Eliminate guesswork

The developers say Equipment Manager 6.0 will help to reduce cost and difficulty of scheduling and routing, to maximize on-time performance of critical task and delivery of service. It includes a comprehensive routing and delivery management module to handle:

• Dispatch

  This integrated function helps users to schedule equipment deliveries and pick-ups, as well as maintenance/repair service calls.

• Scheduling

  6.0 will sequence routes according to calendar pick-up or drop-off locations on a regular daily, weekly, or as-needed basis. It balances driver workloads, improves equipment turns, and reduces fuel cost.

• Proof-of-Delivery

  This capability captures customers' signatures on a mobile handheld device, which will relay verification via real-time cellular update or on-site synchronization. It changes shipping status automatically, and eliminates customer delivery challenges.

Survey tracks buying habits of engineering software users

A new market study by Cyon Research Corp. tracks responses from almost 600 users of CAD, CAE, and data management (PDM/PLM/BIM) software to find insights about customer purchasing policies, practices, and spending plans. The report, 2009 Survey of Engineering Software Users, follows a 2008 survey published earlier this year, and focuses on the factors that define preferences and expectations in such software products for the manufacturing and architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) markets.

Cyon's report explores four types of information: demographics; how firms differentiate themselves from competitors; criteria used to select/purchase technical software; and the current recession's impact on technical software spending.

The study also examines projections for spending on software maintenance, current acquisitions, planned technology acquisitions, and overall spending for product design and development. It looks at recent purchasing data as well as indicators of pending purchases. It examines the procurement processes, too, including the profiles of decision-makers, the timeframe for acquisitions, and the procurement channels.

According to Cyon Research, approximately 29% of its survey respondents reduced technical software expenditures in the first half of 2009. Just 19% expect to cut spending further in the first half of 2010, and even fewer expect to cut expenses in 2011. “These figures suggest the worst cost-cutting is behind us, but there are potentially larger reductions hanging over the market if the global economic recovery does not come soon,” according to Cyon Research.

A free, executive summary of the report is available online at http://cyonresearch.com/whitepapers.