Motley Fool interviews Al Bunshaft of Dassault Systemes, covered 3D Printing

Al Bunshaft, Dassault Systemes Senior Vice President for the North America region, was recently interviewed by Motley Fool, covering a range of topics.  SolidWorks  and its 2 million end users are mentioned, but the interview focuses on Dassault’s role in the rise of 3D Printing in recent years.  Bunshaft states, “our software is the engine of the 3D printing industry”.  He also talks about several real world examples of successful uses of Dassault Systemes software within industry.  The complete article can found on the Motley Fool at What’s Next for Dassault Systèmes, And How It Profits Off 3D Printing, including the video of the interview.

News of the day

There’s a couple of CAD industry press releases that came to me last week from Dassault Systemes.  I decided to experiment a bit with WordPress by providing both press releases at the same time in a dual column format.  Since this article is more of an experiment in WordPress formatting than an actual attempt to perpetuate announcements, I’m going to be lazy by doing something I almost never do. I’m going to post the nearly raw press releases (except for the addition of some images from Mike Puckett to help illustrate the DS HQ announcement).  I know, I know, but either one of these press releases will be of interest to someone, so I don’t necessarily feel completely guilty. You are free to read one or both (or none), as you please.  (If you are interested in seeing another point of view covering the DS HQ move, check out this article from “The Real Reporter“.)

Future of Enterprise PDM

DS logoIn a recent article, I expressed concerns about the current state of PDM, especially for SolidWorks. There were particular questions posed regarding the long term outlook for Enterprise PDM.  The concern is that Dassault Systemes’ plan for PDM solutions may be different than SolidWorks Corp.  If that is the case, the Enterprise PDM may not be viable long term solution.

My worries where not allayed in a recent presentation by Noam Ktalav of Dassault Systemes (DS).  He was asked about where Enterprise PDM fits into the DS product offerings.  His answer didn’t fully address the question.  Instead, he talked about Enovia and its scalability.  Needless to say, official word regarding Enterprise PDM from DS is very mixed.

Jeff Ray offers insight on this topic

Jeff RayThis prompted me to contact SolidWorks Corp for a clearer picture, as least from their perspective.  Jeff Ray, CEO of SolidWorks Corp, was able to provide some interesting insights.  He exclaimed that statements from DS about Enterprise PDM are mixed.  Ray did offer hope that something is being done about this.

[There is a] very intensive effort between SolidWorks and Enovia for a clear road map.

SolidWorks Corp is working hard to lay out a clear plan for its customers. Ray discussed the need for a long term strategy.  SolidWorks Corp does not want to force a decision on customers that may eventually lead to a dead end.  This would bad for SolidWorks Corp, bad for reputation of individuals who relied on the solutions offered by SolidWorks Corp, and bad for the companies that implemented those solutions.  Instead, Ray declared,

We need to give people a scalable answer.

Ray then stated that he wants to optimize the user experience and “hide the plumbing” of the software.  He doesn’t want to let technology get in the way of the user experience.  He elaborated that users shouldn’t have to be IT experts or even require extensive reliance upon IT departments just to manage their data.

So, a solution that will address Enterprise PDM’s place in the DS universe is coming.  As to the when and in what form?  Answers will be forthcoming soon.

And what of SolidWorks Workgroups PDM?

During my interview with Ray, I also asked about SolidWorks Workgroups PDM (aka PDMWorks).  He clarified that development of the application has hit the limits of the technology behind it.  It is not worth the effort to continue to extensively develop the application further.  He stated that SolidWorks Corp will continue to support Workgroups PDM and any customers that choose to use it, but that the limitations of the application need to be clearly explained.