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For those that track the ongoing evolution of the MCAD/PLM/TLA (three
letter acronym) industry, there has been significant news surrounding
several organizations in recent weeks. Of course, many engineering and
manufacturing professionals spend the majority of time focusing on
getting projects out the door in record time, not following progress in
the MCAD space.
There has always been churn in the industry and it has evolved to the
point where a number of products have emerged that will do the job in
some form or fashion. As a technical professional, many times the
tendency is to review features and functions of a new potential
technology and use that as a primary methodology in selecting a partner.
The market in recent years has forced the evolution of several
organizations and we are starting to see some continued symptoms, both
positive and negative, of this process. With the inherent risk in moving
to a new tool, knowing that a partner is financially sound and focused,
with a vision for the future, is more key now than ever.
For example, Parametric Technology (PTC), the company that brought solid
modeling to a larger market over 10 years ago, recently released their
quarterly results. PTC reported sales of just under $672 million and a
net loss of $98.3 million in the fiscal year that ended September 30,
2003. The quote from Chief Executive, Dick Harrison, "We were pleased
with our execution this quarter, as we met our revenue targets while
implementing an aggressive cost-reduction program."
Another industry player, EDS, recently announced that they would be
selling up to 49% of their PLM group (Unigraphics, Solid Edge,
Teamcenter, IMAN, etc). New Chief Executive, Michael Jordan (not the
ex-Bull) wants to focus on their core business, outsourced services, and
feels PLM is a distraction as it makes up only 4% of their revenue.
Finally, AutoDesk recently completed a lengthy lawsuit proceeding in
which Spatial Technology, provider of a solid modeling engine for
products such as Inventor, alleged that AutoDesk broke a contract
agreement by using core technology without a license. After Spatial was
purchased by Dassault Systemes, AutoDesk chose to recreate their own
solid modeling engine as opposed to using an out of the box option like
the rest of the industry. The dispute centered on whether they had the
right to use the source code behind the toolkit.
For more news and information on these topics there are several
excellent industry sources such as www.mcadcafe.com <http://www.mcadcafe.com>,
www.tenlinks.com <http://www.tenlinks.com> and www.cadcamnet.com
<http://www.cadcamnet.com>.
The point is this: Before moving to a new technology in which an
organization’s engineering assets will be created, make sure to look
beyond product features and understand the current health of your
partner and their vision for the future. Our goal at CATI/InFlow is to
be a resource for industry trends and technologies so you can focus on
what you do best.
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