Selected Suppliers of Product Lifecycle Management Software (In alphabetical order)
Aras Corp.
Aras was founded in 2000 by CEO Peter Schroer. Aras provides the market with a PLM solution suite called Aras Innovator that uses an enterprise open-source business model. Aras Innovator’s PLM suite includes bill of materials, CMII configuration management, engineering change workflows, document management, CAD/EDA integrations, product costing, NPDI, stage-gate/phase-gate dashboards, program project management, quality compliance, and other functionality. The software has a model-based, service-oriented architecture for scalability and other benefits.
Arena Solutions
Also founded in 2000, Arena Solutions is headed by CEO Craig Livingston. Arena bridges the gap between design and manufacturing, unifying teams around product information. Arena provides on-demand software for capturing product data, controlling revisions, managing the engineering change process, and sharing accurate, up-to-date bills of materials (BOMs) with partners, suppliers, and contract manufacturers. As a repository for the product record, Arena connects with systems such as CAD, EDA, PDM, and ERP, and links organizations with their supply chains. Arena takes an on-demand SaaS approach to provide functionality to its customer base.
Autodesk
Autodesk, founded in 1982, is led by CEO Carl Bass. It has annual revenues of $1.7 billion. Autodesk is a leader in 3D design and sells more than 80 products. Its PLM product is called Autodesk Solution for Digital Prototyping. The software allows manufacturers to conceptualize, model, and test designs before they are built, bringing together data from all phases of the development process into a single digital prototype. Autodesk Solution for Digital Prototyping also manages product data creation, simulation, and documentation processes throughout the product lifecycle.
Centric Software
Founded in 1998, Centric Software is led by CEO Chris Groves. Centric Software focuses on PLM for consumer goods and other industries. The company has thousands of customers in several industries.Centric Software’s PLM offering is called Centric 8. The package incorporates a wide range of functionality in one platform that is delivered on both desktop and mobile devices.
Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes, founded in 1981, has 115,000 customers in 80 countries. The company had sales of more than $1.7 billion in 2009. Dassault Systèmes is led by CEO Bernard Charlès. Dassault Systèmes’ PLM product is V6R2011. The package includes advancements in systems functionality and content, such as various automotive-focused Modelica libraries, as well as Lifelike Human and Lifelike Conveyor. V6R2011 also updates Dassault Systèmes’ PLM Express offering with new attributes for the midsize market.
Infor
Founded in 2002, Infor, a privately held company, is led by CEO Charles Phillips. The company’s revenues are approximately $2 billion annually. Infor offers three PLM products that are used by approximately 70,000 customers. Infor’s PLM product line consists of PLM 8, PLM Optiva, and PLM RunTime QT. Each product serves different industries. PLM 8 is designed for discrete manufacturing. For process manufacturers, Infor provides PLM Optiva, while PLM RunTime QT is meant for the style, apparel, footwear, and textile industries.
Omnify Software
Omnify Software, incorporated in 2002, is a privately held company led by CEO Chuck Cimalore. The company provides PLM software to the electronics, mechanical, medical, and defense industries. Omnify’s PLM offering, Empower PLM, is designed for small to midsize manufacturers, yet is scalable to meet the needs of larger enterprises. It has been successfully installed in numerous manufacturing companies with thousands of users. The Omnify Empower PLM product provides a central location for members of design and manufacturing teams to share information for designing, manufacturing, and supporting products.
Oracle
Oracle, founded in 1977, is headed by Lawrence J. Ellison as CEO. The company’s revenue for fiscal year 2010 was $26.8 billion. Oracle serves 370,000 customers globally across a wide range of industries, including aerospace and defense, communications, engineering and construction, financial services, health sciences, insurance, oil and gas, retail, tax, and utilities. Oracle’s Agile Product Lifecycle Management suite of PLM software helps companies deal with innovation, costs, quality, and regulatory compliance by managing the information, processes, and decisions about products throughout their lifecycles and across the global product network.
PTC
Established in 1985, PTC had fiscal 2010 revenues of approximately $1 billion. Led by President and CEO James Heppelmann, PTC delivers a portfolio of PLM products to customers in a wide variety of industries. In the PTC PLM software environment, management and collaboration are integrated with regulatory compliance, product quality and documentation, and service information.
SAP AG
Founded in 1972, SAP AG is the world’s largest business software company. Its 2009 revenues were more than €10.6 billion. The company has more than 95,000 customers in over 120 countries. Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe are co-CEOs. SAP’s PLM application provides 360-degree support for product-related processes. SAP PLM is part of the SAP Business Suite, which gives organizations the ability to perform essential business processes with modular software that is designed to work with other SAP and non-SAP software.
Siemens PLM Software
Founded in 1963 as United Computing, Siemens PLM Software is now a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division. The company, led by CEO Tony Affuso, provides PLM software and services to more than 63,000 customers. Siemens PLM Software’s PLM offering is called Teamcenter. The software helps facilitate innovation and improves productivity by connecting people across global product development and manufacturing organizations with product and process knowledge.
Think3
Founded in 1979, Think3 joined the Versata family of software companies in 2010. Think3, led by CEO Scott Brighton, operates as a standalone company with its own line of software products. The company serves more than 11,000 customers. Think3’s PLM offerings, TD PLM (Web-based) and ThinkPLM (client-server), are designed to serve mechanical and industrial design clients. The software manages product and lifecycle information throughout the development process, from concept and engineering through realization and maintenance.
(Editor’s Note: This select list of Product Lifecycle Management Software suppliers is based on market research reports, analyst reports, and company information.)