CASE STUDY
Siemens Medical Solutions
Macromedia Breeze™ Live facilitates communication and collaboration
between development teams in Germany and China.
The Company
With headquarters in Malvern, Pa., and Erlangen, Germany, Siemens
Medical Solutions of Siemens AG is one of the world’s largest suppliers
to the healthcare industry. The company is known for bringing together
innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems,
management consulting, and support services to help customers
achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical, and financial outcomes.
Employing approximately 31,000 people worldwide and operating in
more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales
of ¤7.4 billion ($9 billion), orders of ¤7.8 billion ($9.4 billion), and
group profit of ¤1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) for FY 2003.
The Challenge
www.siemensmedical.com
Siemens Medical Solutions needed a way to support communication
and collaboration between development teams in Germany and China.
Their goal was to reduce costs and improve team efficiencies.
The Solution
Customer Profile
Name
Siemens Medical Solutions
Industry:
Healthcare
Headquarters:
Malvern, Pa.
Erlangen, Germany
Size:
31,000 worldwide
URL:
www.siemensmedical.com
A number of Siemens employees based in Germany used to fly
regularly to China for a few days each month to support their colleagues
at the Shanghai production facility. Siemens Shanghai Medical
Equipment has been developing and manufacturing computer
tomography and X-ray equipment since 1992. “It cost a lot of money
and time whenever we’d meet in person,” said Bjarne Erik Roscher,
manager of Siemens’ decentralized IT department.
Unfortunately, the time difference between Germany and China and
high demand for videoconference facilities made scheduling meetings
extremely difficult, virtually ruling out spontaneous communication.
Substantial costs were also incurred because up to six ISDN channels
had to be interconnected for each videoconference, in addition to longdistance call charges. “It’s important for us to limit videoconferencing
due to the expensive equipment that must be installed and assembled
at each location for a videoconference,” said Roscher.
Technology Solutions
Breeze Live
(continued)
CASE STUDY
The Results
Although videoconferencing reduced travel expenses, Siemens Medical Solutions still looked for a better
alternative. Their goals were as follows:
• Transmit pictures and sounds in both directions using existing data lines in a problem-free and
economical manner
• Share CAD drawings as well as Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations
“Over a million
euros annually can
be saved thanks
to Breeze support
for rapid training.”
Bjarne Erik Roscher
IT Manager,
Siemens
• Implement a solution for every workstation that has a web browser and Internet access, without installing
additional software
• Enable employees on business trips to access a meeting using a hotel’s LAN or ISDN connection
Siemens found the solution that met all their requirements in Breeze Live.
“The investment in Breeze and all associated investments were very easy to scope. In addition to the
software license and server, only web cams and microphones are required for the individual workstations,”
explained Roscher. The independent nature of the platform and the possibility of using Breeze Live across
several other Siemens companies also convinced him.
Another related advantage was that employees saw no significant difference in quality in Breeze Live
whether they connected by a dial-up or high-speed Internet connection. Furthermore, no additional
operational costs were incurred to roll out Breeze to the teams because data connections between the
facilities were already available.
Siemens Medical Solutions is planning to use Breeze to support rapid training in the short term. They
currently employ more than 100 application specialists worldwide. Just over a quarter of them are trained
in the central headquarters in Germany. Others are trained in the US or remote locations in Germany as
part of the decentralized “train the trainer concept.”
A related five-day training program costs ¤2,000 ($2,400) per participant, while the total cost of such
training is approximately ¤70,000 ($84,000). Siemens Medical Solutions runs about 20 courses each
year, costing ¤1.4 million ($1.7 million). “Most of this money can be saved thanks to Breeze’s support for
rapid training,” said Roscher.
Using Breeze, the company’s application specialists who need training can receive it online much more
quickly and cheaply than ever before. “During the course of the current business year, we hope to be able
to carry out the first tests using Breeze as part of simple training courses involving our application marketing
department,” said Roscher, who anticipates additional savings in this area as a result.
Benefits Summary
• Future savings of ¤70,000 ($84,000) for each application specialist course offered through Breeze
• Reduced problem-resolution times between development teams
• More robust and efficient real-time conferences
• Greater efficiency in scheduling and conducting meetings and improved meeting experience
Additional case studies can be found at: www.macromedia.com/showcase/
To contact a Breeze specialist in the US or Canada, call 1-888-649-2990
Worldwide, request a call from a Breeze specialist at www.macromedia.com/go/breeze_contact
Copyright © 2005 Macromedia, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Macromedia, the Macromedia logo, and Breeze are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia,
Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks are the properties of their respective owners.