“SolidWorks has acquired 175 customers in 18 months”

Ved Narayan, director for Solidworks’ Asia-Pacific operations, shares his views on the Indian 3D software market with Gaurav Patra

* There are many CAD/CAM/CAE players in India. Some like PTC and Autodesk enjoy good market and mind share. So what will your strategy look like? How will you differentiate your company from competitors?

We have a global leadership position in the mid-range 3D mechanical design market. In June 2003 we achieved the milestone of a quarter million licences. In India over the past 18 months we have acquired an installed base of over 175 customers and over 900 licences. Our software is easy to use, affordable, easy to learn, and 100 percent focused on 3D. Our product line extends beyond traditional design capabilities; we are dedicated to making engineers’ jobs easier in a variety of ways.

Apart from this, our reseller network is increasing on a regular basis, and we are winning new customers every month. In the mechanical engineering segment, the majority of companies are still using 2D solutions, but they are rapidly moving towards 3D. Today, 3D software is slowly but steadily becoming not only a tool for competitive advantage but also a business necessity. More and more customers are exchanging 3D data with their suppliers. We foresee an exponential growth in this segment over the next three years in India, and are expecting to gain at least 40 percent market share.

Our current focus is on educating the Indian market about the benefits of using 3D design software instead of 2D. The market is in an evolutionary stage, so this is the right time to target the design and manufacturing market.

* What is the size of the Indian 3D market, and what do you think will boost it?

The Indian 3D CAD/CAM/PLM market is currently estimated to be worth $25 million, with the CAD market alone estimated at $10 million. Until now, 2D players dominated the market. But recently we have witnessed a definitive shift towards 3D. This shift is due to the long-term cost effectiveness, ease-of-use and powerful modelling capabilities of 3D software. Designers have realised the tremendous reduction in product time-to-market cycles using 3D software. We have also seen companies reducing their production cycles by almost 50 percent. These are some of the main factors driving the 3D CAD market in India and around the globe.

* What exactly do you mean by collaborative technology, and which products/solutions do you have in this area?

Various departments within an organisation can use collaborative technology to improve communication. We provide the eDrawing tools that enable users to quickly and easily communicate and collaborate on mechanical designs. eDrawings enable the marketing department to use designs in promotional catalogues, the sales department to show a customer what a product will look like before it is designed, and the manufacturing department to see how parts are assembled. In this space we also offer other collaborative tools such as SolidWorks Animator, PhotoWorks, and 3D Instant Website. All these tools help companies communicate and share mechanical design information.

* With the double attraction of quality manpower and low cost, India has the potential to be an outsourcing destination for manufacturing. What sort of role will CAD/CAM solutions play in this?

A key challenge is for India to improve the quality of its manufactured goods in order to be on par with global standards. But in order to remain competitive in the global manufacturing market, India must continue to invest in technology tools that will help its businesses succeed. Because so many companies are outsourcing their design and manufacturing to India, it is essential that Indian organisations be able to communicate designs quickly and easily. CAD/CAM software enables engineers and designers to not only develop products quickly and easily, but also to communicate (designs) with other engineers around the globe.

* What are your plans for the Indian market?

We will be setting up our Indian office in Bangalore very soon, and if the current encouraging trends continue we will also consider making more investments and extending the nature of our existing partnerships in India.