are certified by each manufacturer to be accurate in geometric configurations and part numbers, ensuring proper form, fit and function within the final Solid Edge product design. The end result is significantly reduced assembly design time along with the ability to create more realistic assemblies and accurate parts lists with no additional work.

To ensure investment protection for users working with earlier versions of Solid Edge, Siemens PLM Software and CADENAS have made sure the models created through the new web portal are accessible to customers using versions as far back as Solid Edge 17. In addition, customers upgrading to Solid Edge ST4 will benefit from having a link to the portal from the main Solid Edge startup screen.

The new Solid Edge supplier parts web portal is available immediately and can be accessed at solidedge.partcommunity.com.
About Solid Edge

Solid Edge® software is the most complete hybrid 2D/3D CAD system that helps companies achieve accelerated design, faster change, and improved imported reuse with synchronous technology, a Siemens PLM Software innovation that combines the speed and flexibility of direct modeling with the precise control of dimension driven design. With superior part and assembly modeling, drafting, transparent data management, and built-in finite element analysis, Solid Edge, a core component of the Velocity Series™ portfolio, helps engineers design better.
About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 6.7 million licensed seats and more than 69,500 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.
About the Siemens Industry Automation Division

The Siemens Industry Automation Division (Nuremberg, Germany) supports the entire value chain of its industrial customers – from product design to production and services – with an unmatched combination of automation technology, industrial control technology, and industrial software. With its software solutions, the Division can shorten the time-to-market of new products by up to 50 percent. Industry Automation comprises five Business Units: Industrial Automation Systems, Control Components and Systems Engineering, Sensors and Communications, Siemens PLM Software, and Water Technologies. For more information, visit www.siemens.com/industryautomation

Note: Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. Solid Edge and Velocity Series are trademarks or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.
Primary Contact

Jim Phelan
+1 314 264 8216
Email Contact