Siemens is bringing real-time supply chain intelligence to its Xcelerator software and digital-twin technology for PCB design.

The integrations provide users with real-time visibility into global component availability, demand, cost and compliance data.

The German tech giant is integrating the Supplyframe design-to-source intelligence platform it acquired in 2021 with its Xcelerator portfolio of software and services to bring real-time supply chain intelligence to digital-twin technology.

Starting with incorporating Supplyframe with its Xpedition software for electronic systems design, the integration, available now, facilitates supply chain resilience by providing real-time visibility into global component availability, demand, cost, compliance and associated parametric data at the point of design.

Combining Siemens’ knowledge in printed circuit board (PCB) design and analysis technologies with Supplyframe’s market intelligence, the offering can help users reduce costs, increase agility and make better, more informed component decisions at the point of design. By synchronising data from the product lifecycle management (PLM) and electronics computer aided design (ECAD) domains, engineering organisations can streamline the selection, creation and management of components during electronics design.

“This is a game changer for our OEM customers, who have faced extraordinary challenges in recent years due to a complicated set of dynamic market forces,” said AJ Incorvaia, senior vice president at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “Global supply chains have become increasingly unpredictable due to unprecedented geopolitical developments, globally distributed organisations and suppliers, and ever-growing pressure to develop highly complex new products and bring them to market quickly. By leveraging the industry-leading capabilities of Supplyframe’s design-to-source intelligence platform together with Siemens’ industry-leading Xpedition software for electronic systems design, we are equipping our customers with the tools and technologies to compete and thrive in the face of these challenges.”

Supplyframe is a design-to-source platform for the global electronics value chain that helps electronics manufacturers and distributors accelerate product introductions, reduce supply chain risk, and take advantage of market opportunities through intelligent software. The platform includes global real-time availability and lead times for over 600 million component parts, and captures billions of data signals about part supply, demand, risk and commercial intent.

The offering delivers functionalities and use cases for engineering organisations developing PCB designs, including:

• Push-button access to detailed component intelligence on over 600 million manufacturer part numbers, which can empower engineers to make more informed part decisions and trade-offs when the cost of change is lowest.
• Elimination of manual data entry and library maintenance tasks.
• Detailed part comparison views, what-if part selection analysis, and digitally managed workflows.
• Seamless, real-time part-level audits for streamlined risk assessments during design capture.

“To remain competitive in today’s dynamic global business landscape, organisations must be able to quickly adapt their design and sourcing strategies to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the industry,” said Steve Flagg, CEO of Supplyframe. “The addition of this offering extends Siemens’ supply chain resilience leadership. The Xcelerator portfolio enables robust collaboration across engineering, NPI management and sourcing teams, while providing built-in resilience and decision support for all stakeholders within the modern digital enterprise.”

Xpedition is software for the design and development of PCBs and electronic systems, covering engineering, design, analysis, manufacturing and data management. It delivers a PCB design flow that spans from system design definition, electronics design, electro-mechanical co-design, analysis and verification, all the way to PCB manufacturing. Its unique, technologies can help halve design cycles while improving overall quality and resource management.