Update: Exa IPO a done deal
Earlier this week, I blogged about the imminent initial public offering of Exa shares on the NASDAQ. Well, the IPO happened, but probably not the way the company expected. Initial filings showed that Exa was looking for $11 to $13 per share, but the prospectus file...
Exa Corp. may IPO this week
There's been a lot of investment and acquisition activity among engineering software companies, but very little of the "going public" hoopla that recently surrounded Facebook's IPO. Will this week's possible IPO of CFD maker Exa change that? The Boston Globe thinks...
AVEVA unveils new vision of plant design
Big news in plant design: AVEVA today announced that it is working on a new product that will “deliver a new level of performance for plant design”. Details are sketchy, but here’s what the company said in a press release: “The need to orchestrate engineering skills...
Report from Nashville: #SEU12
Overheard last week at Solid Edge University: Customer: 'This is the best assembly environment I've seen.' Solid Edge guy: 'Here's what we're doing to make it better.' A lot of similar conversations took place last week at Solid Edge University, the Siemens PLM user...
ESI reports FQ1 revenue up 22%
ESI Group, the French CAE company, today announces that results for its first fiscal quarter (ended April 30, 2012) were “buoyant”, with revenue up 22% from last year to €21 million. CEO Alain de Rouvray said that this growth shows continued momentum in the adoption...
Construction is hot, ADSK + Vela
For many, the connection of construction with design is the next frontier in AEC. We may design in 3D and use elaborate construction planning software back in the office but on the jobsite, all is 2D. Paper that gets wet, lists that get lost. All of this paper causes...
For PTC, “interesting” = “good”
A couple of months ago, I wrote that "PTC is such an interesting company. A bunch of really smart people who ... get too far ahead of their customers (remember “CAD is dead”?), alienate those who sign the checks while retaining intense loyalty among the user base, or...
Altair, buses and astronauts
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the 2012 Americas edition of Altair's HyperWorks Technology Conference. Over 800 people heard Altair; T.K. Mattingly of Apollo 13 and Apollo 16 fame and a NASA Space Shuttle pilot; Luca Pignacca, chief...
Hexagon goes Blom-y
Last week Hexagon AB, the parent company of Intergraph, Leica Geosystems and other brands you likely know if you follow engineering software, announced its intention to acquire 25% of the shares of Blom ASA for approximately €9 million. I held off writing about it...
ANSYS snaps up Esterel for mechatronics
Mechatronics, the combination of mechanisms and electronic control systems, is everywhere. In the old days, windows were cranked open. Now you push a button that activates a motor that lowers the window. That motor is an electrical system that likely has a chip in it...
AVEVA’s F12 ahead on all counts
It's hard to come up with a single headline. Total revenue: £195.9 million, up 13% and ahead of analysts' forecasts of £192 million. Profit before tax of £62.3 million versus median estimate of £61.5 million. Cash balance of £178.9 million against estimates of £173...
More on Cimatron’s Q1
Cimatron announced results last week while I was at the Altair user conference. I've had a chance to listen to the earnings call replay, and have a bit more to add to last week's quick post: CEO Danny Haran said on the call that "Q1 of 2012 practically shines when...
AVEVA & Hexagon expand offerings
We interrupt the regularly scheduled blog to note two acquisitions this week (so far - it's only Wednesday!). One is decidedly old-school, as AVEVA adds bocad’s structural detailing of steel, glass, wood and more to its portfolio. The other, by Hexagon, is intended to...
Bentley focuses on infrastructure
I spent a few hours last week at Bentley Systems' annual Be Together user conference. Analysts and journalists are typically not at this event but I was invited to moderate a session on the use of standards in the process industries and took advantage of my time in...
CD-adapco users validate, automate to success
In part 1 of my report on the CD-adapco Global User Conference, I wrote about plans for STAR-CCM+, a new iPad app and my adventures in a STAR-CCM+ hands-on session. There were so many excellent user presentations, that I'd like to give a quick recap of what I learned...
Autodesk’s Q1 “Solid, uneven”
Autodesk announced results last night for the quarter ended April 30. While pretty good retrospectively, the company’s outlook was cautious, leading to a sharp decline in the company’s share price morning. The good: total revenue was up 11%, revenue from Asia hit a...
Cimatron reports strong Q1
Another quick update, since I’m now at the Altair HyperWorks Technology Conference -- it’s user event in Detroit. Cimatron reported good results for Q1, with revenue up 11% to just under $10 million. Better, depending on perspective, was that operating profit...
Rand Q3 revenue down y/y, profit too
A real fast update today -- I’m at the Bentley Systems user conference -- but this is important, too. Rand Worldwide today announced that revenue in its fiscal third quarter was down 18% from last year to $22.4 million but basically flat sequentially. Tight cost...
Quickies: CENIT and Stratasys
Did you think earnings season is over? Nope. Not yet. This week we’ll hear from Rand, Autodesk and Cimatron on their most recent quarters. But first, a bit of catch-up from last week, when I was at Siemens PLM World. CENIT says its start to 2012 was better than...
Hexagon’s Q1 upbeat, trouble in SG&I
Hexagon AB, the parent company of Intergraph, Leica and other brands, reported results for the March quarter earlier this week. CEO Ola Rollén characterized the group’s overall performance as a good start to the year, but reflecting uneven performance across regions...
