In May 2014 Siemens, together with the public utilities of Mainz, Linde and the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, has laid the foundation stone for a new type of energy storage system. Now, time has come: By pressing a symbolic button, the Chairman of the Board of Linde Group, Dr. Wolfgang Büchele, Siemens board member Professor Siegfried Russwurm, two board members of Stadtwerke Mainz AG, Detlev Höhne and Dr. Tobias Brosze, and Professor Dr. Detlev Reymann, President of RheinMain University, officially launched a hydrogen production plant at the Energiepark Mainz on July 2, 2015. With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology as part of the Energy Storage Funding Initiative the 17-million-project could be realized. The system, equipped with an electrolyzer from Siemens, will convert surplus electricity from wind farms to hydrogen from now on. In this way, it will be possible to store electricity from renewable sources over longer periods of time. With a peak rating of up to 6 megawatts the plant is the largest of its kind in the world.
The principle of electrolysis has been tried and tested for decades. What is special about the Mainz system is that it involves highly dynamic PEM high-pressure electrolysis which is particularly suitable for high current density and can react within milliseconds to sharp increases in power generation from wind and solar sources. In this electrolyzer a proton exchange membrane (PEM) separates the two electrodes at which oxygen and hydrogen are formed. On the front and back of the membrane are precious-metal electrodes that are connected to the positive and negative poles of the voltage source. This is where the water is split. The system in Mainz will thus have a capacity relevant for bottlenecks in the grid and small wind farms.
On August 4, we released our third quarter results for fiscal year 2016. The Conference Call for journalists and the Analyst Call were broadcast live.
- Randy Zwirn to retire
- Tim Holt to take on new CEO role as of October 1, 2016
Effective October 1, 2016, Tim Oliver Holt (46), who is currently CEO of the Power and Gas Business Unit within the Power Generation Services Division, has been appointed CEO of the Power Generation Services Division. Holt's replacement in his Business Unit assignment will be the subject of a future announcement. The Division's current CEO, Randy Zwirn (62), is retiring on October 1, 2016.
- Technical milestone: maiden flight of an electric aircraft with a 260-kilowatt power output
- Siemens motor powers Extra 330LE aerobatic airplane in near silence
- Technology to be integrated into development of hybrid-electric aircraft in cooperation with Airbus
Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 50 kilograms, delivers a continuous output of about 260 kilowatts – five times more than comparable drive systems. This record-setting propulsion system successfully completed its first public flight today at Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken, Germany, where it – almost silently – powered an Extra 330LE aerobatic airplane. The new drive system had already made its maiden flight on June 24th 2016. This advance means that hybrid-electric aircraft with four or more seats will now be possible.
- Strategic focus pays off despite downturn in the sector
- Synergies from the integration of Dresser-Rand and Rolls-Royce's former energy business expected to total about €365 million by fiscal 2019
- Leading market positions along the entire energy value chain
- Expanding installed base and customer services to ensure sustainable revenue growth
- Electrification, automation and digitalization in oil and gas to generate substantial productivity gains and new business models
Despite a material downturn in the sector, Siemens expects the acquisition of Dresser-Rand and Rolls-Royce's former energy business to generate considerably greater synergies than originally anticipated. At the Energy and Oil & Gas Capital Market Day in Houston, Texas, Siemens Managing Board member Lisa Davis explained that the integration of the two companies was expected to generate synergies of €365 million by fiscal 2019 – or €165 million above the planned figure. Rolls-Royce's former energy business would contribute synergies of €115 in fiscal 2019, up from the €50 million originally communicated at the Capital Market Day in December 2014. Annual synergies from Dresser-Rand are now expected to hit €250 million by fiscal 2019 – about €100 million more than planned in September 2014.
- €1 billion to be invested over next five years
- Freedom for new ideas and developing new technologies
- Focus on forward-looking fields such as artificial intelligence and decentralized electrification
Effective October 1, 2016, Siemens will set up a separate unit to foster disruptive ideas more vigorously and to accelerate the development of new technologies. The unit's name, "next47," plays on the fact that Siemens was founded in 1847. Pooling its existing startup activities at next47 will enable the company to unite the best of two worlds: next47 will couple agility, speed and independence with a global customer base, many years of experience, credibility and financial strength. The new unit will have funding of €1 billion for the first five years. Siegfried Russwurm, Siemens Chief Technology Officer, will head the new unit on an acting basis.
- Modern working environment for up to 1,200 employees
- Construction schedule, budget and technical implementation as planned
- Grand opening with guests of honor representing government and the business community
- Big family celebration with accompanying entertainment
Siemens' new headquarters in Munich have opened. Employees and the Managing and Supervisory Boards of Siemens AG celebrated completion of the building with a grand-opening ceremony. Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria Ilse Aigner and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter were also on hand for the occasion. Completed in only about three years, the new building provides space for 1,200 employees on an aboveground area of around 45,000 square meters.
- Bronze sculpture created by Georg Baselitz graces atrium of new head-quarters
- Sculpture group "The Wings," created by Daniel Libeskind, links Siemens locations in Munich, Berlin and Erlangen
Visitors arriving at the new Siemens headquarters in Munich will be greeted by the impressive sight of the bronze sculpture "Schwesterngruppe" (Group of Sisters), created by Georg Baselitz. Freely accessible to the public, the sculpture forms part of the company's new, open building concept. Georg Baselitz himself says of his work: "What you see is memory on a monumental scale: in this case, my sister and her friends walking arm-in-arm across the village square. The tradition of the Three Graces, from Ancient Greece via Botticelli to the present day, is one of the themes of this work. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a group of figures with interlinked arms in the history of sculpture."
- Saudi Aramco's "In-Kingdom Total Value Add" (IKTVA) program aims to localize the energy value chain with respect to manufacturing and service, train and employ young Saudi nationals, and foster future prosperity in the Kingdom.
- In partnership with Saudi Aramco, Siemens celebrated another milestone for the IKTVA program by producing the first gas turbine at the Siemens Dammam Energy Hub.
- In line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, the local production of energy-related goods such as turbines has leveraged opportunities for Siemens to train and employ young Saudi nationals, and contribute towards creating a knowledge-based economy.
In line with Saudi Vision 2030 and Saudi Aramco's in-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program, Siemens delivered its first gas turbine built in Saudi Arabia. The gas turbine, which will be installed at Saudi Aramco's new power plant as part of the Jazan refinery project, was produced at the Siemens Dammam Energy Hub, Saudi Arabia's first gas turbine manufacturing facility and the largest in the Middle East.
Clarissa Haller (49) has been appointed the new head of communications at Siemens. She will assume her new duties on July 1, 2016, and report in this capacity directly to President and CEO Joe Kaeser. Ms. Haller has been active at the international level in a wide range of leadership positions in the communications field for, among others, Roche, ABB and Credit Suisse.