Automotive CAD/CAM/CAE specialist set to spread wings

Automotive design software developer ICEM, the result of a management buyout from PTC last year, says it intends to continue targeting the global automotive vehicle body design market for its growth, as well as general engineering software while also moving into the up-stream styling and design review and visualisation markets. ICEM was set up in 1990 as a joint venture between CDC in the US and Volkswagen-owned Gedas to market Volkswagen’s software developments. It was then acquired in 1998 by PTC, but became a small cog in the much larger, PTC wheel, and Cureton says that made progress difficult. Lee Cureton, who formerly ran Topologies, which distributed ICEM’s Surf suite and who led the management buyout, is now CEO, says: “during its years as a division of PTC, ICEM did gain valuable knowledge and the technical expertise to effectively link ICEM Surf to next-generation, intelligent CAD systems. “Now we are an independent company, with strong financial backing, a new, experienced and highly motivated management team and a software development team and product set that are regarded as second to none.” This is an interesting one. Its products are used to capture stylists’ designs, usually from clay model, and to create and evaluate accurate surface data for downstream detailed vehicle body engineering design processes. In fact, 70% of ICEM’s business comes from the automotive sector, and the rest from consumer durable product design. Customers include: Ford and in that stable also Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover; DaimlerChrysler, and Mercedes Benz and Smart; Volkswagen Audi Group, with Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda and Bentley. It also names suppliers like Karmann, TWR, Pininfarina, Mayflower, Budd, Bertone and EDAG. ICEM now intends to spearhead its growth, says Cureton, with a new automotive OEMs and Tier One and Two suppliers sales and marketing organisation and software development, including workflow, visualisation, intelligent data features, surface data association and PDM system links. Next it intends to go more into vehicle styling, CAE and body design to close the gap between design and engineering, while also improving its functionality in the downstream automotive press tool and die design arena. Later in the spring we can expect Version 4.3 of the current ICEM Surf suite, with the PDM link and Quick Surfacing modules. Then in the summer Cureton says ICEM will release a new product for free-form design and a viewer product. October will see a new generation of Surf program.