PTC, Siemens, and Dassault Systèmes Take the Lead in ABI Research’s PLM for Large Manufacturers Competitive Ranking

The new Competitive Assessment by global technology intelligence firm ABI Research provides an in-depth and unbiased examination of the solutions offered by 11 Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution suppliers. The analysis focused on ten criteria segmented across innovation and implementation. These include the product's deployment offering, tailored solution, use of new technology (AI, generative AI, AR/VR), compliance adherence, and external software integrations. In addition, the report evaluates tangible impact, industry penetration, software scalability, user experience, and market share.

The companies evaluated and ranked are:

Market Leaders: PTC, Siemens, Dassault Systèmes
Mainstream: Autodesk, ARAS, SAP, Infor, Oracle
Followers: Epicor, Propel, NEC

“Overall, the PLM software market is a well-defined ecosystem with clear industry leaders for both process and discrete manufacturing industries. PLM vendors are capitalizing on the emerging trends of SaaS deployment along with low/no code customization, allowing for more agile and personalized experiences. Vendors which prioritize and invest in these trends are rising competitors, however the strongest solutions come from vendors which provide the entire suite of core functionality in tandem with innovation,” explains James Iversen, Industrial & Manufacturing Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

PTC (Arena, Windchill, and Windchill+) came out on top in the competitive assessment, leading the implementation criteria with strong user experience and tangible impact being the criteria that drove the scores. PTC had a great innovation ranking, placing second, with strong points in deployment offerings and compliance adherence.

Siemens (Teamcenter, Teamcenter X) was narrowly second overall but took the lead in innovation. The highest scores came from new technology and external software integration. For implementation, Siemens scored second highest, with the most notable criterion being scaled solutions and market share, where Siemens led the pack.

Dassault Systèmes (Enovia) placed third in both innovation and implementation, leading to an overall third-place ranking. Dassault Systèmes has high scores across the board; however, it was not a sole leader in any criterion, scoring joint highest in deployment offerings, tailored solutions, and external software integrations.

“Not all companies are ready for the SaaS transition and prefer to stay with the tried and true on-premises or hybrid deployment. Mainstream vendors can improve ranking by offering all deployment methods for respective PLM solutions. Followers must focus on broadening industry penetration and market share through underrepresented manufacturing verticals, such as chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Competing with the leaders for large contracts in discrete manufacturing such as automotive, aerospace, and electronics will not yield fruitful returns,” Iversen concludes.

These findings are from ABI Research’s PLM for Large Manufacturers competitive ranking report. This report is part of the company’s  Industrial and Manufacturing Technologies research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Competitive Ranking reports offer a comprehensive analysis of implementation and innovation strategies to provide unparalleled insight into a company’s performance and standing compared to its competitors.