COFES 2011: desert, ideas and horses

Apr 25, 2011 | Hot Topics

For those who have never attended, COFES is hard to describe. It’s a mix of conference sessions, facilitated discussions and informal chats that disrupt those poor folks who came to a resort in the Arizona desert for sun and swimming pools. It’s not about product...

Autodesk’s channel in the suite spot

Apr 19, 2011 | Hot Topics

Autodesk last week invited media and industry analysts to HQ to learn about updates to its channel programs and to hear from partners how last year’s revamp has gone. The changes are both subtle and significant, touching on the offering itself, how Autodesk will...

AVEVA says all’s still ok

Apr 19, 2011 | Hot Topics

AVEVA released one of its cryptic interim statements today, in which it said that fiscal 2011 was “in line with expectations” and that all was “consistent with trends” discussed in an (equally cryptic) January 2011 statement. I shouldn’t pick on AVEVA; this...

Channels, plants and innovation

Apr 19, 2011 | Hot Topics

I am on quite the road trip —won’t be back in the office for a few more days— and my head is spinning from all I’ve learned. The next few posts will be my attempt to recap and set it all into context for those of you not at the Autodesk Channel Summit,...

PTC embeds MKS

Apr 11, 2011 | Hot Topics

Last week PTC announced its intention to acquire MKS, Inc. of Waterloo, Ontario, a supplier of tools to manage the lifecycle of embedded mechatronics software, for CDN$26.20/share or CDN$292.5 million in total (about $304 million at current exchange rates). PTC will...

Bentley engineers the wind

Apr 7, 2011 | Hot Topics

Last month Bentley Systems announced the acquisition of the SACS business from Engineering Dynamics, and most people said, who? There wasn’t time then to answer the question, but today we can catch up a bit. Engineering Dynamics, Inc. was founded in 1973 by three...

Autodesk simulating forward

Apr 4, 2011 | Hot Topics

I had the chance recently to talk with Autodesk about its plans for CFdesign, the evolution of Autodesk’s simulation portfolio and how the Blue RIdge Numerics team adds significant gravitas and expertise to drive the whole forward. Scott Reese, Sr. Director of the...

CENIT: DS, PLM drove 2010 success

Mar 31, 2011 | Hot Topics

CENIT AG today gave further details about its performance in 2010 and a hint of where it sees 2011 going, now that we’re 1/4 of the way into the year. The main facts from the February announcement (summarized here) are essentially unchanged, although audited revenue...

Nemetschek optimistic, raises dividend

Mar 28, 2011 | Hot Topics

The good news keeps pouring in: Today Nemetschek reported its final figures for 2010 and tweaked its guidance for 2011. Back in February, the company had forecast a 10% organic growth rate for 2011, which the company today said it will achieve by “driv[ing] forward...

Delcam bounces back

Mar 24, 2011 | Hot Topics

Delcam plc announced back in early January that its fourth quarter was a “buoyant” end to a good year — yesterday, we found out just how good: For the year ended December 31, 2010 Delcam achieved record sales (£36.6 million, or about $59 million, up 17% over...