What the heck is CFIUS, anyway?
A few of you have written to ask why the approval of a US government agency called CFIUS held up the AVEVA/Schneider merger, and to ask why a US government body even cared about the combination of a UK-listed company and a Paris-listed company....
Quickie: AVEVA+Schneider=DONE
Finally, finally: AVEVA announced today that at 8AM UK time on March 1, 2018 it more than doubled in size with the addition of Schneider Electric's software people and products. Ex-PTCer Craig Hayman, as expected, took over as CEO last week and...
10 things: PLMish earnings show confidence and growth
I’ve been recapping earnings for you for years but with the ready availability of the source materials it seems silly to just reproduce it all and make you hunt for my commentary. To make this more productive for you and for me, we're trying something new:...
Quickie: Topcon acquires ClearEdge3D to move into software
Topcon announced earlier this week that it has acquired ClearEdge3D, a maker of 3D modeling and construction verification software. Unless you're into AECish topics, you may not have heard of Topcon. Topcon is a Japanese company that makes...
10 things: Digitalization at AVEVA World Conference, Houston edition
I spent the last week with AVEVA at its North American user conference. I haven’t attended one of these in years, mostly going to the international Summit events (here, here … search the site for more). The Summit is strategic; it’s about IT and economic...
Quickie: Altair nabs ElectroFlo CFD for electronics cooling
Altair just announced that it has acquired TES International’s technology and intellectual property and hired founder Ben Zandi to lead its thermal solutions software development efforts. Dr. Zandi founded TES to address electronics cooling and today...
10 things I think I think: SOLIDWORKS World 2018
SOLIDWORKS World is always a spectacle of maker-ness, designers competing to out-SOLIDWORKS one another in design competitions and learn from one another. It's, as one speaker put it, nerd-heaven. This year was the twentieth anniversary event and many...
This time it’s Siemens, acquiring Sarokal for IC testing
The pace of acquisition really doesn't jibe with the news that capital is getting harder to come by. Either that, or all of these companies have seriously deep pockets. Today. Siemens announced that it place to acquire Sarokal Test Systems to continue the...
Quickie: Aras acquires for PLM + MRO capabilities
Aras announced last week that it has acquired infoTRAK MRO from Infospectrum and renamed the product Aras Impresa MRO. MRO stands for Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul and is a key component in many asset operators' strategies: planning who,...
Quickie: AspenTech acquires Apex Optimisation
I am at SolidWorks World in LA this week, so this has to be brief: This morning, Aspen Technology announced that it has acquired Apex Optimisation, maker of GDOT, a software solution that connects plant operations optimization with Advanced...
Quickie: New AVEVA names new CEO — and he’s from PTC
Small world. AVEVA today announced that PTC's Craig Hayman will become CEO of the entity that will be created once the merger of AVEVA and Schneider Electric's software business has completed. Mr. Hayman starts on February 19, so the close...
More AECish news, this time AVEVA and Hexagon
Goodness, but the AEC world is just crazy newsy right now. Two quick things: AVEVA announced yesterday that the first 9 months of its 2018 fiscal year were better than forecast due to improved execution, stabilizing end-markets and the signing...
Bentley, Hexagon active in acquisitions
Right up front: no, Bentley didn't acquire Hexagon and Hexagon didn't acquire Bentley. Both did announce acquisitions today. It was announced in India that Bentley has acquired S-Cube Futuretech for its RCDC software product line. RCDC, RCDC FE, RCDC Plan...
ADSK + Esri want to rewrite AEC data flows
I wrote recently about the need to start looking at data from a lifecycle perspective, anticipating future needs and uses as well as likely integrations. This brings me back to one of the big announcements at November's Autodesk University: the...
Hexagon PPM starts 2018 by acquiring IBS plant commissioning
I believe this is the first PLMish acquisition of 2018: Hexagon PPM announced that has acquired Industrial Business Solutions, Inc. (IBS), makers of ContinuumEdge. ContinuumEdge is a web-based commissioning and completions tool for asset operators and contractors, to...
Newsflash: Ola Rollén, Hexagon CEO, acquitted on insider trading
It just came across the newswires: Hexagon's Ola Rollén was acquitted today on the insider trading charges put by the Norwegian economic crime authority. After a trial in November, the Oslo City Court found Mr. Rollén not guilty. Mr. Rollén's...
The Internet of … spinning?
I'm following CES, the Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, from the comfort of home. Many interesting announcements, but one caught my eye: Peloton, the maker of an awesome spinning app and an expensive spin bike, is branching out...
Happy 2018 — and, optimize THIS
I hope you had a wonderful year-end, filled with people you love. Or tolerate, if that's how you roll. In any event, as peaceful and relaxing as it could be. I've been trying to write a 2017 retrospective and, honestly, the mind boggles. So...
Happy Holidays from us to you!
Oracle to acquire Aconex for US$1.2 billion
Oracle and Aconex announced overnight that the ERP supplier is buying the cloud-based construction management and collaboration software maker for a total of US$1.2 billion (AUS$1.56 billion) in cash. Aconex reported revenue of $161 million in FY17; that...