Where to even start. It’s been quite the journey over the last year. My last post was coming off of Autodesk University 2010. Next thing I know, my world was flipped upside down with the acquisition of Blue Ridge Numerics by Autodesk. As you can imagine, the news and feelings were mixed. I spent the last 6 years working with a group of the best people in the world. We were all aligned and loved what we were doing. I was fortunate enough to work in various roles, met some amazing customers and was exposed to some of the most mind-blowing technology in the world.
But, the fact is the world was changing. The economic climate was questionable, manufacturing was unstable in different geographies and the world of CAE was changing at the same time. In my early career there were numerous CAD/FEA/CFD/PLM/PDM vendors out there. Some big, some small. The market was ripe and there was plenty of business to be had. But over time, due to acquisitions and mergers the landscape was changing. The market became more aware of the tools out there, but at the same time the offerings became larger, more complicated and everyone was jockeying for a piece of the pie.
The market was evolving. Companies were selling “solutions”. A large array of products and technology to solve a particular list of problems. Connections were made and over the course of about a year, a deal was struck and what was once a small independent CFD company was now owned by Autodesk.
Over the course of the last six months we have been through quite the transformation. Some good, some not so good. But, I think in the big picture, it was the best thing that could have happened to the company, the product and the people. I’m not one that drinks the kool-aid as they say, but the above video is something that inspires me and makes me proud to work for Autodesk. We are all apart of something unique and the products that we make allow engineers, designers, architect and creative folks to build a better world. That’s what motivates me to get out of bed every morning.
