Autodesk’s FQ3 shows the upsides –and downsides– of change
Autodesk surprised investors yesterday when it reported positive movement on any number of fronts during its fiscal third quarter. But weaker than expected guidance for Q4 will dampen investor enthusiasm. The highlights: Total revenue was $490 million, down 18% as...
#AU2016 bridges point/platform, individual/teams, old/young
Have you ever been to AU? I've been to perhaps 10 or 15 --tend to lose count after the first 5 or so-- and they continue to captivate. This year's was the usual combo of showbiz and nerdly, huge and more contained, general and targeted. We went from the relatively...
Bentley #YII2016 recap: still independent, focused on making AEC sing
Bentley Systems' annual Year In Infrastructure (YII) conference is a big deal -- a thousand high-level attendees, important topics, world-class projects and presenters, and ... well, a banquet. How many events do you go to with a banquet? Before the glitz and glamour...
Quickie: Siemens snaps up Mentor Graphics
A couple of weeks ago, news broke that Mentor Graphics was "exploring options" -- and the speculation started about who would acquire the maker of EDA and simulation software. (Recall that they acquired FloEFD maybe 10 years ago.) Well, now we know: Siemens. Siemens...
SEU16: CAD deep dives, 3D printing & more
SEU, Solid Edge University, has always been a true user event. There are deep dive sessions on how to CAD better and faster, getting started with data management (never called PLM here) and prep for and take certification exams. Hands-on classes. Round tables where...
Quickie: Bentley and Siemens draw ever closer
Siemens AG and Bentley Systems announced that they're broadening their strategic alliance by initially investing "at least €50 million" to develop joint solutions that "enlarge their respective offerings for infrastructure and industry to the benefit of the...
Quickie: Ola Rollén back as CEO of Hexagon
After being detained for over a week on suspicion of insider trading, Hexagon CEO Ola Rollén has resumed his official duties and started making a public case for his innocence. During a conference call today, Mr. Rollén explained that he does a lot of investing...
Quickie: ANSYS Q3 a bit light, sees modest growth in 2017
ANSYS just reported results for Q3 that were a wee bit light on revenue and a bit tentative on 2017 -- but, overall, not bad. And there's an acquisition, too. First, the details: Total revenue was $246 million, up 3% as reported and up 2% in constant currency (cc)...
AVEVA lets the good times roll
New Orleans, the Big Easy. Mardi Gras floats and beads, a "laissez les bonne temps roulez" readiness for anything. The French Quarter. Great food. Hurricane Katrina and its aftereffects, still felt 11 years on. And, for a few days recently, home to an AVEVA World...
Quickie: Hexagon CEO investigated for insider trading
Let's not make more of this than we know, which isn't much; Hexagon CEO Ola Rollén has been detained while under investigation for insider trading stemming from his personal investment process. Hexagon says that Mr. Rollén’s lawyers believe that "the charge is based...
Nemetschek’s Q3 results reinforce topline growth ambitions
A couple of weeks ago, Nemetschek teased that its 2016 results would be better than expected and, on Friday, showed us why. First, the details: Total revenue in Q4 was €84 million, up 19% as reported. Organic revenue was up 15%. License revenue was €43 million, up 19%...
Quickie: GE abandons offer to buy SLM
I wrote in September about GE's strategy to acquire German company SLM, maker of 3D printing machines, as part of an effort to build a $1 billion additive manufacturing business by 2020. It appears that Elliot Management (which you may remember as a long-time activist...
Quickie: PTC’s FQ4 as expected — and a huge SLM deal
You might recall that PTC pre-announced its fourth fiscal quarter earlier this month that set expectations for Q4 revenue rather low but raised the bar on future results. Today, the company filled in the details: Total revenue in FQ4 was down 8% from a year ago to...
Quickie: DS Q3 beat expectations on EXPERIENCE momentum
I'm on my way to the airport (Solid Edge University in Indianapolis, anyone?) but just saw this come into the inbox: Dassault Systèmes beat its own revenue guidance and analyst consensus in Q3, reported IFRS revenue of €735 million (up 9% as reported and up 9% in...
MuM says it can manage the dip caused by Autodesk subs transition
Germany's Mensch und Maschine today announced results for the third quarter and first 9 months of 2016 -- its results are usually a good preview of what we can expect from other PLMish companies and from Autodesk, since MuM is one of its largest resellers. For the...
ESI blows past forecasts in H1 2016
ESI reported Q2 results last month (apologies for the delay in getting to this) that show that its vision for virtual prototyping may be starting to take hold. The company reported that H1 revenue was up 16% as reported, led by license growth. Acquisitions, namely...
Nemetschek says 2016 growth to be WAY ahead of targets
Another preannouncement -- this time, an unambiguously good one from Nemetschek. The company said that it expects fiscal 2016 revenue to be right around €340 million, with would be growth of 18% to 20%. Why? Nemetschek doesn’t give details other than to say that it is...
Autodesk transfers utility-industry products to SBS
Autodesk and Spatial Business Systems (SBS) announced yesterday that further development of Autodesk's utility industry products is being moved to SBS. This news affects users of the Autodesk Substation Design for Inventor, Autodesk Substation Design for Electrical,...
PTC says Q4 revenue will be low because of … subs
PTC just announced preliminary results for Q4 of fiscal 2016 (ended last week) that show bookings will be well ahead of plan but revenue lower than expected. Blame math: more buyers chose subscriptions than perpetuals, which means revenue will be below expectations --...
Big news: Siemens PLM CEO Chuck Grindstaff moving up
Siemens PLM just told me that Chuck Grindstaff is moving up, taking on a new role as Executive Chairman of Siemens PLM Software; current EVP of Global Sales, Marketing and Service, Tony Hemmelgarn, will take over as CEO on October 1. I'm a bit gobsmacked but this...
