Graphisoft consolidates its hold on Italy
Graphisoft just announced that it has acquired the ArchiCAD distribution unit of Italy's Cigraph, a long-time in-country reseller. The deals led to the opening of the Graphisoft's first Italian office, made up of Cigraph people who will work with the Italian ArchiCAD...
ANSYS tunes its channel
(I know. Terrible pun. But it's a holiday!) ANSYS announced today that it's launching the ANSYS Elite channel partner program -- in essence, ramping up the certification program for partners who want to move beyond "Standard" and into "Elite". ANSYS says "Elite...
Shakeup at SolidWorks: Sicot out, Bassi in
Well, this is big (and surprising): Dassault Systèmes just announced that Gian Paolo Bassi has been appointed CEO of SOLIDWORKS, replacing Bertrand Sicot. M. Sicot moves on to become DS' VP Sales of the Value Solutions sales channel, the indirect sales...
Bentley adds C3global’s Amulet for IoT asset management
Bentley Systems just announced that it has acquired C3global, maker of the web-based Amulet suite software for operational analytics. Amulet will be added to Bentley's AssetWise offering, expanding on the Ivara acquisition by adding configurable predictive and...
PLM, the Resource Revolution and you (yes, you)
I gave a talk last week over at PI Live, Market Key's online platform for all things PLM. When the Market Key team and I were brainstorming the topic for that session, they asked me to focus on something a bit “bigger picture” than implementation stories or best...
AVEVA snaps up 8over8 for contract execution management
Happy new year! It's always exciting to start afresh and AVEVA gets 2015 off to a roaring start with the first PLMish acquisition of the year: it snapped up 8over8 Limited for its ProCon capital project risk management software platform. 8over8 says it's helped...
Happy Holidays!
Our world is a troubled place. I, for one, plan to unplug for a few days, hope for snow (but not too much) and enjoy my family and friends. And perhaps too much Stollen. We'll see. I wish the same for you and look forward to continuing our conversation in the new...
Trimble stretches into agricultural sales automation
Trimble announced today that it has acquired privately-held IRON Solutions to help automate farm operations by linking equipment dealers, seed and chemical providers to the grower's ERP and CRM systems. That's a very cool idea, and one that's been used in the...
AU 2014: a potent mix of strategy and tactics
I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around Autodesk University and am still not sure what my main takeaways are — and it ended almost two weeks ago! On the one hand, it was the most strategic and visionary AU ever, as Autodesk flexes its muscles in both technical and...
3DEXPERIENCE: Think differently to innovate more effectively
Why do you do what you do? What’s your end goal? Only when you’ve answered those questions, think about how —which tools and techniques, how you’ll approach the task, whether and how you’ll simulate and collaborate … That’s the nexus of Dassault Systèmes (DS) 3D...
Exa’s Q3 at low end of guidance even with strong license growth
Exa Corp. reported Q3 results just now that show solid growth as customers continue to convert from consulting engagements (where Exa carries out projects) to software license buyers. Total revenue was up 13% to $16 million, at the low end of the guidance issued at...
Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure: connections, options & tech
Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure (YII) Conference is a 4-day extravaganza of AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction), civil engineering, plant design, offshore structures — literally the stuff that makes our world. Some of the best projects in infrastructure...
Trimble adds maintenance, planning to its rail offering
The more I follow these companies, the more I realize how little I know about how the world around me works. Today, Trimble announced today that it has acquired Nexala, a privately-held company that makes enterprise solutions for railway operators. Like many big,...
ESI’s Q3 stalls, momentum expected in Q4
While the US was busy with turkey day, ESI announced Q3 results that show strength in Europe that did not offset weakness in other parts of the world. License revenue continues to hold steady, though without much growth momentum, while the “refocusing” of the services...
Appreciating …
Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US, a holiday that celebrates family, friends and good food. It also reminds us to be grateful for all that is in our lives. My list is long, and it includes you -- for reading this blog, emailing your thoughts and challenging me when...
3D Systems snaps up Cimatron for just under $100 million
3D Systems and Cimatron today announced that 3D Systems will acquire all outstanding shares of Cimatron for $8.97 per share in cash for a total of around $97 million, including cash. That $8.97 is a 48% premium to Cimatron's closing price on the Nasdaq on Friday, a...
Autodesk customers flocking to subs, boost FQ3
Autodesk reported results last night that show its transition to subscriptions is picking up steam. Total revenue was up 11% to $618 million, knocking both its own forecast of around $600 million and the investment analyst consensus out of the park. Delcam, acquired...
Long Beach lessons: Simulate in 1D/3D, add test for better decisions
What a difference a year makes! At the 2013 NX CAE Symposium, Siemens introduced its LMS acquisition to long-time NX CAE, NX Nastran and Femap users; this year, LMS’ products turned up in nearly every presentation, highlighting the important integration of 1D and 3D...
Quickie: Cimatron’s Q3 up 8% y/y
Cimatron just reported results for Q3. Revenue was up 8% year/year to $11.2 million, making it the 18th consecutive quarter with year/year revenue growth in constant currencies. The company has been pressured to articulate a strategy for additive manufacturing, for...
Philae lands and tweets!
We take a break from our earnings and conference coverage for a space update: Rosetta's little Philae probe has landed! Philae sent back this picture, taken from a height of 3 km just before it landed at around 11AM ET: All sorts of cool images and video are...
