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Tindaro Danze is the President and CEO of Siemens Malaysia. He is concurrently the head of the Digital Industries (DI) business in Malaysia. Prior to these appointments in January 2023, Tindaro was the Head of Global Sales for DI’s Digital Enterprise and Vertical Management, where he managed the company’s regional industrial digitalization units, enabled global digitalization projects, and managed Siemens’ industrial teams in 15 key industries.
His first assignment in Southeast Asia was with Siemens Indonesia from 2012 - 2016, where he led the Low and Medium Voltage Drives Business. Under his leadership, Siemens became a leader in the Mineral Fiber industry.
From 2016 – 2020, he was the Head of Digital Industries in Siemens Vietnam. He positioned Siemens as a thought leader in Industry 4.0 in Vietnam, and also formed numerous strategic alliances with the local industry associations. Tindaro graduated from the University of Applied Science Mannheim with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He also holds a Master’s in Organizational & Business Psychology, and is a Certified Business & Life Coach.
Siemens Malaysia Sdn Bhd (SMSB) is a leading technology company with comprehensive solutions and technologies for various markets in the Malaysian economy, under its Digital Industries and Smart Infrastructure businesses. It focuses on the areas of intelligent infrastructure for buildings, grids, and distributed energy systems, more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, as well as automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. The company creates technology with purpose, adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for Malaysians.
1. Can you give us a brief overview of Siemens Malaysia and its core business areas? How does Siemens differentiate itself from its competitors in the industry?
Siemens has a long and proud history in Malaysia as we have contributed to nation-building initiatives for over a century. Today, we continue to support the government’s goals to transform industries and infrastructure through innovation, sustainability, and workforce development.
At Siemens, we create technology that transforms the every day, for everyone. We aim to make buildings safe and sustainable. We enhance power grids to be more reliable by incorporating more renewable energy to meet netzero aspirations. Our factories set new standards of efficiency and sustainability through automation and digitalization in process and manufacturing industries.
This is made possible through our cutting-edge products and solutions, coupled with emerging technologies, to serve various markets within the Malaysian economy through our Digital Industries and Smart Infrastructure businesses. We are actively strengthening collaborations between the government, industry, and education sectors in Malaysia. By working together, we can create an ecosystem where innovation flourishes, industries thrive and the future workforce is prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
2. What role does Siemens play in enhancing automation and digitalization in the industry?
Please share some of the latest technological advancements the company has developed. Siemens has the expertise to combine the real and digital worlds. Our portfolio spans a wide array of solutions, ranging from cutting-edge automation technology on factory floors, and to software for bigdata analytics in corporate settings.
We also have integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into our software solutions like predictive maintenance to predict faults before they occur, optimize data analytics, and enhance human-machine interfaces for greater safety and intuitiveness. This leads to better decision-making, resource savings, and increased output across all sectors. Smart data-driven power grid management, for instance, enables better handling of renewable energy source volatility.
Siemens has been a frontrunner in promoting sustainable manufacturing. In industries where modular setups are critical, we understand the importance of supporting flexible plant designs. This
commitment means making it easy to scale operations as needed while maintaining straightforward engineering processes so that manufacturers can adapt to changing demands efficiently and sustainably.
With digital twins, we can now simulate projects digitally before physical construction. In a photorealistic virtual environment, businesses can adapt to changing needs, with the advantage of a ‘reset button’ for iterative design. As SMEs constitute the backbone of Malaysia’s economy, contributing 38.4% to the GDP, digital twin technology will be pivotal for maximizing resource efficiency right from the outset, thereby aiding those who are keen to kickstart their digitalization journey.
3. Siemens has a strong focus on sustainability. Can you elaborate on the company’s initiatives in this area?
Digitalization is the enabler for sustainability. Today, companies are striving to bring more innovative products to market faster than the competition and at a competitive price point. Additionally, they must consider their environmental impact. Achieving this balance requires a deliberate approach to managing these demands.
Before focusing on buildings where automation and digitalization enhance operational efficiency, the foundation lies in the stability and reliability of the power grid within the electrical infrastructure. Efficient power distribution and management are crucial for optimizing energy consumption, particularly in building infrastructures.
Siemens Blue Gas-Insulated Switchgears (GIS) manage medium-voltage power up to 33 kV across various industries, using nitrogen and oxygen gas mixture instead of SF6 to significantly reduce environmental impact. Blue GIS aids in decarbonizing and digitalizing grids, enabling facilities to enhance reliability, safety, and sustainability while maintaining the lowest CO2 footprint.
From an operational standpoint, our Facility Monitoring and Control System (FMCS) offers a holistic approach that integrates all systems, from utilities and power subsystems to sub-fabs and overall fabs, leading to exceptionally high productivity and availability. We incorporated smart technologies into buildings to improve safety and efficiency in the manufacturing sector. As a matter of fact, even our own plants demonstrate this commitment, equipped with the latest automation and digitalization solutions.
Siemens provides comprehensive, end-to- end digitalization for manufacturing processes, enabling companies to become sustainable digital enterprises. With our comprehensive Digital Twin technologies, including simulation results, production data, material information, supplier carbon footprint data, and product carbon footprint data, executives can make smarter, better-informed decisions for sustainability.
4. How does Siemens approach emerging markets, and what strategies are in place for expansion? Can you discuss any recent partnerships or collaborations Siemens has entered into?
Our strategy for all markets is always to look at the long term – how can we help with megatrends of environmental change, glocalization, urbanization, demographic change, and digitalization? We believe that only through sustainable growth can we jointly improve the quality of life and transform every day for everyone worldwide.
In Malaysia, for example, as I’ve mentioned earlier, we work closely with government, industry, and educational institutions to support national ambitions that will bring progress to the country. As part of our support for the First Selangor Plan, RS-1, Siemens hosted the Selangor State Government Technology Benchmarking Visit, including Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin, to Europe and at the Hannover Messe 2024, one of the world’s leading industrial trade fairs.
During the visit, the delegation visited several sites to explore technologies for flood mitigation, sustainable urban development, rail maintenance, and vertical farming. As part of our partnership with the State Government of Selangor, we aim to drive the digitalization and automation of Selangor’s industrial sectors such as Agrotechnology, Communication and Transportation (e.g. automotive, electric vehicles), Electrical & Electronics, Engineering & Machinery, Supply and Distribution of Goods (e.g. ports and logistics)
We are also working closely with local SMEs. One example – our partnership with Progressture Solar, in which we seek to engage and collaborate with industry players to deliver seamless energy solutions that facilitate substantial emissions reduction and assist businesses in adopting sustainable, environmentally conscious practices. As leaders in industrial decarbonization, Siemens and Progressture Solar simplify the adoption of renewable energy to bring about energy efficiency through accessible ownership models.
We recognize the importance of bridging talent gap. To address this, we have partnered with the Selangor Technical Skills Development Centre (STDC) and other local universities to develop cutting-edge syllabi aimed at upskilling the existing workforce and nurturing new talent.
A highly skilled workforce, with crossfunctional abilities from the shop floor to the top floor, is essential for fostering regional digitalization and economic growth. Our partnership with STDC illustrates this approach, going beyond localized efforts by facilitating the exchange of globally utilized syllabi and concepts across Southeast Asia.
5. What future trends does Siemens foresee in digital transformation? How is the company preparing to address future challenges and opportunities in these sectors?
Firstly, Malaysia stands as a global semiconductor hub. Emerging sectors, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and AI applications, are set to significantly boost the demand for semiconductor chips. This surge necessitates the expansion of data centers and advanced chip manufacturing, highlighting the importance of addressing energy demands.
Siemens, as a key player in the semiconductor industry with solutions spanning the entire value chain—from research and design to production— to comprehensively support Malaysia’s semiconductor industry. This holistic approach enables Siemens to deliver unparalleled expertise and solutions at every stage of semiconductor manufacturing.
Secondly, the industrial metaverse accelerates operational transformations, making them faster, easier, and more scalable. With the further expansion of the industrial metaverse, real-time collaboration will become more accessible. Key developments include connecting to the NVIDIA Omniverse and Siemens Xcelerator platforms to enable full-fidelity digital twins and connect software defined AI systems from edge to cloud. This allows for simulating and optimizing plant performance by fast-forwarding to a future point in time.
On the topic of AI, we’ve teamed up with Microsoft to introduce the Siemens Industrial Copilot. This allows our customers to utilize AI technology for a more efficient, natural language-based human-machine interface. For instance, you can give a verbal command to the machine—similar to using “Alexa” or “Siri”—and the AI technology translates that into programming language for the machine to understand and execute.
Moving forward, we are integrating AI into our low-code development platform, Mendix. With Mendix, anyone can create computer code without needing to spend years learning a programming language. Think of low code as a digital canvas where non-expert users can build unique, enterprise-grade apps using a wide range of boilerplate code and objects. Currently, the Mendix platform is being adopted to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation efforts.
Finally, I believe Malaysia should upgrade its national water infrastructure over the next few years. This initiative is crucial not only for public welfare but also to support vital industries like high-value manufacturing, the local semiconductor supply chain, data center cooling, medical technology, and others. By integrating advanced technologies such as AI and low-power sensors into the physical water infrastructure, Malaysia can potentially halve pipe leakage rates to reduce nonrevenue water (NRW). These sensitive systems can detect leaks as minor as 0.5 liters per second across extensive networks spanning thousands of kilometers of water pipelines.