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...