MCAD Tech News #167

Latest Word on Outsourcing

This ongoing manufacturing dilemma has some new twists

Although a lot of them have taken a beating of late, many U.S. manufacturers seem to be somewhat upbeat about the U.S. economy over the next 12 months. Despite this outlook, however, the manufacturing sector continues to be more pessimistic than the broader marketplace about the state of the economy.

The latest economic indicators do, however, offer some hope to an industry sector that has seemingly been in a downward spiral for some time now. Be mindful, though, that manufacturing is not just experiencing a downturn, but also is undergoing a fundamental and thorough restructuring. Many organizations, large and small, have realized that to remain competitive (and in business), they must develop entirely new business models. In many sectors of manufacturing, business as usual will not cut it. Throwing technology at problems in manufacturing can help to a certain extent, but just as important is paying more attention to business and management processes that allow manufacturers to be more adaptable to ever-changing customer needs. Read more >>

Progress. Everyone wants it. Politicians campaign on it. Successful products foster it. People say you can't stop it. So we might as well enjoy it! Alias has just released its latest version of Studio Tools, v13. With a mature product, the challenge for software designers is to make it easier to use without decreasing the power and functionality. There are always new features to add, but in the end it comes down to interface. The road toward progress is littered with software that was new and different, even better than anything else available, but that never succeeded because of a clunky interface. Alias, being a smart company, has watched such programs fall by the wayside and has learned from their mistakes. It has continually tried to improve its program, and StudioTools 13 is its best effort yet. For current users, this is a great release that will help you do what you've been doing with much greater ease and flash. New users just might find that their lucky number is 13.Read more >>

Mark Your Calendar: MCAD Events

CAD Data Exchange: Productivity through Interoperability
May 24-25, 2006
Pheasant Run-St. Charles, Illinois
Conference and exhibition is described as the only CAD-neutral, cross-industry conference in the world that squarely addresses CAD data exchange, an opportunity for design, engineering and manufacturing professionals to learn and share experiences and learn about the latest data exchange software tools.

PLM University
May 8-12, 2006
Long Beach, California 
Event combines PLM World and UGS’ Solid Edge Summit user group meetings for product lifecycle management.

European PLM Summit 2006
June 19-20, 2006
ExCeL Conference Center, London, United Kingdom
Event examines the business value of product lifecycle management from pioneering case studies.

For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here>>