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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe diagnostic group within Siemens Healthcare has grown through acquisitions in recent years, combining three disparate groups under a single umbrella. \u201cEach had different backgrounds from a systems engineering viewpoint,\u201d says Gerrit Salemink, director of engineering at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. \u201cAnd each had different ways to capture and monitor requirements. Tracking requirements or sharing of information among the different groups was difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The groups were using an internally-developed database system, Excel\u00ae spreadsheets and Word\u00ae documents, a mix that was difficult to maintain. \u201cWe wanted to harmonize the requirements engineering process,\u201d notes Salemink. \u201cA major motivator was the need to generate accurate and consistent bills of materials (BOMs).\u201d An accurate and complete BOM is crucial for manufacturing any product, but even more so in the healthcare industry. Regulators such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conduct thorough reviews of healthcare products prior to use on human subjects and require detailed information on every aspect of medical devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Easy access to knowledge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Because Teamcenter is closely integrated with Word and Excel, the new requirements system enables engineers to interact with Teamcenter via these familiar Microsoft Office\u00ae software tools. \u201cNo one is working directly with Teamcenter itself,\u201d Salemink notes. \u201cThey simply use the Office tools they are accustomed to working with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen some qualitative benefits of using Teamcenter,\u201d says Salemink. \u201cRe-use of requirements has increased and we can now do things we never could do before. We are more platform-oriented, which enables us to see the product as a whole. In the near future, we expect to be able to re-use from 70 to 80 percent of requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nRe-using requirements enables the diagnostics group to better manage product variants, which improves productivity. \u201cNow, everyone has access to the same data,\u201d says Salemink. \u201cInstead of managing three separate systems, everything our users need is in a single place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Users include medical technicians conducting chemical analysis in hospital laboratories, for example. \u201cTeamcenter is going to help us move towards being more of a solution-driven organization that will be better able to capture user needs and deliver products that meet those needs,\u201d says Salemink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUsing Teamcenter has really facilitated the coming together of our three groups,\u201d says Salemink. \u201cIt has been a key tool in helping us re-align. Teamcenter is very configurable and that helps improve productivity while enabling us to reduce errors and rework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nRead more about Siemens Healthcare’s Teamcenter story<\/a>. Siemens Healthineers is committed to supporting their partners in the healthcare system to provide the best possible care for patients during this health crisis. Siemens Healthineers recently released a test kit for Coronavirus COVID-19<\/a>. The test kit will help detect SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n