IBM buying Sun?
Sun Microsystems' share price has nearly doubled since Wednesday on rumors that IBMis interested in acquiring the troubled hardware maker. For many old-timers Sunworkstations were the first non-proprietary hardware on which CAD software was availableand their...
Update: MSC exec change — Investors like!
Yesterday I wrote that investors seemed lukewarm to the the change in CEO and COO atMSC, with Ashfaq Munshi taking over. By the close of trading, MSC shares were up 11%and look to open "up" today signalling that shareholders have confidence in Mr. Munshi...
Happy Pi Day!
Yes, it's that time again: tomorrow, March 14, marks Pi Day. For those who need therefresher, Pi= 3.1415926535... (3.14 -- get it?) According to the day's website, Pi Day is"celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world". Economy got you down?...
Management shake-up at MSC Software
MSC today announced the departure of Chairman and CEO Bill Weyand and Glenn Weinkoop, President and COO, and their replacement by Ashfaq A. Munshi as interim Chief Executive Officer and President. The company's Board of Directors has retained a national firm to...
ESI Group reports steep drop-off in Q4
ESI Group today reported revenue growth of 2% to EU70.2 million for the fiscal year endedJanuary 31, 2009. Excluding acquisitions, revenue declined about 5% from fiscal2007/2008. Like other engineering software companies, business slowed dramaticallyduring Q4: ESI...
Twenty-five years of VAR success
A lot of press releases come in every day and few are all that notable. One of today's stands out, not for its content so much as for what it represents. Autodesk is holding its annual VAR (value-added reseller) conference this week and issued a release congratulating...
Bentley moves user conference online
It's official: citing cuts in its customers' travel budgets, Bentley has moved its userconference online, reframing the content as a series of webinars. Given the cost toBentley to stage the annual extravaganza, this only makes sense, as its revenue is likelystresses...
Autodesk’s portfolio approach doesn’t isolate from this storm
Autodesk last week reported final figures for the quarter and year ended January 31, 2009that were in line with its preannouncement.The company has always said that itsdiversified approach (serving so many end-user industries around the world) would help toinsulate it...
MSC rides a winding road
MSC Software proved last week that it is not immune to the slowdown in spending seenby other PLM suppliers. Total Q4 revenue of $65 million was down 9% from a year ago,leading the company to an operating loss for the quarter. For the year MSC reported totalrevenue of...
ANSYS – weak Q4 leads to worries about 2009
ANSYS shares were hammered late last week, falling to a 52-week low after the companydramatically lowered its forecasts for 2009 -- even though results for 2008 were OK.On the plus side:- CEO Jim Cashman said that companies continue to see a need to innovate, and...
CD-adapco’s stimulus bill: "No Engineer Left Behind"
CD-adapco today upped the ante on helping displaced engineers improve their skills andmarketability. "No Engineer Left Behind" is a global program -- all others that I'm aware ofare US-based -- offering training at any CD-adapco facility, a CD-adapco...
Stimulus bill: what’s in it for PLM?
The Wall Street Journal posted a handy summary of the 1,073-page stimulus bill signedby President Obama on Monday. It's possible that the bill contains provisions not in theJournal's table, but judging by the summary, Washington is hoping that consumerdemand will perk...
MSC and Elliott Assoc. reach agreement on “standstill”
Elliott Associates and MSC Software today filed a schedule 13D with the SEC stating that the two had reached and agreement under which the various Elliott entities that already own 13.4% of the outstanding shares of MSC will not buy more than 2.96 million additional...
DS 2008 results as expected — but 2010 looks interesting
Dassault Systèmes reported final results for 2008 earlier today and issued outlook for2009 that reflects what the company believes will be a "challenging" 2009, with conditionssimilar to those seen in Q4 2008.Highlights from the earnings calls and releases:-...
Invention Machine wants to help you innovate
A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to hear Boston Scientific speak about how it sought to build a culture of invention and discovery that leads its various businesses to successful new products. Randy Schiestl, VP R&D, and Jude Currier, cardiovascular knowledge...
PTC to lay off 250 — none in R&D? — and rely more on channel
As expected, PTC announced late yesterday that conditions during the December quarterhad deteriorated significantly, resulting in lower than anticipated revenue for the quarter anddampening the outlook for the remainder of fiscal 2009. The company now sees FY09revenue...
Autodesk’s plans for Algor shaping up nicely
I recently had a long chat with Autodesk's Amy Bunszel, product marketing manager inthe Manufacturing Solutions Division(MSD), about the company's plans for Algor.First of all, all Algor employees will remain in Pittsburgh. Mike Bussler, founder of Algor,will not be...
Dassault Systèmes missed Q4 on 20% drop in new license revenue
DS released preliminary fourth quarter results today, showing that the global economiccrisis is affecting all price points along the PLM curve. DS reports that preliminarynon-GAAP total revenue is estimated at €382 million, compared to the company’sobjective of €385...
Autodesk restructures to better deal with economic climate
Autodesk announced today that it would lay off 750 people (10% of staff) and spin out itslocation-based services businesses (always an unusual fit) to save $130 million in annualoperating expenses. These measures are in addition to the cost-reduction...
