Siemens teams up with Ben Ainslie Racing

From the UK, Siemens is providing product lifecycle management (PLM) software products and, through its solution partner Majenta PLM, professional services. The PLM environment will enable the engineering team to create, manage and share the innovative designs relating to the boat design and build. The partnership will last for a minimum of three years and will support the 50,000 hours of research and development of the 22-strong design team. Additionally, 150,000 hours of expertise will also be supported for the boat design and build, in order to aid the team in their ambitions to win the oldest international sporting trophy in the world. Siemens will be helping to develop the AC62 boats, which have the potential to reach speeds of up to 45 knots, or 52 miles per hour. Using digital and software technologies, Siemens will enable the design and testing the boats in virtual environments. This will be supported by a solid bank of data which can be used to fine tune the design of the boats so that they can constantly evolve to meet the needs of the Ben Ainslie Racing team. Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens in the UK and Ireland, said: "We are putting the virtual winds into the sails of Ben Ainslie Racing through our partnership - we are immensely proud to support the team through our digital technology and software platforms - which we know will radically improve the performance of the team. What is particularly special about the partnership is that we will be supporting with our UK R&D capacity - backing the team in Portsmouth where the team will open their UK HQ next year."