Dassault buys Matrix: good for them…better for us!

Dassault Buys MatrixOne (by W. Bradley Holtz)


Obviously I am a bit late in getting this up on my blog, but here it is nonetheless. I am also a little biased here, but overall I think this is a good thing for the PLM industry and a good thing for UGS, the company I work for. Even though Dassault gains (finally) a viable enterprise class PDM system, they will have to go through the same pain that we did several years ago in trying to integrate multiple systems. If past history there is any indication, I wouldn’t bet on them being able to pull it off in a way that will be robust or stable. They still don’t have a good connection between Delmia and either of their existing PDM systems (Smart Team or Ennovia), much less between Works and Catia, two CAD systems they’ve had in their bag for a nearly a decade. Don’t get me wrong, it certainly makes them a more formidable competition in the high growth segment of the PLM market (PDM), but given their pre-acquisition position, we aren’t really staying up at night worrying about what this means for us.
The reason I think this is good for the industry is that it shows it is maturing. A mature industry means that we can perhaps move beyond the point on the adoption curve that we have been stuck on for the past few years and in to the fat section of the early majority. PLM is not a small market, but it is still a child compared to the ERP and CRM markets. By consolidating the market into a few key players (UGS, Dassault, SAP…and maybe PTC) it will give buyers an easier terrain to navigate and what they will see will come closer to solving their whole problem.
Wonder who’s up next?