INDUSTRY NEWS
Talent Campus at BMW Group Plant Leipzig
Every year , 65 young people start their vocational training at BMW Group Plant Leipzig ( Germany ). In the future , more than 6,200 employees a year will also develop their skills in specifically tailored courses and seminars . For the first time , Leipzig ’ s new Talent Campus brings together vocational training and skills development under one roof . The new building officially opened on 25 October 2024 .
The Talent Campus offers 6,000m ² of space in total across two floors . For those doing their vocational training , it is equipped with automotive , CNC , mechatronics and mechanical workshops as well as spaces for pneumatics , mechatronics and IT / AR / VR . For employees undergoing skills development , it offers e-mobility workshops for SPS control technologies , robotics and automation as well as practical training multifunctional spaces and seminar rooms . The building is designed to be accessible and , with equipment , clocked up an investment of 16 million euros .
Nicole Haft-Zboril , Head , BMW Group Real Estate Management , commented : “ This new Talent Campus is an investment in a flexible , needs-focused training infrastructure at our Leipzig site . The construction project has been successfully completed — thanks in large part
to our collaboration with our partner , the City of Leipzig — and the building has been handed over in time for the start of the academic year .”
The Talent Campus offers training and development for a wide range of participants , from apprentices to managers . Courses and programmes centre on working with highvoltage electricity for new battery systems and on digitalisation , with a particular focus on artificial intelligence , to develop the skills that will be vital in the car industry of the future . BMW Group Plant Leipzig is steadily growing in terms of employees , buildings and production volume . When it opened in 2005 , it employed around 2,600 people . Today , there are over 6,000 . Plant director , Petra Peterhänsel , explained : “ Investments
The new Talent Campus at BMW Group Plant Leipzig .
in training and development are key to the transformation of our industry . We are securing the future of our site by fostering young talent and offering attractive skills development options to keep our longer-standing employees with us on our journey to electric and digital mobility .”
Over the last three years , the training rate at Plant Leipzig has risen by 44 per cent . The site currently offers five apprenticeships : production mechanic , IT system electronics technician , automotive mechatronics technician , mechatronics technician and industrial mechanic .
“ This year , BMW Group Plant Leipzig is also home to the state of Saxony ’ s Best Apprentice ,” concluded the manufacturer . n
Siemens acquires Altair Engineering
Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire Altair Engineering Inc ., a provider of software in the industrial simulation and analysis market . Altair shareholders will receive US $ 113 per share , representing an enterprise value of approximately US $ 10 billion . With this acquisition , Siemens strengthens its position as a leading technology company in industrial software .
“ Acquiring Altair marks a significant milestone for Siemens . This strategic investment aligns with our commitment to accelerate the digital and sustainability transformations of our customers by combining the real and digital worlds . The addition of Altair ’ s capabilities in simulation , high-performance computing , data science and artificial intelligence , together with Siemens Xcelerator , will create the world ’ s most complete AI-powered design and simulation portfolio ,” said Roland Busch , President and CEO of Siemens AG . “ It is a logical next step : we have been building our leadership in industrial software for the last 15 years , most recently democratising the benefits of data and AI for entire industries .”
“ We believe this combination of two
strongly complementary leaders in the engineering software space brings together Altair ’ s broad portfolio in simulation , data science and HPC with Siemens ’ strong position in mechanical and EDA design ,” added James Scapa , Altair ’ s founder and CEO .
The transaction is expected to strongly increase Siemens ’ digital business revenue by + 8 %, adding ~ 600 million euros to Siemens ’ digital business revenue of 7.3-
billion euros as reported in fiscal year 2023 . Siemens expects to achieve significant revenue synergies , with a revenue impact of more than US $ 500 million per annum midterm growing to more than US $ 1.0 billion perannum long-term . Siemens aims to achieve cost synergies on a short-term basis , with an EBITDA impact of more than US $ 150 million per annum by Year Two post-closing . n
www . siemens . com
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