by Roopinder Tara, Tenlinks.com
Autodesk buying Delcam is the biggest news in the CAD, CAM and CAE world since… umm… the CAD, CAM, and CAE worlds existed. Yet, at this late date, 25 days after the announcement, I am amazed how scant has been the coverage of an event of such magnitude.
Wake up, guys!
The #1 CAD company [Editor's note: Autodesk no longer is #1, as measured by revenue] buys the #1 CAM company. Autodesk, who used to irreverently claim to have designed everything God did not (their words, not mine) can now also say they can manufacture it. What was once a fractured CAM industry with several key players but none a 800-lb gorilla, is now changed forever. Autodesk has validated Delcam as the one CAM company to deal with.
A Long Time Coming
CAD insiders have long amused themselves and irritated CAD executives with the idea of a conjoined CAD/CAM company: "Why not buy a CAM company?" "Why not have a design of a part lead directly to the finished product on a CNC machine, all with 2D, without paper drawings, without data conversion, without one software hand off to another, suffering data loss or extra labor or confusion?" "What could be more natural?"
But every time we suggested it to the CAD executives, we were met with, “We already have partnered with several solutions in our third-party applications.” Sure enough, all mainstream MCAD vendors, Autodesk and SolidWorks especially, had all of the major CAM vendors as partners. After years of listening to this, we actually were convinced that CAD vendors were best served allowing every CAM vendor equal access. A CAD company buying a CAM company would just upset the apple cart.
It Had to Be Carl
A source in Autodesk says this deal was two years in the making. It is the second-biggest acquisition Autodesk has ever made (second only to Discreet).
Unverified as it may be, it would be hard to convince me that a major CAM acquisition was any thing less than a Carl Bass mandate. The Autodesk CEO has overstated his belief that design is only one part of the process. A furniture designer by hobby and a self-professed “maker,” Carl cannot be satisfied in leaving a concept in electrons. No, it must be something one can produce, to feel, to hold in one’s hands.
A Juggernaut
Already a market leader in CAD, Autodesk is now a total CAD, CAM, and CAE company. Its $500-million in CAE companies and technology acquisitions over the last couple of years have bought it some measure of credibility in the CAE world. Buying a market leader in CAM give Autodesk instant credibility as a CAM leader.
Add to this Autodesk’s moves into cloud technology, PLM, a variety of far-reaching and exciting innovations out of Autodesk Labs, and you have the stage for an unbeatable force in the CAD, CAM, and CAE world.
[Reprinted with permission of CAD Insider.]
Roopinder, I was fortunate to consult at Hewlett Packard during an exciting time, 2000-2005. At that time a new SolidWorks test program was started at the Rancho Bernardo, CA, R & D division. Our group used SolidWorks for design & no 2D drawings were ever created. Instead the 3D files were sent over to the in house machine shop & the parts were usually back on my desk within 2-3 days (!) So I got to experience almost 100% CAD/CAM utilization and let me tell you, we could really crank out the work.
Cheers, Devon Sowell
Posted by: DevonSowell | Dec 04, 2013 at 12:28 PM
The comment about alienating other third-parties is a very valid one, but if you want the best possible integration, you've just gotta go ahead and do it.
They (and SolidWorks as well) seemed to have no quarrels taking that strategy for their simulations tools as SRAC, Algor and Blue Ridge Numerics.
A key difference might be that, those simulation companies were minor players whereas Delcam in its market of CAM is a very large player.
Hmmm. Interesting indeed!
Posted by: Kevindesmet | Dec 05, 2013 at 11:54 PM
DS/SolidWorks doesn't understand CAM. They never have and I doubt they ever will. As time goes on you will see more and more DS/ SolidWorks CAM Gold partners get bought up while DS/SolidWorks pretends it doesn't matter.
Kevin is dead nuts on with what he said about integration. I'll take it a step further. There is no way that HSMWorks for SolidWorks will stay equal with the powerful integration HSMWorks will have for Autodesk Inventor or HSMWorks in Fusion 360 (CAM 360)
Jon Banquer
CADCAM Technology Leaders group on LinkedIn
Posted by: JonBanquer | Dec 09, 2013 at 07:41 AM