Solidworks to expand biz in Indian auto component sector, releases new 3D design software

The US-based Solidworks, a subsidiary and 3D design software brand of France-headquartered Product Lifecycle Management solution provider Dassault Systemes, is confident of achieving robust business in the Indian auto component and allied sectors in the coming years on the back of promising growth in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment.

Talking to Autocar Professional, Bertrand Sicot, CEO of Solidworks in Bangalore, said the company’s 3D design software caters to various sectors including automotive and allied industries, machine tools, medical and consumer sector.

Sicot was in Bangalore yesterday to release the company’s latest 3D design software applications christened Solidworks 2015.

Referring the Union government’s agenda on ‘Made-in-India’ products, he said the company’s 3D software design products will witness good demand in the SME sector with the manufacturing activities receiving a facelift in the country.

Solidworks is one among 11 brands of Dassault and it recorded $ 555 million (Rs 3,376 crore) in revenues in 2013 while its parent Dassault Systemes recorded Euro 2,077 million (Rs 16,325 crore). Sicot said the company has identified Asia-Pacific, especially India, as a key potential market for its products. Asia-Pacific region contributed $ 123 million (Rs 7,483 crore) to the company’s total turnover in 2013.

According to P M Ravikumar, sales director, Solidworks India, around 28-30 percent of the company’s overall business comes from the automotive and allied sectors including industrial equipment and machine tool manufacturers. Its 3D software solutions are also used in automation and robotics sector that primarily caters to the automotive industry in India.

While implementation of automation and robotics is in slow progress in the overall manufacturing sector in India, the automotive sector is increasingly turning to robotics to deliver quality products, cut costs and yield high productivity. This has benefited Dassault’s products in general and Solidworks in particular.

Recently the Union government has announced that it will introduce a new policy for the SME sector, which in turn will encourage the segment to use high technology productivity methods.

According to Ravikumar, around 1.5 to2 percent of Solidworks’ global business comes from India. Its overall businesss in India has been growing at the rate of 18-20 percent in recent years. Solidworks division in India accounts for around 15 percent Dassault Systemes total turnover in the country. Solidworks aims to increase its share to 20-25 percent in Dassault Systemes India’s total turnover in the next 2-3 years, he added. Currently the company has around 4,500 customers in India.

Dassult acquired Solidworks in 1997. Currently its majority of business comes from the Americas, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The new Solidworks 2015 3D design software application will facilitate users gain access to cloud-based capabilities and a wider range of choices for improving productivity, work process and operating costs. It covers all comprehensive aspects of the product development process with an intuitive, integrated 3D development environment that includes 3D design, simulation, electrical design, product data management and technical communication. 

Photograph: Bertrand Sicot, CEO of Solidworks.