Siemens International selects ARIS to manage processes for the group

The head office of Siemens AG and the group`s CIO (Corporate Information and Operations) community has jointly decided to select ARIS process database from software and consulting company, IDS Scheer AG.

Using the world-leading process modelling tool, the company`s international branches can then not only retrieve the process standards stored there, but can also modify them in detail to meet their specific needs.

"Process costs and IT costs will be lowered because standardised processes can be supported by uniform software," says Dawie Jacobs from Collaborative Process Integration (CPI), value-added reseller for IDS Scheer in SA.

The ARIS Business Server is already accessible to several hundred users. A spokesman of Siemens CIO commented on the project: "With one central server, we will be able to save on investments in infrastructure and reduce current operating costs. At the same time, all our processes will be comparable, so substantive benchmarks can be established worldwide."

"The remarkable feature of this project is that it is the first time a group of this size will not only document all its processes, but will also use them as a standard for concrete measures such as global ERP plans," added Dr Wolfram Jost, member of the IDS Scheer management board with responsibility for product development.

This unification and standardisation will also benefit from the introduction of a central, Web-based process portal, which can be used by any employee to generate essential process knowledge directly across the intranet.

The standardisation of processes and the establishment of a unified system of process management are essential preconditions in programs aimed at consolidating and standardising applications throughout the Siemens AG group. The core element of a full-range system of process management is a central ARIS process database, which can be accessed by all business units of Siemens AG. In addition to a number of software licences, IDS Scheer AG is also providing Siemens with comprehensive consulting services to support its implementation of a global process management system. The order is valued at about 2 million euro.

The process management system that has now been instituted provides for further development of the central process standards for areas such as supply chain management, product lifecycle management and customer relationship management, to yield direct and individual benefits in these areas of business.