Oracle acquires Skire for project portfolio mgmt
The big continue to get bigger. Last Thursday, Oracle announced that it was acquiring the assets of Skire, a Silicon Valley maker of capital projects management software for the process industries. I first ran across Skire about ten years ago at a Daratech Plant...
Autodesk grows socially
Earlier this week, Autodesk announced that it had acquired Socialcam for $60 million. At first, I thought it was a CAM vendor I had never heard of. But I've heard of most of them and would certainly be aware of any that could command a $60 million price tag. A second...
Invention Machine acquired, enters big leagues
I've long been fascinated by the technologies that have emerged to facilitate the innovation process and help creators find, assess and act on/reject information quickly. One of the early entrants was Invention Machine, whose semantic search technology let users...
AVEVA’s update signals all calm
AVEVA today scooped the other public engineering software companies and provided a glimpse into its business since April 1. The company says things are going according to plan. Demand from the oil and gas vertical is strong, power is "steady" and marine is "subdued"....
Q1 recap/Q2 preview: What we’ll be looking for
As we prepare ourselves for the onslaught of Q2 earnings reports, it's helpful to look back at Q1 to see patterns that (perhaps) foreshadow future results and identify areas that were causes for concern last quarter. To help with this analysis, we've created a...
Exa’s IPO muddies the waters in engineering software
A quick Monday morning check on the stock markets for those of you following Exa's IPO: Exa's market makers originally priced the share at between $11 and $13 but ultimately settled at $10 for the public debut on June 28th. That day, over 2 million shares changed...
Schnitger Corp. website gets a new look
We're very excited to announce a new look and layout for the Schnitger Corp. website that, we think, addresses a lot of the questions and concerns you've posed to us over the last few years. If you're seeing this, all worked as planned! First off, the new site uses...
Trimble snaps up WinEstimator
Trimble announced earlier today that it intends to acquire WinEstimator, a provider of construction cost estimating (WinEst) and cost modeling (Modelogix) software. The acquisition squarely targets the contractor and owner market, giving them ways to better understand...
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...
