10 things I think I think: SOLIDWORKS World 2018

10 things I think I think: SOLIDWORKS World 2018

SOLIDWORKS World is always a spectacle of maker-ness, designers competing to out-SOLIDWORKS one another in design competitions and learn from one another. It’s, as one speaker put it, nerd-heaven. This year was the twentieth anniversary event and many attendees...
This time it’s Siemens, acquiring Sarokal for IC testing

This time it’s Siemens, acquiring Sarokal for IC testing

The pace of acquisition really doesn’t jibe with the news that capital is getting harder to come by. Either that, or all of these companies have seriously deep pockets. Today. Siemens announced that it place to acquire Sarokal Test Systems to continue the...
This time it’s Siemens, acquiring Sarokal for IC testing

Quickie: Aras acquires for PLM + MRO capabilities

Aras announced last week that it has acquired infoTRAK MRO from Infospectrum and renamed the product Aras Impresa MRO. MRO stands for Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul and is a key component in many asset operators’ strategies: planning who, what, when and how...
Happy 2018 — and, optimize THIS

Happy 2018 — and, optimize THIS

I hope you had a wonderful year-end, filled with people you love. Or tolerate, if that’s how you roll. In any event, as peaceful and relaxing as it could be. I’ve been trying to write a 2017 retrospective and, honestly, the mind boggles. So much happened,...
Autodesk Accelerate – so much more than PLM

Autodesk Accelerate – so much more than PLM

“Sometimes you have to wear a shirt” isn’t a typical theme at a PLMish conference, but it perfectly describes the ethos of this year’s Autodesk Accelerate. Morphing from a PDM-centric conference four years ago to something straddling Fusion 360...
Siemens all in on digitalization and the digital twin

Siemens all in on digitalization and the digital twin

I spent most of a week with Siemens –the PLM team plus an assortment of colleagues from across the AG and maybe 150 media and analysts– to learn more about the PLM business, the recent Mentor Graphics and TASS acquisitions, and to try to gauge how the AG...
Siemens AG’s FQ4 boosted by Digital Factory, admiration for Bentley

Aras secures investment, poised for serious growth

Aras announced last week that is has secured $40 million in funding in exchange for a minority stake in the company and a board seat. Silver Lake Kraftwerk and GE Ventures partnered for the investment. Aras said it will use the funds to drive growth, expand operations...