SAP and KUKA Cooperate to Design the Factory of the Future

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Apr 25, 2017, 04:00 ET

WALLDORF and AUGSBURG and HANNOVER, Germany, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and KUKA AG today announced they will work together around Industrial 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to promote the flexibility and automation of production processes. Both companies want to collaborate, particularly in the areas of manufacturing, mechanical engineering and the automotive sector. The announcement was made at Hannover Messe, which takes place from April 24 to 28 in Hanover, Germany.

The integration of KUKA robots into SAP's digital manufacturing showcase at Hannover Messe is driven by comprehensive standard protocols, such as OPC Unified Architecture. In addition, KUKA and SAP plan to provide KUKA robot applications based on the SAP^® Leonardo IoT platform. KUKA robots will be integrated into SAP Cloud Platform, helping companies evaluate predictive maintenance scenarios and monitor factory floors. KUKA also plans to use selected SAP technology components as part of its own connyun IoT platform.

Through the SAP Leonardo portfolio, SAP has introduced a variety of solutions to support Industry 4.0 and IIoT. KUKA's expertise in intelligent automation solutions complements these solutions. In addition, selected SAP technology and business components will enhance KUKA's start-up platform connyun, with a focus on midsize machine construction.

"By seamlessly integrating automation solutions from KUKA and selected solutions from our SAP Leonardo IoT platform and SAP Connected Manufacturing software, we can make a significant contribution to driving closer the integration of top floor and shop floor in manufacturing," said Dr. Tanja Rueckert, executive vice president, IoT and Digital Supply Chain business unit, SAP. "This enables customers to build a high level of customer satisfaction and support them on their way to digital transformation."

"KUKA makes its machines and systems more intelligent and supplements them with innovative software solutions," said Dr. Christian Schloegel, chief digital officer, KUKA. "We are committed to a twofold strategy: we are tying the KUKA robots on SAP Cloud Platform and the SAP Leonardo IoT platform. At the same time, the connyun Industry 4.0 platform of our start-up company of the same name will be supplemented with SAP technology components and SAP business applications. In this way, we can optimally adjust all customer requirements and support our customers in their digital transformation."

The combination of expertise in machines, connectivity and production processes, together with expertise from SAP around Big Data analytics, business applications and the operation of large global infrastructures, creates an ideal landscape for this partnership.

The collaboration between KUKA and SAP brings added value to the customer, especially for midsize machine builders.

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About KUKA
KUKA AG is an internationally active company with sales of around €3 billion. Every day, roughly 12,300 KUKA employees at KUKA headquarters in Augsburg and around the world work to ensure that KUKA remains one of the world's leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions. Its international customers come from, among other sectors, the automotive industry and general industry. KUKA offers you everything from a single source: from the individual components to fully automated systems.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 345,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
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For more information, press only:
Simone Kathrin Eiermann, SAP, +49 (6227) 7-67029, [email protected], CET
Katrin Stuber-Koeppe, KUKA AG, +49 821 797-3722, [email protected], CET

KUKA News Center, [email protected]
SAP News Center press room, [email protected]

SOURCE SAP SE