New York February 19, 2003 EDS, a product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services provider, and Avatech Solutions, an integrator of Autodesk software, this week announced an agreement for Avatech to become a certified reseller of EDS software, expanding their reach with small and medium-sized manufacturers.
EDS made the announcement in conjunction with the Daratech Summit 2003 conference, which opened Monday in New York.
EDS and Avatech said they intend to formalize the memorandum of understanding currently in place through an official reseller contract.
Stephen Brown, president of Indirect Channels in the Americas for EDS PLM Solutions, said, "We are committed to protecting our clients' investments just as we are committed to enhancing our ability to reach and support important market segments through resellers like Avatech."
EDS cited a recent AMR Research Report titled "Product Lifecycle Management Applications Report, 2001-2006" that stated spending by companies with revenues between $30 million and $249 million increased by 85 percent from 2000 to 2001. EDS said it expects PLM spending by small and medium-sized manufacturers to continue to increase as distributed design and engineering teams expand and collaboration between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers continues to deliver cost savings and improvements in time to market.
EDS also claimed the lack of current PLM penetration into the mid-market manufacturing sector further supports the growth potential. AMR said in its report, "Although large discrete manufacturers have, in many cases, installed some sort of packaged PDM system (a subset of PLM), these are a very small minority of the overall addressable manufacturing base."
Donald "Scotty" Walsh, CEO, Avatech Solutions, concluded, "This agreement is consistent with Avatech's strategy to expand its market focus and build upon its Autodesk offerings. Furthermore, EDS' open and flexible approach to PLM ideally aligns with the needs of our current Autodesk customers and prospects.
