Single view of IT and OT assets is critical to the smart factory of the future

The German engineering giant designs and manufactures much of the world’s leading factory technology—motors, sensors, programmable logic controllers that run production lines globally.

Siemens recognized a significant opportunity to enhance its understanding of operational technology (OT) assets across factory floors. This overall visibility is indispensable: only when all OT systems, machines, and sensors are centrally recorded, monitored, and managed can maintenance, security, and availability be ensured.

The challenge was not the technical complexity or the scale of operations, but the sheer diversity and distribution of the OT landscape: thousands of assets spread across numerous locations without a unified management system.

Now, Siemens is integrating IT and OT management to establish complete asset visibility and pave the way for the use of agentic AI. The result: improved production uptime, strengthened cybersecurity, and maximized factory output. For a company that builds the factory technology the world relies on, the impact will be felt globally.

Siemens brings IT and OT together as its own customer zero

The Siemens Electric Motor Factory Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale, Germany, is where innovation happens. Since 2018, the factory has acted as customer zero for the company’s process and digital innovation. Ideas first hatched in Bad Neustadt will make their way to Siemens plants worldwide, and create the technology used by Siemens’ manufacturing customers. It is here that Siemens’ IT-OT convergence starts, with ServiceNow.

“We have roughly 180 years’ experience in operational technology,” says Michael Leipold, Head of Internal Startup, Industrial Asset Hub, Siemens. “We’ve used ServiceNow for 15 years to help manage our IT environment. Now, we are bringing our two areas of domain expertise together on a single platform.

“Historically, the IT and OT teams get on like cats and dogs,” he jokes, “but this project has taken a pragmatic approach. Both sides appreciate they can’t manage and protect what they cannot see.”

“The environment is still complex,” says Peter Zech, Head of Innovation and Digitalization at the Bad Neustadt factory, “but we’ve simplified the way we now manage it. Seeing our factory floor in one view not only enables us to manage the lifecycle of our OT assets better, it also helps us to spot security vulnerabilities.”

The Bad Neustadt factory is characterized by a highly dynamic production environment, where thousands of motors are assembled every day—with an exceptionally high degree of product variability. This complexity requires a great deal of flexibility. While the use of software has helped, it creates new challenges with security patches and firmware updates.

“We need clear transparency of all assets, particularly those with networking capabilities,” says Peter. “Everything needs to be secure, everything must be up to date.”

The solution pairs Siemens’ Industrial Asset Hub and SINEC Security Guard with ServiceNow’s OT Visibility and OT Vulnerability capabilities. It combines Siemens’ manufacturing expertise with ServiceNow's IT strengths to solve a critical problem.

Full visibility enables faster vulnerability mitigation, efficient patching, and better lifecycle planning

For the first time, Siemens can manage its OT assets with the same visibility it has across IT assets. This has achieved measurable improvements in security and lifecycle management:

• Vulnerability mitigation: Siemens now identifies and prioritizes vulnerabilities 90% faster. By combining data from Industrial Asset Hub and SINEC Security Guard, teams can quickly spot which devices face specific risks from outdated firmware, protecting production uptime.
• Efficient patching and updates: Service teams can now remotely connect to devices and install updated firmware or configurations. The system documents each step and verifies proper authorization, reducing security fix time by 38% in initial tests.
• Better lifecycle planning: The Industrial Asset Hub feeds the ServiceNow CMDB (Configuration Management Database) with critical lifecycle data, helping teams quickly identify aging devices and access replacement part numbers, exchange instructions, and stock availability. Asset onboarding is now 70% faster through automation.

“Bad Neustadt is unique because it is home to our latest digitization ideas, but in many respects, it is no different to any other factory. This solution is vendor-agnostic, it automatically identifies any device,” Michael highlights. “It could be applied in any factory, Siemens or otherwise, worldwide.”

The project is also being tested at the Siemens Electronics Works Amberg before a global roll-out.

Looking ahead: AI will proactively detect issues and help Siemens build the factories of the future

The pilots at the Bad Neustadt and Amberg factories are among the first in accelerating innovation across Siemens’ manufacturing operations. The project hopes to quickly move beyond better tracking of its equipment.

With ServiceNow OT Service Management connected to Siemens’ engineering support via Field Service Management, teams on the ground receive immediate alerts with the exact information they need.

“We can see a use case where agentic AI, personalized for an individual on the maintenance team, can collect known weaknesses and manuals specifically related to their installed asset base,” says Peter. “What’s more, such an AI agent could offer proactive hints, such as identifying outdated PLCs or linking to refurbishment partners.”

The result? Faster remediation to keep production moving.

“This is an ongoing partnership with ServiceNow,” says Michael. “What I like about ServiceNow is that there is less talking and more doing. There has been a direct connection between the Siemens and ServiceNow developer teams. Our joint expertise will be to the benefit of all our customers.”