CIMdata Blog

Third Module of the 2026 PLM MAR Report Series

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 22 July 2026—CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announces the release of the CIMdata PLM Market and Solution Provider Analysis Report, the third of five modules of the CIMdata 2026 Market Analysis Report Series. The MAR Series provides detailed information and in-depth analysis on the worldwide PLM market during 2025. The series contains analyses of major trends and issues; revenues of leading PLM solution providers and revenue analyses for geographical regions, industry sectors, and historical and projected data on market...

Focuses on Overall PLM Market Results in China for the calendar year 2025

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 16 July 2026—CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announces the release of the CIMdata 2026 China PLM Market Analysis Report in English and Simplified Chinese.

This report provides detailed information and in-depth analysis of the People’s Republic of China’s (“China”) rapidly evolving PLM market for calendar year 2025, with forecasts from 2026 through 2030. The report discusses major PLM trends and issues, PLM software and services purchasing investments, PLM adoption across various industry sectors, and market growth forecasts for...

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How Agentic AI Helps Manufacturers Tame Product Variant Complexity

Takeaways

• The traditional engineer-to-order (ETO) model is hitting a breaking point. Relying on “clone-and-modify” practices does not scale; instead, it triggers a costly “variant explosion” where a lack of configuration visibility can cause, by some industry estimates, 30% to 50% engineering waste and constant duplication of existing parts and sub-assemblies.
• While a transition to CTO is essential to combat variant complexity, most organizations are not ready for a disruptive, clean-sheet modular architecture overhaul. The messy reality consists of fragmented legacy BOMs, inconsistent product structures, and...

In the rapidly evolving world of engineering software, a significant transformation is underway. The traditional role of simulation and analysis (S&A) as a pure validation tool is being redefined. According to CIMdata's newly released 2026 S&A Market Analysis report, simulation has officially become a core strategic driver of continuous enterprise optimization.

This shift marks a pivotal moment for the industry, and understanding its implications is crucial for stakeholders at every level. Here are some of the key trends reshaping the landscape.

The Move to "Platformization"

One of the most notable trends...

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Industrial Intelligence: The convergence of the comprehensive digital twin, lifecycle intelligence, and adaptive execution

Takeaways

• Realize LIVE 2026 keynotes and sessions covered the breadth and depth of Siemens Xcelerator solution portfolio, from planning, design, simulation, manufacturing, supply chain, and of course, AI across discrete and process industries.
• The conference’s highlight was the announcement of Intelligence Center X—an agentic enterprise platform for AI model and application development across all industry segments. It supports the key factors needed for effective AI-driven product development and manufacturing applications, including intelligence, action, orchestration, context, and governance.
• Core PLM solutions, including...

The upcoming webinar will show how to operationalize AI to deliver measurable business outcomes.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 7 July 2026—CIMdata, Inc., the leading global research, consulting, and education firm specializing in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and the digital transformation it enables, announces a free educational webinar titled “From AI Experimentation to Enterprise Value: AI Governance Strategies for Trusted AI at Scale.”

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th, at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) and will explore practical approaches to AI governance to help organizations accelerate adoption while maintaining...

The S&A market grew by 8.5% to $11.67 billion in 2025

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, USA, 2 July 2026— CIMdata, Inc., the leading global research, consulting, and education firm specializing in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and the digital transformation it enables, announces the release of the CIMdata Simulation and Analysis (S&A) Market Analysis Report.

This report expands on the S&A market analysis conducted as part of the CIMdata 2026 PLM Market Analysis Report (MAR) Series. The well-known PLM MAR Series provides detailed information and in-depth analysis on the worldwide PLM market during calendar year 2025. The 2026 S&A MAR contains updated and extensive...

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Integrating industrial AI capabilities for development through production

On Monday, 29 June 2026 Siemens and IFS announced a strategic partnership to help manufacturers connect engineering intelligence with operational reality. Siemens and IFS state that this partnership is intended to help deliver productivity and adaptability for manufacturers by connecting design, production and asset performance in one continuous loop—from engineering intent to operational outcome. It will also apply industrial AI to help optimize their production assets across the entire product lifecycle.

By bringing together Siemens’ industrial AI, engineering, automation, and manufacturing execution focused solutions with...