Siemens launches digital solutions incubators in Porto

Siemens Portugal has launched two new digital incubator centres to help develop intelligent buildings and digital projects.
The two new centres will be located at Siemens’ premises in Freixeiro in the district of Porto which is completing 25 years.
The i-Experience Center 4.0 is a digital solutions incubator which promotes various initiatives aimed at industry modernisation and the Solutions & Service Center, an applications laboratory for the development and implementation of intelligent building solutions — fire protection, security, automation, energy efficiency, information security and monitoring.
The inauguration of these two centres falls within the company’s technology strategy and part of its overall €25 million investment plan to digitalise the country by 2020 announced last year.
Furthermore, the launch of the i-Experience Center 4.0 is yet another measure from the company as part of the Government’s Industry 4.0.
The i-Experience Center is a digital solutions incubator which promotes various initiatives aimed at industry modernisation and based on MindSphere, a Siemens open operative system for the Internet of Things in Cloud.
The aim is to be a co-creation space that will encourage partnerships with companies, academic institutions and local startups and make simulation technology available which can then be developed into value added projects for the country.
Siemens Portugal CEO, Pedro Pires de Miranda believes that these “centres of experimentation will strengthen the company’s links with end clients but also with its partners”.
He adds that these same centres were launched last year at Siemens headquarters in Alfragide and have involved and “helped dozens of companies and universities.”
The investment in Freixeiro is down to the fact that the north of Portugal is very industrialised and is an area that “exudes economic health”.
In 2018, 44% of Siemens Portugal clients came from the north of the country while 40% of the company’s business turnover came from companies in the north, with energy production projects highlighted.
Siemens Portugal profits more than doubled in 2018, increasing 120.6% to €33.7 million. The company currently employs 2,500.