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Russ Henke
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Russ Henke |
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3/2/2007 6:15 AM |
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Thoughts of interest to COFES and COFES attendees |
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Bright Spot |
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By Russ Henke on
9/20/2008 6:27 AM
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As our country drowns in its most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression, it’s easy to forget the dozens of other ills from which the nation is suffering, all brought on by government and corporate greed, incompetence, and deregulation, or a combination of all three.
Our crumbling infrastructure of dams, highways and bridges is one of those illnesses written about in previous blog entries in this space. For example, see the August 4, 2008 blog entry entitled, “Interstate 35-W Bridge Collapse -- One Year Later.”
However, one bright spot occurred this week in this sea of darkness. The new Interstate 35W bridge is finally open in Minneapolis, thirteen and a half months after the last one collapsed into the Mississippi River. Lest we forget, the August 1, 2007 bridge collapse killed 13 people and injured 145.
On September 18, 2008, hundreds of vehicles lined up on both sides, som ...
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More EDA and MCAD Collaboration |
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By Russ Henke on
9/19/2008 6:15 AM
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In a blog entry in this space on August 2, 2008, we reported that the acquisition of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) vendor ANSOFT by Mechanical Computer Aided Analysis (MCAE) vendor ANSYS had been fully realized.
The concluding paragraphs of that August 2nd blog entry read as follows:
“While the notion of offering combinations of mechanical and electronics software tools is not new (reference Applicon in the early 80’s and Mentor Graphics PCB Division in the early 90’s), the combination of ANSYS and ANSOFT may arguably give ANSYS one of the most comprehensive, independent engineering simulation software suites in today’s industry.
Look for other deals similar to this one to occur between MCAE/MCAD and EDA vendors going forward.”
Well, yesterday September 18, 2008, a fresh collaborative deal between EDA vendor Mentor Graphics and MCAD vendor Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) was announce ...
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Poster Child |
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By Russ Henke on
9/18/2008 4:42 PM
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If an observer had to choose just one example among the dozens of disastrous ills affecting this nation’s ongoing financial crises, the poster child may well be the exorbitant pay that corporate executives accept from obliging boards of directors and hapless shareholders, including current salaries and golden parachutes, even when the executives' companies are performing horribly.
It may be worth your attention to read Nicholas Kristof’s Op-Ed piece published in the September 18, 2008 New York Times, “Need a Job? $17,000 an Hour. No Success Required."
If you missed it, click on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/opinion/18kristof.html?th&emc=th
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The Big 3 EDA Vendors to remain the Big 3 – for now! |
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By Russ Henke on
8/16/2008 6:16 AM
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In the June 29, 2008 blog entry in this space, entitled, “Will the ‘Big 3’ EDA Vendors soon become the ‘Big 2’ ??”, we commented on the bid by Cadence to buy EDA rival Mentor Graphics. See http://cofes.com/Community/Blogs/tabid/272/EntryID/142/Default.aspx
Well, it looks like the ‘Big 3’ will be around, at least for awhile.
On August 15, 2008, Cadence finally grew tired of the effort and called off its $16 per share ($1.6 billion) bid to acquire Mentor.
Shareholders immediately expressed their opinions of this news. Shares of Cadence surged 7% during the August 15 trading session to close at $7.64 a share, while shares of Mentor tanked, falling 26% to close at $10.33.
From the June 29 blog entry, readers will recall that Mentor had immediately rebuffed Cadence’s original $16 a share offer. In any case, industry insiders say that since then, Cadence was having trouble obtaining reasonable funding t ...
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Interesting Trend – will the USA Follow? |
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By Russ Henke on
8/5/2008 7:34 AM
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One in five German manufacturers pulling production out of China:
On August 4, 2008, Germany's Der Spiegel reported that "China lost its status as the world's cheapest country for manufacturing some time ago." Now momentum is "shifting away from outsourcing to the Far East, with one in five Germany companies pulling production out of China."
Chinese workers, they say, are getting too expensive. Many German companies cite "fast-climbing labor costs and pesky production quality problems" as reasons they are either "searching for countries with lower wages [or] returning production to Germany."
Hans Röhm of the consulting firm Deloitte said that "the companies that are most likely to return to Germany are those that outsourced production out of cost considerations -- including the consumer goods industry and textiles, which both produce in mass quantities."
Howev ...
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Interstate 35-W Bridge Collapse -- One Year Later |
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By Russ Henke on
8/4/2008 4:59 AM
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On August 1, 2007, the entire span of the Minneapolis Interstate 35-W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed, with numerous fatalities and injuries, a disaster later reportedly traced to an original engineering design flaw in the gusset plates connecting the underpinning beams. (Over the months since, corrosion and rust have also been cited as possible culprits).
Back then, the 35-W collapse was discussed in several blog entries in this space.
The Missouri Department of Transportation recently released a report that raises further concerns:
- One out of every four bridges now in use in the United States is classified as “structurally deficient,” just as the I-35W bridge was classified before it failed. That’s about 152,000 bridges, and counting.
- Within the next 15 years almost half of the US bridges will exceed 50 years of age, beyond the life span for which they were des ...
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ANSYS plus ANSOFT Deal is Done ! |
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By Russ Henke on
8/2/2008 7:33 AM
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In the June 29, 2008 blog entry in this space, entitled, “Will the ‘Big 3’ EDA Vendors soon become the ‘Big 2’??”, it was parenthetically mentioned that MCAE vendor ANSYS was in the process of absorbing EDA vendor ANSOFT.
On July 8, we reported that ANSYS had received SEC clearance for the ANSOFT acquisition on June 23, 2008, and that a special meeting of the ANSOFT stockholders to approve the transaction had been set for July 23, 2008.
Well, the deal is done! On July 31, ANSYS announced that it had successfully completed the acquisition of ANSOFT in a series of mergers for approximately 12.2 million shares of ANSYS common stock, including 1.9 million shares pursuant to assumed stock options, and approximately $387 million in cash, plus expenses, using a combination of existing cash and proceeds from approximately $355 million of committed bank financing to fund the transaction.
Dr. Zoltan Cendes, founder and Chief Technolog ...
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ANSYS Added to Russell 1000 Index |
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By Russ Henke on
7/8/2008 9:07 AM
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In the June 29, 2008 blog entry in this space, entitled, “Will the ‘Big 3’ EDA Vendors soon become the ‘Big 2’??”, it was parenthetically mentioned that MCAE vendor ANSYS was in the process of absorbing EDA vendor ANSOFT.
ANSYS and ANSOFT had agreed that ANSYS would acquire ANSOFT for a purchase price of approximately $832 million in a mix of cash and ANSYS common stock based on the 10-day trailing average closing price of ANSYS common stock prior to the original announcement of the pending transaction on March 31, 2008.
ANSYS received SEC clearance for the ANSOFT acquisition on June 23, 2008. A special meeting of the ANSOFT stockholders to approve the transaction has been set for July 23, 2008.
Meanwhile, on July 8, 2008, ANSYS announced that it has been listed on this year's Russell 1000(R) stock index. ANSYS was one of six companies in the technology sector just added to the Russell large-cap index.< ...
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Will the ‘Big 3’ EDA Vendors soon become the ‘Big 2’ ?? |
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By Russ Henke on
6/29/2008 7:43 AM
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Mergers & Acquisitions are hardly rare in the world of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) or Computer Aided Design (CAD). Indeed, seldom does a quarter pass without one Electronic Design Automation (EDA) vendor buying another. The same is true in the Mechanical CAE and Mechanical CAD/PLM industries.
Indeed, being acquired by one of the top three vendors in EDA or in MCAD is a favorite exit strategy for small start-ups that develop a specialized or breakthrough technology. This exit path is especially attractive as the IPO market for venture-backed companies dries up.
While EDA companies usually buy smaller EDA companies, and MCAD companies likewise, it’s not unheard of for crossover to occur. For example, MCAE vendor ANSYS recently acquired EDA vendor ANSOFT.
More unusual, however, is for one of the leading EDA or MCAD vendor companies to acquire one of the other members of their respective oligopolies.
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Just in time for the 2008 Summer Solstice |
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By Russ Henke on
6/19/2008 5:12 PM
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The latest the AP-Ipsos survey results are just in, measured in mid-June. And guess what! More Americans than ever say the country is going in the wrong direction! Seventy six percent (76%) now say the country is definitely on the wrong track. That's up from 71% in April and 66% near the end of 2007.
Some 17% still (inexplicably) insist that the country is going in the right direction. That’s the lowest percentage of die-hards ever recorded by the survey.
The overall level of US pessimism is the worst in almost 30 years, worse than Bush 43’s first recession, worse than Bush 41’s recession, and worse than Reagan’s economic dips. Consumer confidence alone is now the lowest it’s been in 28 years. Most blame the current rising food and gas prices, falling home values and unending war. Imagine that! Asked about Bush 43’s handling of the US economy, 72% said they disapproved.
"Fo ...
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