Extended online support platform increases efficiency for industry.

At the Hanover Trade Fair 2015, (13 to 17 April 2015 in Hannover (D), Siemens presents its extended Industry Online Support, which, with around 1.8 million visits every month, is one of the most frequently used Internet services offered by Siemens. With a comprehensive range of information, advice and dialog, the platform has supported industrial customers for more than 15 years throughout the life cycle of machines and plants - from planning right through to maintenance.

The new support platform features a modern design and more simple operation as well as extended functions, to filter and customize content for instance. This gives users even faster access to more than 300,000 technical documents such as handbooks, circuit diagrams, certificates or 3D models. The new CAx Download Manager speeds up access to data for mechanical or electrical engineering planning. Users can have mobile access to the platform anytime via the app available for Apple iOS, Android and Windows Mobile devices.

Users can retrieve application examples for automation systems or product information directly to the relevant machine via their mobile devices. The Industry Online Support app is available in six languages (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Chinese). Industry Online Support not only provides information, it is also a dialog platform: on the integrated Technical Forum, which is one of the largest B2B communities in the field of industry with over 200,000 registered members, users support each other by sharing tips, expertise and practical experience. Content and discussions (threads) can also be easily shared on social media platforms.

The extended functions and the new design of the Online Support enable rapid, easy and intuitive navigation between the different areas of Product Support; Services, Forum and mySupport. In Product Support, the central pool of information, intelligent filter and search capabilities ensure that access to full product information is still rapid. For example, the dynamic display already shows the expected number of search results before a filter is applied, which greatly simplifies access to relevant information. This enables users to quickly compare products when expanding plants or replacing components.

New overview pages provide faster access and comprehensive product information, with frequently asked questions. The personal mySupport area enables users to adapt the platform to his/her individual needs with saved filter settings, key words and favorites. Instead of a general newsletter, a message system sends individually summarized updates on new contributions, functions or events. The aim of these new features is to create a faster and more user-friendly system in view of the increasing number of visitors to the platform.