Clarification On Siemens PLM Software Name Change

Today I received the following statement from Siemens PLM Software responding to my last post titled “Siemens PLM Software Name Change“.

Siemens PLM Software remains our name and dedication. We are as committed to the PLM market as ever and there are no plans to change it.

Siemens Industry Software is a strategic initiative of the Siemens Industry Automation Division (of which Siemens PLM Software is part) that brings together the sales and services teams for product lifecycle management (eg, NX, Teamcenter and Tecnomatix), manufacturing execution systems (eg, Simatic IT) and plant lifecycle management (Comos) software into the same sales channel on a country-by-country basis. These legal entity sales channels are being called Siemens Industry Software but, again, do not replace Siemens PLM Software. The integration of these teams expands Siemens’ competitive position in the industry software space, enables the company to standardize on software sales and business processes and – most importantly – provides a simpler more productive interface for our customers.

John J. Clendening
Senior Director
Creative and Communication Services

OK, so to clarify, Siemens PLM Software is not dropping “PLM” from its name. From what I now understand, Siemens Industry Software is a new entity created from different Siemens sales and service teams. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused.

However, these Siemens folks have changed owners and names so many times, one would expect that they have mastered this process into a science. Apparently not. Here is part of the letter I received from the CFO of Siemens Industry Software Limited in UK dated 18th May 2010:

As part of this change, and effectively immediately, your existing contract(s) are deemed to be with Siemens Industry Software Limited, the new name for Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software (GB) Limited. All other company details remain the same including VAT registration and bank details.

This is quite opposite to John’s statement above which says that Siemens Industry Software is not replacing Siemens PLM Software. The letter quite clearly states that Siemens PLM Software has now become Siemens Industry Software. I mean, if the phrase “the new name for” does not make it amply clear, the fact that the company has the same VAT registration and bank details most definitely should. Unless UK laws allow two different legal entities to share the same VAT number and bank account.

Oh, and by the way, the subject of the letter was “Important information regarding the change of our company name” and it was accompanied by a copy of a “Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name” issued by the Registrar of Companies of England and Wales certifying that “Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software (GB) Limited, a company incorporated as private limited by shares, having its registered office situated in England/Wales, has changed its name to Siemens Industry Software Limited“. So I guess the moral of the story is, if someone sends you a letter saying that they have changed their company name, be sure to check whether they are still maintaining a company with the old name. 😉

But something else about this baffles me even more. If these “Siemens Industry Software” sales channel companies have been created on a country-by-country basis, then why on earth did SYCODE, an Indian company, receive a letter from the Siemens Industry Software in UK? All my contracts are with Siemens PLM Software in USA. Maybe one of the agreements did have the signature of someone sitting in the Siemens UK office. Or maybe the Siemens people in UK think that India is still under British rule. 😉