Siemens expands industrial software access across six African markets

Last Updated 2 hours ago by Kenya Engineer

Siemens Digital Industries Software has appointed technology distributor Redington to expand access to its industrial software portfolio in six African markets, including Kenya, in a move that could widen the availability of advanced engineering, simulation and digital twin technologies to manufacturers and other industrial users.

The agreement covers Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Morocco and Tanzania, with the companies indicating that the arrangement could eventually extend to additional markets across the continent.

Under the agreement, Redington will distribute Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio, giving enterprises and engineering organisations in the six markets access to software covering product lifecycle management, product design, simulation and testing.

The portfolio includes Teamcenter for product lifecycle management, Designcenter for product design and engineering, and Simcenter for simulation and testing. Siemens positions these technologies as part of a broader industrial digitalisation platform incorporating Digital Twin and Industrial AI capabilities.

For engineering-intensive industries, the significance of the arrangement lies in the ability to model, simulate and manage products and assets digitally before and during their physical development. Digital Twin technologies can allow engineers to work with virtual representations of physical systems, while simulation tools can be used to assess performance and identify potential problems before physical testing or deployment.

The companies said the agreement is intended to address growing demand for digital technologies as African industries seek to improve productivity, operational efficiency and resilience. Target sectors identified in the announcement include oil and gas, mining, agriculture and aerospace.

The partnership also brings a local distribution and support layer to Siemens’ industrial software offering. Redington’s partner network and market presence are expected to help organisations access the software as well as the technical support required to deploy and use it.

“Industrial AI is opening a new chapter in how businesses design, manufacture and operate,” said Sayantan Dev, chief executive officer, Software Solutions Group, Redington Limited. He said the partnership would bring Digital Twin and advanced software capabilities closer to African enterprises and support their application at scale.

Cobus Oosthuizen, vice president and managing director for Africa and the Middle East at Siemens Digital Industries Software, said the partnership would enable Siemens to respond more effectively to rising demand for digitalisation in African markets.

The agreement is also notable for Redington’s existing involvement in engineering software distribution. Siemens cited the company’s experience distributing Altair simulation tools, following Siemens’ acquisition and integration of Altair, as one of the reasons for selecting Redington as a partner.

For Kenya and the wider region, the development comes as industrial operators face increasing pressure to improve asset performance, reduce development cycles and make greater use of data in engineering and production. Wider access to simulation, lifecycle management and digital twin technologies could support these efforts, although the value delivered will ultimately depend on organisations having the engineering skills, digital infrastructure and data capabilities required to deploy the technologies effectively.

The six-market agreement therefore represents more than a change in software distribution. It places a wider range of industrial engineering tools within local commercial and support channels at a time when African industries are increasingly looking to move from conventional digitisation towards more integrated, data-driven engineering and operations.