The introduction of Systems Engineering (SE) for the mechatronic product development is important even in classic engineering companies and shall be discussed. Therefore, companies are asking the question, what added value is offered by the integration of SE with respect to their conventional and established development process as well as what benefits will arise with respect to a shortening of the development time, cost savings such as an increase in productivity, quality and innovation. Rightly so, the question must also be asked, how high the investments in Systems Engineering processes, methods and IT-Tools are to be expected for a company. In the following contribution the challenges and benefits of SE will be presented. The deliberate introduction of “Model Based Systems Engineering” (MBSE) can aid in the conversion from a document-centered approach to a model-based development methodology in order to exploit the desired potential benefits. This paper presents the experience of the introduction and adaptation of MBSE based on the example of machine development.