CIMdata Successfully Concludes its 2012 North American PLM Market & Industry Forum and Releases its 2011 Market Analysis

ANN ARBOR, MI, April 05, 2012 (Press-News.org) CIMdata, Inc., the leading global Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) management consulting and research firm announces the successful completion of its 2012 North American PLM Market & Industry Forum—the first in a series of four global events. This forum was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA on March 29, 2012.

CIMdata's PLM Market & Industry Forums are the world's premiere gathering of technology and service providers focused specifically on the PLM market and the issues concerning its development and growth. Participants gathered to hear CIMdata's perspective on the state and trends of the PLM market, as well as a detailed discussion of CIMdata's research and viewpoints on the 2011 PLM market results. These included CIMdata's extensive analysis and forecasts regarding market growth across PLM domains, industries, and regions, and the performance (revenue and market share analysis) of leading PLM solution providers.

In CIMdata's annual "State of PLM: Today's Market and Leading Trends" address, Mr. Peter Bilello, CIMdata's President, stated that "While the PLM market came back very strong based on the global market numbers, we believe that there is a 'New Normal' in the business environment." He added, "One way to look at the market is that companies are using PLM strategies to do more with less. They are not necessarily hiring people, but they need PLM strategies and enabling technologies to get their work done in a more accurate, repeatable, and efficient manner." In Mr. Bilello's concluding remarks, he commented that significant opportunity still exists in several emerging markets and industries, as well as mature ones. He went on to say, "As we settle into the 'New Norm', CIMdata believes that PLM is at a tipping point."

Commenting on the PLM market in 2011, Mr. Stan Przybylinski, CIMdata's Director of Research, said, "At last year's forum there were some questions about our optimistic forecasts for calendar year 2011, but our estimates show outstanding growth." Recent statistics compiled by CIMdata show that the Comprehensive PLM market experienced 15.2% growth in 2011 to US$29.98 billion. Mr. Przybylinski added, "Growth was strong throughout the year, particularly in licenses, which bodes well for services growth and continued market expansion in the next few years." A wide range of companies in many industries continued investing in PLM to achieve short-term benefits as well as long-term strategic value throughout the product lifecycle and across their extended enterprises. "CIMdata strongly believes that the expansion in investment supports our long-time claim that PLM is a strategic imperative that will help companies enhance product and process development and improve their competitive position as global markets rebound," noted Mr. Przybylinski.

In addition, the agenda included sessions on trends in the market based on CIMdata's PLM Knowledge Councils, a set of collaborative research panels that bring together leading end user companies and PLM solution providers to help advance the state-of-the-art and best practices in emerging product lifecycle management disciplines. Sessions included "CAD and Analysis: Who's on First?," "Systems Engineering: Looking at the Whole Picture," "Model-Based Systems Engineering," "Process and Mechanical PLM," and "Social Computing and PLM." The North American PLM Market & Industry Forum is the first in a global series, with the next session scheduled for April 17, 2012 in Heidelberg, Germany. Forum sessions will follow on April 20 in Shanghai, China, and April 25 in Tokyo, Japan. For the first time, CIMdata will also convene a fall PLM Market & Industry Forum leading into its 2012 PLM Road Map conference. The fall session will be more focused on strategy and planning support for PLM solution providers, and emphasize insight and trends from CIMdata's end user customers, best practices from CIMdata's PLM Knowledge Councils, and selected customer presentations.

The PLM Market & Industry Forums provide a first look at CIMdata's market estimates. The full analysis will be released in the CIMdata PLM Market Analysis Report Series. For more information, please see http://www.CIMdata.com.

Contact:

James Watch
j.watch@cimdata.com
Tel: +1 (734) 668-9922

Stan Przybylinski
s.przybylinski@cimdata.com
Tel: +1 (734) 668-9922

About CIMdata

CIMdata, a leading independent worldwide firm, provides strategic management consulting to maximize an enterprise's ability to design and deliver innovative products and services through the application of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. Since its founding in 1983, CIMdata has delivered world-class knowledge, expertise, and best-practice methods on PLM solutions. These solutions incorporate both business processes and a wide-ranging set of PLM enabling technologies.

CIMdata works with both industrial organizations and suppliers of technologies and services seeking competitive advantage in the global economy. In addition to consulting, CIMdata conducts research, provides PLM-focused subscription services, and produces several commercial publications. The company also provides industry education through PLM certificate programs, seminars, and conferences worldwide. CIMdata serves clients around the world from offices in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more about CIMdata's services, visit our website at http://www.CIMdata.com or contact CIMdata at: 3909 Research Park Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA. Tel: +1 (734) 668-9922. Fax: +1 (734) 668-1957; or at Oogststraat 20, 6004 CV Weert, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0) 495 533 666.