Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes SE () (abbreviated 3DS) is a French software corporation which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and other 3D related products.

Founded in 1981, it is headquartered in Vélizy-Villacoublay, France, and has around 20,000 employees in 140 countries.

History

1980s

Dassault Systèmes (3DS) grew out of the aerospace industry’s search for more sophisticated drafting tools to streamline the development process and aid in the increasing complexity of aviation design. Dassault Systemes spun out in 1981 (as part of Dassault Group.) to develop and market Dassault's 3D surface design software CATI, later renamed CATIA. That same year, 3DS signed a sales and marketing agreement with IBM, allowing IBM to resell the CATIA CAD software.

1990s

In the 1990s, 3DS’ software was used to develop seven out of every ten new airplanes and four out of every ten new cars worldwide. Major players in the aviation and automotive industries, including Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Boeing, were able to design and mock-up their products in CATIA rather than using CAD programs and physical prototypes. The Boeing 777, the Falcon 2000 business jet, and the Rafale jet fighter were designed using CATIA.

In 1997, following success in launching their initial public offering (IPO), the company acquired SolidWorks and Deneb Robotics, which later became part of the DELMIA brand, and additional software to build toward product lifecycle management (PLM). The SolidWorks acquisition strengthened 3DS’ 2D drafting capacity and provided entry into the Microsoft market, while other acquisitions added digital manufacturing software to the product lineup. These acquisitions paved the way for 3DS to introduce a total manufacturing system with their subsidiary brand, DELMIA, in 1998. The new offering enabled the access of data across the spectrum of manufacturing processes, while remaining independent of the CAD environment.

By the end of 1998, the CAD software industry vendors were devising strategies to become internet-enabled. The main focus was to enable viewing of 3D models in web browsers and building interfaces to product data management (PDM) systems. 3DS was one of the leaders in enabling these functions for their users. The company benefited from their experience integrating CAD software across networks for the Boeing 777 project, and had already made moves toward internet-enabled CAD software in 1996 with CATIA Conferencing Groupware; which enabled review and annotation of models using the internet. The introduction of ENOVIA further marked their industry-leading place by providing internet-enabled PDM and 3D product lifecycle management. 3DS’ acquisitions continued into 1999, when two CAD software vendors were purchased: Matra Datavision and Smart Solutions. Also in 1999, 3DS released CATIA Version 5, which was the first version to be fully implemented in the Microsoft Windows environment.

2000s

As the demand for digital and virtual experiences increased in 2000, 3DS launched DELMIA, which provides digital manufacturing tools to drive innovation and efficiency through virtual planning, simulating, and modeling of production processes.

The mid-2000s heralded a series of acquisitions for 3DS to improve their product offerings and expand their market reach, and 3DS launched new software and tools. In 2005, 3DS sought to improve the quality of 3D interactions and simulations. First they acquired Abaqus, a US-based company specializing in software that allows engineers to simulate and observe the performance of components in products.

Then they acquired Virtools, a comprehensive software solution that enables companies to give life to 3D by creating applications with rich game-like 3D interactivity. The following year, the company extended its market reach into high-tech, consumer products, and medical devices through the acquisition of MatrixOne, which would be linked with ENOVIA. In 2007, subsidiary brand 3DVIA was launched to create a social network and content community for 3D artists and modelers.

CATIA under the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables users to go beyond physical product definition to model any product in the context of its real-life behavior. Systems, architects, engineers, designers and all contributors collaborate on fit, form, function, and customer experience.

Products and brands

Before 2000, the company focused on 3D design software with CATIA and SolidWorks. Over the next decade, new brands were launched: ENOVIA for product data management and collaboration, DELMIA for manufacturing and global operations, and Simulia for realistic simulation.

The company later added EXALEAD (for information intelligence and search), NETVIBES (for business analytics), 3DEXCITE (for marketing), GEOVIA (for modeling the planet), BIOVIA (for modeling the biosphere), and MEDIDATA (for managing clinical trials).

3DEXPERIENCE platform

In 2012 the company launched the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to connect its various software applications and enable global interoperability and cross-functional collaboration. To expand their capabilities and industries served through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3DS completed a number of acquisitions, including:

* Simpoe S.A.S. (2013)
* Realtime Technology (2014)
* Accelrys (2014)
* Quintiq (2014)
* CST (2016)
* Outscale (majority stake, 2016)
* Centric (majority stake, 2018)
* IQMS (2018)
* Medidata Solutions (2019)
* NuoDB (2020)

As the world turns its attention to building a sustainable economy, 3DS launched its life cycle assessment solution embedded in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It covers the entire value chain, the cloud-based solution integrates the ecoinvent database on the impacts of more than 18,000
industrial and agricultural processes, into virtual design, product development, manufacturing, engineering, operations and logistics.

People and culture

3DS has 20,000 employees across 140 countries: 39% are based in Europe; 30% in Asia-Oceania; and 31% in the Americas. Geographic headquarters are located in Paris ( Vélizy-Villacoublay, France), Tokyo, Japan and Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts). As of December 31, 2019, approximately 39% of employees worked in R&D.

In recent years, 3DS has been named Forbes’ World’s Most Innovative Companies, Corporate Knights’ World's Most Sustainable Corporations, Forbes' World's Best Employers and Fortune’s Future 50 companies with the strongest long-term growth potential.

Corporate information

Holdings

The list below sets forth the company's main subsidiaries and also indicates the percentage equity interest and voting rights directly or indirectly held by Dassault Systèmes SA.

* Dassault Data Services SAS (France) – 95%
* Dassault Systèmes Americas Corp. (US) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Services LLC (US) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Deutschland GmbH (Germany) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (US) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes K.K. (Japan) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Enovia Corp. (US) – 100%
* SolidWorks Japan K.K. (Japan) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Delmia Corp. (US) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Korea Corp. (Korea) – 100%
* Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corp. (US) – 100%

Company management

*Chairman of the Board of Directors: Charles Edelstenne
*Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: Bernard Charlès
*Chief Operating Officer: Pascal Daloz
*Chief Financial Officer: Rouven Bergmann
*President, Research & Development: Dominique Florack
*General Secretary: Thibault de Tersant
*Chief People and Information Officer: Laurence Barthès
*Industry Solutions, Field Marketing, Global Affairs: Florence Verzelen
*Research & Development: Florence Hu‑Aubigny
*3DS Global Brands: Philippe Laufer
*Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia: Olivier Ribet
*Asia-Pacific: Samson Khaou
*North America Managing Director: Erik Swedberg
*Business Platform Experience: Elisa Prisner
*Corporate Equity & Communications: Victoire de Margerie

Market data

The shareholders as listed in the annual financial report for 2019:
* Public – 49.64%
* GIMD (Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault) – 40.50%
* Charles Edelstenne – 5.99%
* Bernard Charlès – 1.5%
* Treasury stock and indirect treasury stock – 1.73%
* Directors and senior management – 0.63%.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dassault Systemes
Companies based in Paris-Saclay
Companies listed on Euronext Paris
CAC 40
Software companies of France
Dassault Group