Siemens on board with Adidas Speedfactory project

German electronics company Siemens has announced that it will collaborate with sportswear manufacturer Adidas to drive the digital production of sporting goods.

As part of a joint research and development programme, Siemens will use its expertise in automation and simulation solutions to help advance the digitalisation of the Adidas Speedfactory, a project which Siemens describes as heralding a “new era” in sporting goods manufacturing.

It will create a “digital twin” of the Speedfactory, which allows the entire production process to be simulated, tested and optimised before it gets underway in the real world. Siemens explained that this will help shorten the time to market, bring greater flexibility and provide improved manufacturing quality and efficiency.

“The Speedfactories run by adidas are a perfect illustration of where the production of the future is heading,” said Klaus Helmrich, part of the Siemens management board. “The social trend towards greater customisation coupled with new technologies capable of actually fulfilling these expectations will permanently change many production processes.”

“By digitalising the value chain, we will be able to implement new technological innovations more quickly, make more efficient and transparent use of the resources available and so respond more flexibly to the individual needs of our consumers,” added Gerd Manz, vice president of Technology Innovation at Adidas