Manufacturers across the world are exploring the latest technological innovations to make their products better and improve their own processes. How can augmented reality and virtual reality, Internet of Things and cloud computing help? Can they be used to make internal processes more efficient?
Technological innovations have increased product complexity and have forced manufacturers to demand software that can support their multidisciplinary product development and manufacturing needs.For example, consider the increased complexity in an automobile to make it self-driving—a use case that demands zero errors in field operations. This can only be achieved with robust design and predictive simulation practices that take into account the physical conditions a product will be subjected to in its useful life. Product complexity is expected to reach new levels as space exploration companies look for spacecraft designed to transport humans for deep space explorations.
A confluence of mechanical, electrical and electronic systems cannot be based on simple integration of software products that previously existed in isolation. Product lifecycle management (PLM) applications that have a broad support for systems engineering or multidisciplinary product development, especially electronics component design, verification and testing, are expected to play a bigger role than they currently play in order to solve the multidisciplinary productcomplexity.
Electronic design automation (EDA) vendors provide tools for electronic system designs that can include transistors, systemon a chip, verification solutions and software for products. In recent years, EDA vendors have experienced sluggishgrowth. Some of the big names in EDA are Altium, Cadence, Mentor Graphics and Synopsis. Mentor Graphics is amongst the top-three players in the EDA market. It sells software for designing automotive, industrial, smart energy, medical devices and consumer electronics.
It is hard to compare Mentor Graphics with other EDA vendors due to the variety of products the company offers. Over the years, Mentor Graphics has developed products such as Automotive EE Design Solutions, Mechanical Analysis and Embedded software that have clear synergies for product development vendors. Recently, Siemens announced that it would acquire Mentor Graphics, and it will become part of Siemens PLM.
Looking at the acquisition in terms of financial growth, there is no doubt Siemens as a whole will see a revenue growth and margin expansion,
Mechatronics Concept Designer. (Image courtesy of Siemens PLM.)
Graphics is no stranger to PLM. Its Data Management Services (DMS) addresses the need for PLM integration. DMS part list management lets users manage ECAD bill of materials data related to designs directly from XpeditionxDX Designer. The xDX Designer provides capabilities such as circuit design, simulation, component library and signal integrity planning in a collaborative team environment. Mentor Graphics acquired FloMASTER to include 1D computational fluid dynamics in its portfolio.
Mentor Graphics has been targeted for acquisition in the past for financial reasons, but the company has found the right place for its portfolio within Siemens PLM. Manufacturers can expect much deeper capability to solve embedded electronics from Siemens PLM. Products are no longer just mechanical in nature, consumers are demanding autonomous features, especially in the automotive industry, that mustbe supported by electronics and embedded software. This trend is not limited to an industry vertical but across product development.
The Siemens PLM acquisition of Mentor Graphics will change how we look at EDA. EDA may not completely merge into PLM, but its reasonable to expect that electronics design, testing and verification will become part of mainstream product development.