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PTC-Autodesk Interoperability Agreement Will Benefit Manufacturing Industry
Q&A with Brian Shepherd, Senior Vice President of Product Development, PTC
In December 2006, PTC and Autodesk entered into a technology exchange agreement to expand interoperability options for not only current customers but also the manufacturing industry as a whole. This agreement brings together two software leaders with the common goal of enabling software interoperability for organizations with multi-CAD environments. PTC has similar agreements with UGS and SAP.
We spoke with PTC's Brian Shepherd to learn more about the AutoDesk agreement and PTC's overall strategy.
Q. Why did PTC enter into this agreement with Autodesk?
A. Multi-CAD environments are a fact of life for our customers. Whether it is a strategic choice, a function of an organization's legacy, a result of a merger or acquisition, or just because of a dynamic supplier base, almost every user of Pro/ENGINEER has to work with data from other CAD systems. Traditionally, that has not been easy. There are so many different formats, standards, and techniques that users can get lost in a confusing jumble of data.
PTC has put a lot of effort into changing this situation over the last few product releases. Both ProductView and Windchill have improved ability to work with CAD data in many different formats. We have also enhanced Pro/ENGINEER to work with multiple kernel formats and standards-based data exchange formats such as STEP. Customers have welcomed these improvements, which have clearly reduced the challenges they face.
Nevertheless, users sometimes want to have access to the information contained in the native files of another CAD system without requiring an intermediate exchange and file format. By cooperating with other leaders in the industry, we have made this process easier. Our first step was when we signed a mutual agreement with UGS in 2002. We grew from there and formed a similar relationship with SAP in 2003. Our new interoperability agreement with Autodesk is another step forward. The goal of this cooperation is simple—to help customers decrease the overall effort and costs associated with working in heterogeneous environments.
Q. Does that mean we should expect to see similar agreements with other vendors in the future?
A. We hope so. Three of the four major CAD vendors are now cooperating to help reduce customer pain points around interoperability. We would love to see the fourth player embrace the philosophy of openness as well. If we all focus on eliminating interoperability challenges, customers can place greater attention on the true value-added activities of product development.
Q. It does seem a little counterintuitive to share your technology with a competitor. What's in it for the vendors who participate?
A. These agreements are mutual. PTC gets technology from these other companies and provides similar technology in exchange. Each vendor uses the shared technology to improve the way its products work with the other's format.
We are trying to move beyond competing based on closed systems. In the end, that approach is not very effective and mostly just hurts our customers. We believe that it is better to compete on the strength of our solutions, our innovations, our process focus, and our ability to help customers realize value. In sum, we believe we will benefit if our customers benefit. We're confident we've got the best products, and that better interoperability can only help us succeed.
Q. What type of technology exchange does the agreement entail?
A. Specifically, PTC has provided Autodesk with the software and development toolkits required to allow enhanced integrations with Pro/ENGINEER. In return, Autodesk has provided PTC with the software and development toolkits enabling us to develop, test, and support improved integrations to both AutoCAD and Inventor. Use of these formalized, rich APIs gives customers high-quality access to broader, deeper levels of information than is possible with other methods.
Q. When can PTC customers expect the Autodesk integrations to be available?
A. Our development planning is under way now, but with the ink barely dry on the agreement, it's too early for me to offer an exact timetable for product availability at this time.
Q. Finally, how do PTC customers benefit from this agreement?
A. Together, Pro/ENGINEER, AutoCAD, and Inventor form the backbone of mechanical design in the world today, with millions of everyday users across many industries. Customers of both PTC and Autodesk will experience greater ability to manage information and processes across engineering and manufacturing departments, whether within the company or throughout an extended supply chain. Improving the way these products work together will benefit users directly—and society as a whole—as we remove barriers to innovation and efficiency.
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