Product-Lifecycle Management Vendors Update Offerings

Product lifecycle-management vendor Parametric Technology Corp. on Tuesday unveiled an updated version of its product design and development suite that has standards-based 3-D drawing features built into the software.

Pro/Engineer Wildfire 2.0 works with all major computer-aided design formats, so it can be more easily integrated with major CAD systems, including those from Dassault Systemes and UGS PLM Solutions, an EDS subsidiary that's being sold to a private equity firm. Interoperability will make it easier for companies to collaborate with business partners in real-time during the design and development of products, PTC says.

The updated version is expected to ship in the second quarter. The unveiling comes less than a week after PTC said it's buying Ohio Design Automation Inc., a maker of electronics design collaboration software for the electronics industry, for $12 million.

Meanwhile, PLM vendor Think3 Inc., which is prepping for an initial public offering in the near future, launched an updated version of its industrial and machine design software suite aimed at helping midsize manufacturers and design engineers better compete in global markets.

Two of the suite's applications, thinkdesign and thinkteam, provide midsize manufacturers with an integrated system for 2-D and 3-D designs and product development management. Features that let companies automatically generate bills of material are new to the applications.