Coming Together - An Engineering Masterpiece

There are many examples of how competition leads us to strive towards new goals and challenges, seeing as a result great creations that contribute to our daily lives. Competition is regarded as a good thing where the market can sustain it. Sometimes as part of this process, key events happen that bring together former competitors giving rise to extraordinary opportunities. The question that often arises is, “What are the key factors that make the best of these opportunities?”. Is it the products themselves, the technologies, the environment, the people perhaps? Let’s look at a prime example.  Valor vPlan meets RSI CAMCAD, in the environment of Mentor Graphics. This amazing combination is now available as a single product line, with an understated title, “vPlan v2.1″. What a combination. Past rivals now working together combining their respective strengths . What has been going on and how does this affect customers?

Consider the products. Valor’s vPlan has long represented excellence as a solution for CAD data management, SMT programming, Assembly Documentation and DFM for Assembly, which is arguably the best in the industry. CAMCAD also has been long recognized as a “best in class” system for CAD data management, DFT, Test and Inspection programming. Is this a case then where 2+2=4, perhaps just 3, or maybe 5 or more? Such is the effort that has been put into these products competitively to make them the best that they can be, a certain element of compatibility, through ODB++ technology,  has ironically crept in over the years. This element has been the key differentiator to enable us to build much higher value as a complete product suite as compared to the sum of the component parts. vPlan v2.1 really offers now a complete PCB Manufacturing Engineering solution, strong and dependable, meeting all of the key needs of customers.

Consider also the people. I personally have had the pleasure working with both the Valor and RSI teams in the past as individual companies, both teams consisting of strong, knowledgeable and professional people. Sharing a drink with the new combined team after busy day at a trade show in Las Vegas shortly after the acquisition, bizarre! It was either going to work, or go horribly wrong. I had 911 on speed dial, just in case. I didn’t need it. What came out was the combination of strengths and passion of both teams working together, rather than adversary over past differences. I like the 21st Century attitude!

So what does this mean for customers? A firm foundation has now been set. Current customers of either vPlan and CAMCAD have a real value proposition in front of them with vPlan v2.1. The ability to manage all aspects of manufacturing engineering from one product line gives immense benefit opportunities to truly master the challenges that have to be dealt with day after day. After all, how can manufacturing expect to run effectively unless the engineering data which is directing the processes and material flow is the best that it can be?  An engineering masterpiece. Thanks guys, you make my job real easy…..

Look out next for additional benefits coming along with further evolution of vPlan integration to design and MES application enhancement. This is all getting very interesting…..