Siemens Digital Industries Software
| Company type | Strategic business unit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Product Lifecycle Management, Electronic Design Automation |
| Predecessor | UGS, Siemens PLM Software |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters | Plano, Texas , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Tony Hemmelgarn (President and CEO), Chuck Grindstaff (Executive Chairman) |
| Products | NX, Teamcenter, Tecnomatix, Velocity Series, Solid Edge, Mendix platform, Siemens EDA products (Calibre, Tessent, Veloce, Questa, AFS, PADS, Xpedition, HyperLynx, Valor NPI) |
| Parent | Siemens Industry Inc. |
| Website | www |
Siemens Digital Industries Software—previously known as UGS and Siemens PLM Software—is a U.S.-based software company focused on 3D and 2D Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. Functioning as a strategic business unit within Siemens, it operates under the legal name Siemens Industry Software Inc, with its headquarters located in Plano, Texas.
From UGS to Siemens PLM: 1963–2007
United Computing, founded in 1963 in Torrance, California, introduced its first commercial offering, UNIAPT, in 1969. This product was among the pioneering end-user CAM applications. In 1973, United Computing acquired the Automated Drafting and Machining (ADAM) software, which served as the foundation for UNI-GRAPHICS, commercially released in 1975.
The aerospace corporation McDonnell Douglas purchased United Computing in 1976 and established the Unigraphics Group. By 1980, Unigraphics had launched its initial genuine 3D modeling hardware and software solutions. The group’s headquarters were relocated to St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1991, EDS took over McDonnell Douglas’ Systems Integration divisions, including Unigraphics, renaming it EDS Unigraphics. By 1997, EDS formed Unigraphics Solutions as a subsidiary and initiated its public offering while maintaining majority control. During this era, Unigraphics expanded through acquisitions such as Engineering Animation, Inc. and Applicon, a significant entity in Electronic Design Automation (EDA).
EDS rebranded the company as UGS Corporation in 2001, reacquired outstanding shares, and acquired competitor SDRC. In 2003, UGS obtained a perpetual license for the MSC Nastran source code. Subsequently, UGS, SDRC, and Nastran were consolidated into EDS’ PLM Solutions division.
In 2004, EDS divested its PLM Solutions segment to private equity firms Bain Capital, Silver Lake Partners, and Warburg Pincus; the company resumed operations under the UGS brand. The following year, UGS expanded its portfolio by acquiring Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd.
On January 24, 2007, Siemens AG announced a $3.5 billion acquisition of UGS. Helmuth Ludwig was appointed president to guide the company’s strategic direction following the acquisition.
Siemens PLM: 2007–2019
The acquisition of UGS in 2007 laid the groundwork for the formation of Siemens PLM Software, integrated within Siemens Industry Automation. UGS’s operations were merged into Siemens Automation & Drives under the Siemens PLM Software identity.
In October 2008, Siemens enhanced its offerings by acquiring Schwelm-based Innotec GmbH, recognized for its COMOS digital engineering platform tailored for the process industry.
On November 9, 2011, Siemens completed the acquisition of Vistagy, Inc., headquartered in Massachusetts and specializing in engineering software for advanced composite materials design and manufacturing.
Additional significant acquisitions by Siemens Industry Automation include Elan Software Systems (France, 2009), Active Tecnologia (Brazil, 2011), IBS AG (Germany, 2012), Perfect Costing Solutions GmbH (Germany, 2012), VRcontext International S.A. (Belgium, 2012), and LMS International (Belgium, 2012).
In December 2013, Siemens Industry Software strengthened its PLM-ERP integration capabilities by acquiring Munich-based TESIS PLMware GmbH, enhancing compatibility with platforms such as SAP and Oracle.
January 2016 marked Siemens’ announcement of a $970 million acquisition of CD-adapco, a supplier specializing in simulation software.
Leadership transitioned in October 2016 when Tony Hemmelgarn assumed the roles of president and CEO; Chuck Grindstaff stepped into the position of Executive Chairman after serving as CEO since 2010.
In November 2016, Siemens acquired Mentor Graphics for $4.5 billion—a leader in electronic design automation—integrating integrated circuit and systems design with simulation solutions; Mentor was subsequently rebranded as "Mentor, a Siemens Business."
On October 1, 2018, Siemens expanded its SaaS capabilities by acquiring Mendix, a low-code development platform built on Mendix technology.
Siemens Digital Industries Software: 2019 to Present
On September 4, 2019, Siemens PLM Software underwent a rebranding and adopted the name Siemens Digital Industries Software during the Siemens Media & Analyst Conference.
In January 2021, Mentor Graphics was formally integrated into Siemens Industry Software Inc., subsequently renamed Siemens EDA, functioning as a subdivision of Siemens Digital Industries Software.
November 2022 saw Siemens Digital Industries Software expand its portfolio through the acquisition of Avery Design Systems, a verification IP provider independent of simulation platforms, headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts.
In 2023, the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar identified the company as potentially involved in human rights abuses linked to Myanmar’s military weapons manufacturing.
By 2025, Siemens finalized a $10 billion purchase of Altair Engineering, assimilating it within its Digital Industries sector to bolster artificial intelligence capabilities.
Products
The product suite of Siemens Digital Industries Software encompasses longstanding Siemens PLM offerings such as NX—a robust CAD/CAM/CAE solution; Teamcenter, which serves as an integrated platform for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and collaborative development; Tecnomatix for manufacturing and factory planning; along with the Velocity Series aimed at mid-market segments, incorporating Solid Edge.
Other products include NX I-deas, NX Nastran, Solid Edge, Imageware, Femap, Simcenter 3D, Simcenter Amesim, Simcenter Flomaster, Simcenter FLOEFD, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, Simcenter Culgi, and Parasolid. The Mendix platform facilitates rapid enterprise application development with its low-code environment throughout the system development lifecycle.
Following the acquisition of Mentor Graphics—now operating as Siemens EDA—the product lineup expanded to feature:
- Calibre for integrated circuit physical verification and design for manufacturing
- Tessent tools for silicon testing and yield analysis
- Veloce hardware-assisted verification solutions
- Questa digital simulation and formal verification tools
- Analog and AMS product lines including AFS, AFS Symphony, Solido, and Eldo
- PCB design and layout software such as PADS, Xpedition, HyperLynx, and Valor NPI
- Additional IC design tools covering high-level synthesis, power analysis, and IC place-and-route
This broadened array of solutions reinforces Siemens Digital Industries Software’s position in both electronic design automation and product lifecycle management sectors.
Software components
By 2023, Siemens’ portfolio for 3D software development featured essential PLM components like:
- D-Cubed (employed by Bentley, Vero, Altair, Onshape, and Solid Edge)
- JT file format
- PLM Vis
- PLM XML