ANSYS buys SpaceClaim (finally!)
Yes, yes, yes, ANSYS announced Q1 results today and we'll get to that. What's really got you buzzing is the second press release out of ANSYS this morning: For those who follow simulation but not CAD, SpaceClaim has ruffled a lot of feathers since 2007 by saying that...
Morning coffee: manufacturing, earnings, ice and … tuna?
Wow, what a week! Let's see: earnings, COFES, earnings, meetings, briefings ... There's lots more coming from me over the next few weeks about COFES and earnings but here are some highlights and news we all need to catch up on. It’s the Economy … Big picture news...
Quickie: DS earnings highlight V6 deployments
Thursday was a complicated day. PTC and Dassault Systèmes announced earrings for the March quarter and I had to leave midday to catch a flight to Phoenix for COFES. I was able to do an extensive post on PTC's earnings (here) but will have to defer a longer article on...
PTC has its eye on the ball: CAD, PLM rev up as SLM leads growth
Once again the Internet of Things dominated PTC's earnings call -- and no wonder: it captures the imagination as a huge opportunity and is a concept that people can understand. As excited as PTC CEO Jim Heppelmann is about ThingWorx, he's quite clear: PTC is still...
Simulation and the value pyramid
One of the questions I get most often from designers and their managers is how to do it all: be a good designer, work like a CAD rock star, and learn simulation. It's a lot to ask of one person and we always wind up talking about how to shift work around to take...
Bentley just shy of $600m in 2013, fastest growth in prof services
Bentley Systems just shared a bit of what it is seeing in the world -- unusual because it's a privately held company and important because it is by far the largest software vendor focused only on AEC. Bentley has published its annual report and held a corporate update...
Tekla acquires Field3D mobile BIM apps
Yesterday, Tekla announced that it has acquired SVS Innovations’ construction business, including the Field3D mobile solution, to strengthen its position in mobile BIM. Field3D apps are available for iPad and iPhone, and enable collaboration between the job site and...
Morning coffee: hockey, the economy & recalls
Happy Monday! We spent the weekend in Philadelphia, a traditional destination for history lovers and foodies. This year, Philadelphia also played host to the US college NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament. The four best college hockey teams in the land played there...
Hexagon snaps up Mintec to close mining loop
Ever since Dassault Systèmes bought Gemcom, mining has been a hot area of focus for the major engineering software providers. It's an underserved market that presents a lot of opportunity for more modernized, technological solutions. Mining is under significant...
CENIT: 2013 was challenging but 2014 is promising
CENIT AG announced earlier this week that it exited a challenging 2013 having "laid the groundwork for future earnings growth in a number of segments". Noteworthy is that sales of the reseller's own software continued to grow, and outpaced all other aspects of the...
Behind the hype with ENOVIA
It's time for an update. You've asked lots of questions about Dassault Systèmes (DS) 3D EXPERIENCEs and how this ties into the DS products you may be using. I've answered you from the perspective of DS as a whole, based on what I learn at events like the 3D EXPERIENCE...
Non-CAE simulation? Kineo explains
My first car was a used Chevy Chevette. Go ahead and giggle --you're right-- and when you're ready, let's talk maintainability. I thought the car had it all: AM/FM radio and tape deck, air conditioning, a hatch to carry all of my stuff … My little American dream...
Simulation: you got this!
It's a story ripped out of the headlines: Your product is out in the marketplace but it's failing. Warranty claims are escalating and you're scrambling to figure out what's wrong and keep it from ever happening again. Simulation can "test" virtual prototypes...
Morning coffee: deals, a coming IPO & lots of other news
Welcome to your Monday! Last week was a doozie, so let's get right to it. It’s the Economy … We've got good news, bad news and good news. On the good news side, US employers added 192,000 jobs in March. That's better than recent months but bad news because more people...
Stratasys snaps up 3rd production facility this week
The news from the additive manufacturing world just won't slow down, and this week seems to be focusing on building service capacity. This morning, Stratasys announced that it is acquiring "certain assets" of Interfacial Solutions, a Wisconsin production...
Materialise thinking public with F-1 filing
We're used to 3D printer news coming from hardware vendors like Stratasys and 3D Systems. But there are software vendors in this space, too, and the hardware vendors are looking to service bureaus to strengthen their ties with customers -- it's not all printers and...
Deals in AEC and 3D printing — no Foolin’
Remember how I wrote on Monday that the PLMish world was quiet, at least as far as acquisitions were concerned? I spoke too soon! Yesterday we learned of three deals, one in process modeling and two in 3D printing. Neither is an April Fool's joke, though there were a...
Morning coffee: recalls and virtual reality
Good morning! Hope you had an awesome weekend. Let's get this week off to a good start by recapping what happened last week. It’s the Economy … Economic news continues to be mixed. Depending on where you are in the world, it's looking up or slowing down; by industry,...
Nemetschek optimistic about 2014
Back in February, Nemetschek announced preliminary results that were pretty good -- growth accelerated towards the end of 2013, with Q4 coming in at €52 million, up 9% year/year. Full year revenue was up 6% to €186 million. Today the company confirmed those earlier...
Shipbuilding’s resource management challenge
A long time ago I took a job at Bath Iron Works, in the Hull Drawing Room. MIT hadn't taught me anything as practical as how a ship was actually built (although I could analyze the heck out of it), so the Drawing Room foreman sent me on rotation through the shipyard's...
