CIMdata delivers Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) consulting, research, and education to global PLM leaders. Their annual review of the AEC market provides a thorough look at the trends in the market and how AEC solution providers are responding to them. The 70-page report includes 20 charts tables of data detailing the global AEC market along several dimensions.
In the report, details like the growth in cloud services, innovations in the area of reality capture as well as VR/AR developments are discussed in detail. Additionally, the report contains AEC solution provider analysis for some of the biggest companies in the industry, including Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Hexagon AB and Trimble Navigation, just to name a few.
We caught up with Ed Martin, Director, AEC / Manufacturing Convergence Consulting Practice, at CIMdata to gather a few more insights around the sort of info that’s in this report, and how it can best be utilized. Ed has previously detailed the opportunities and obstacles to change in AEC, and it’s clear this report deals with those topics directly and indirectly. He also lays out some high level takeaways and talks about how the info in this report will influence strategic planning and marketing for stakeholders in a variety of roles and industries.
Jeremiah Karpowicz: At a very broad level, what does the information in this report tell you about the position and stability of the AEC market?
Ed Martin: Overall, the market is showing steady growth in most areas. We’re seeing especially strong growth in the construction solutions segment. The market for process plant solutions has been weak, driven by continuing weakness in energy prices, but most other areas are strong. Autodesk’s business transition has impacted headline revenue numbers, but that is an expected and temporary effect due to their move to recurring term subscriptions.
Were there any major surprises that stuck out to you in the course of compiling the info in this report?
I was struck by the strong growth by certain providers. For example, Nemetschek’s organic growth exceeded 15%, and their Build (construction) segment organic growth was 30%. Their overall growth including acquisitions was of course even higher. They weren’t alone, either, we estimated strong growth by certain other companies as well.
Did you notice or highlight major changes for any of the solution providers that were profiled in the report? Have many of them expanded their services, or made an adjustment to focus on a specific product or service?
The report goes into some detail for each provider, and their strategies do differ somewhat. However, there are some common themes that emerge. There is clearly a trend toward more and richer cloud solutions, and several providers are expanding their solutions for construction. There are some pretty substantial differences in acquisition strategies, with some companies in a very acquisitive phase and others taking a much more conservative approach.
Can you talk a little bit about how you envision the information in this report can and will influence strategic planning and marketing for stakeholders in a variety of roles and industries?
CIMdata’s market reports, including the AEC report, are used throughout the industry as a source of both quantitative information and qualitative insights to inform strategic planning, product planning, and M&A activity. These reports help companies validate and update insights they obtain from their own engagement with the market. We expect the AEC report to be used in a similar way.
What would you say to someone who is looking to setup a strategic planning session for their organization, but doesn’t believe the 2017 AEC Market Overview Report needs to be part of that discussion?
I would encourage that person to visit the CIMdata website to see what they’re missing. The table of contents and a list of figures and tables is freely available for download. The report itself is very cost-effective in comparison to the information it contains.
Click here to learn more about the 2017 AEC Market Overview Report
