The Forum, organized by the LEDAS Company, brought together the major developers, solution providers, distributors, and customers of CAD/PLM, as well as researchers working in this area.
New results and recent trends of further development presented by world leaders in CAD/PLM systems were of intense interest. Among them are the bright talks by the leading specialists and managers of the Russian representatives and subdivisions of UGS PLM Solutions, PTC and Open CASCADE Vyacheslav Klimov, Viktor Abakumov, Roman Lygin, and the top-managers of the Dassault Systemes Dominique Florack, Francis Bernard, and Arnauld Ribadeau-Dumas. Active participation of practically all leading Russian companies (including ASCON, ADEM, ProPro Group, Top Systems, CSoft Development) not only gave rise to a natural interest of their regional clients but also showed a true involvement of their Russian colleagues-competitors and foreign participants. The fact that the major solution providers, such as RAND Worldwide, COLLA and Hetnet Consulting Corp., took part in the Forum, is an evidence of their growing interest in the Siberian market.
One of the most noticeable talks of the isiCAD-2004 was the presentation made by Nikolay Lyaskovsky (KZK - Krasnoyarsk Harvest-combine Plant). He presented successful results and experience of practical deployment of PLM-solutions. Large industrial enterprises, such as NAPO (Novosibirsk), KZK, Electromechanical Plant (Tomsk), KriogenMash (Balashikha), and Novokramatorsk Machine-Constructing Plant actively participated in the Forum, which shows a practical interest of industry in such events.
The scientific session consisted of talks delivered by world-recognized experts in the main research directions that form the basis for new solutions in PLM - Dominique Michelucci, Jean-Paul Laumond, Baker Kearfott, Xiao Shan Gao, etc.
The president of Open Design Alliance Evan Yares gave an analytical talk on the problems of current CAD/PLM technology.
According to both the Forum participants and professional press, isiCAD-2004 has become a unique (at least for Russia) event. Bringing together the representatives of all parties interested in CAD/PLM development and providing them with the opportunity to communicate personally, the Forum filled up the gap between scientific-and-practical conferences where scientists communicate with each other and, at best, with R&D representatives of companies on the one hand, and industrial exhibitions as a meeting place for vendors and customers, on the other hand. In many opinions, Forum was evidently fruitful - the great majority of its participants are ready to come to the next isiCAD-Forum.
- Here are some comments of the isiCAD participants: it was very valuable to meet the ideologists of the software products that we use in our work; I've learned many things that were hidden in a blackbox; a great opportunity to see the developers, researchers and customers at the same time and place; I liked careful planning of the event and easy access to complete information; warm atmosphere and informal environment of the Forum was very suitable for fruitful business meetings and discussions.
David Levin, CEO of LEDAS, says "Forum isiCAD-2004 gave impetus to the development and deployment of CAD/PLM technologies at the vast East Russia market with its very promising potentialities. Its integrating atmosphere was mutually fruitful for traditional market competitors, for the representatives of different genres (who usually have not enough contacts) and, surely, it made possible for users to get a profound and system knowledge about the market. Based on our own first experience, as well as on encouraging estimations of the Forum guests, we'll continue our activity started with the isiCAD-2004. High prestige of its participants interested in such a continuation enables us to attract more visitors from industry to next isicad events."
As a result of preparatory activity and the Forum itself, the LEDAS Company is going to support a network isicad-community, which includes, at least, all participants of the isiCAD-2004 Forum. A version of the isicad-community web site is already available at http://isicad.ru. There one can find many electronic versions of isicad-2004 presentations, a photo gallery of this event, PLM news, etc. The web site is intended for exchange of information, ideas, and problems related to development of CAD/PLM technologies and their industrial applications. LEDAS invites everybody to visit the isicad-site, to have access to the isicad-community resources and participate not only in its activity, but in preparation of the next isicad-Forum, also.