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...
LSTC also helping displaced workers
Hits and Misses of 2008
It's been quite a year -- like most, filled with stuff both good and bad. My top 10 happenings, all related to engineering software:1. Hit: The CAE vendor landscape changed dramatically, as ANSYS bought Ansoft andexpanded its applications footprint even further;...
Peace on Earth
Goodness -- that would be quite an announcement. It's more of a wish ...As the year winds down, we'd like to wish all of our friends and colleagues a joyousholiday season. May your 2009 be better in every way.
Autodesk strengthens CAE offering by acquiring ALGOR
Autodesk announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire ALGOR Inc., of Pittsburgh for approximately $34 million, or (by our estimate) slightly more than two times revenue. Autodesk has said all along that it will continue to seek strategic...
ESI Group cautiously optimistic about Q4
ESI announced Q3 results today that were good -- and not foreshadowing gloom. It's thefirst company to announce results that included October, after the world went into thecurrent financial meltdown. Total revenue for Q3 was up 4% to €13.4 million, with...
"Displaced" workers take advantage of Altair’s offer
According to Mike Kidder of Altair, the company received over 200 applications for itstraining/update program for displaced workers in southeastern Michigan (details below).December course offerings were completely booked within 48 hours of the announcement.Writes...
What do users think of Autodesk’s "Digital Prototyping"?
Yes, I know it seems like "all Autodesk, all the time", but 10,000 people really do have10,000 stories.While I didn't connect with all 10,000 -- not by a long shot -- I did talk with perhaps adozen attendees at Autodesk Manufacturing's keynote session about...
Altair shows the softer side of capitalism
Last week, Altair Engineering announced that it would offer free training courses andsoftware licenses to displaced engineers in southeast Michigan who want to grow theirCAE expertise to increase their marketability to employers. If the program is successful,it may be...
Autodesk acquires iLogic rules-based design software
All user conference come with a blizzard of press releases, and this one almost got lost:Autodesk has announced its intention to acquire iLogic from Logimetrix, a softwarecompany that is part of Cypher Systems Group, a large Canadian developer of businessprocess...
Autodesk University: 10,000 stories
Autodesk University was, as always, overwhelming. Perhaps nine or ten thousand people at the Las Vegas Venetian Resort’s convention center, attending any one of several dozen sessions going at any one time. I tried to hit as many as sessions possible, but could only...
Quick news roundup: AVEVA has great H1, ESI buys VDOT
I'm off to Autodesk University shortly, so this will be brief; more coming after I'm back. AVEVA announced terrific results for their half-year ended September 30, 2008 -- and their shares fell like a stone. The results: revenue increased 32% to £74.8 million (up 31%...
