CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
1 February 2010
Product News
Alibre Announces Permanent Price Cuts
Alibre, Inc. announced price cuts to its line of 3D CAD software. Alibre develops and markets Alibre Design™, a powerful parametric 3D/2D design application. The entry level package, Alibre Design Standard, is now $97 (down from $1000) and includes full 3D design and associative 2D drawings, along with Alibre Translate (formerly $499), an import/export suite that supports Solidworks®, Pro/EngineerTM, Autodesk® InventorTM, SolidEdgeTM, Catia®, and Parasolid formats in addition to all neutral CAD formats.
All levels of Alibre Design software and software maintenance have been reduced in price, positioning Alibre products as the extreme value leader in the design and manufacturing industries. The product levels, pricing, and optional software maintenance prices are:
Alibre Design Standard - $97 (software), $97 (1 year support and updates) Includes parametric 3D design (parts and assemblies), 2D drafting, import/export options for native CAD formats and neutral formats, and 3D PDF creation.
Alibre Design Professional - $497 (software), $147 (1 year support and updates) Adds sheet metal design module, push/pull editing, standard part libraries, design configurations, photorealistic rendering, and single part FEA analysis.
Alibre Design Expert - $997 (software), $197 (1 year support and updates) Adds Windows-integrated data/product management solution, integrated physics-based motion analysis, an integrated CAM solution, and Machinist Toolbox, a shop utility offering features such as unit conversion, speeds and feeds, trig calculations, and reference materials.
"We tried the very aggressive pricing last year and found the response to be overwhelming. We also had many industry experts saying it was completely unsustainable. We are delighted to prove them wrong. By stepping out of the premium price niche into the mass market, Alibre more than made up in volume what we lost on price. The new price points allow literally anyone to own professional 3D CAD software. Adding in the file translators to every product we offer further extends anyone's ability to use their existing files directly in Alibre Design right out of the box," says Paul Grayson, Alibre Chairman and CEO.
The new price points position Alibre products to enter new markets - primarily the individual and home user - while still providing the professional grade tools higher end users expect. The DIY phenomenon, as covered by many publications such as Wired, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, presents a huge opportunity for vendors willing to cater to lower price points. People are designing things for themselves, either as products or as side projects, and benefit from professional design tools. It's been the case in the past that they simply could not afford them.
"What we've seen over the last year is a shift in the way consumers drive the technology curve. Their behavior gives vendors two options: deliver more for less, or don't deliver at all. Some vendors feel it just isn't worth it - we see it as a massive opportunity," says Max Freeman, Vice President of Marketing.
For more information on Alibre, or for a free trial of Alibre Design and Alibre CAM, please visit www.alibre.com.
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