Werner von Siemens, born on December 13, 1816, would have turned 200 years old this year. On November 29, Siemens was marking the anniversary of its company founder's birth by holding a gala event in the Mosaikhalle (Mosaic Hall) at its headquarters in Berlin. In addition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, more than 100 prominent guests representing government, business, science, culture and the media were present. Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG, opened the ceremony. Nathalie von Siemens, a great-great-granddaughter of Werner von Siemens, Managing Director and spokesperson of the Board of Siemens Stiftung and a member of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG, as well as Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the company's Supervisory Board, will also gave speeches in honor of the company founder.Together with Georg Halske, he established Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske, a company of international standing already within his lifetime. With inventions like the electric pointer telegraph, the electric generator and the world's first electric streetcar system, Werner von Siemens had a major influence on the technological development of today's world. His passion for engineering excellence and his relentless drive to create trailblazing innovations still shape the enterprise he founded. With around 351,000 employees in over 200 countries worldwide, Siemens AG is now a leading supplier in the growth fields of electrification, automation and digitalization.
Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has released new research examining how global manufacturers are using innovative finance to seize market opportunities through digitalization and automation. Conducted among manufacturing finance managers in 13 countries, the study found that manufacturers across the world are reporting a need to invest in new-generation technology in order to meet four key sector challenges.These are: to increase production capacity and flexibility to meet changing demand and drive sales; to improve client service quality while reducing production costs; to improve competitive positioning through improved product quality and broader product range and to optimize efficiency, cost control and manufacturing agility through automation and digitalization.