Synergis Software has been a consistent presence in the engineering software community for some time. Synergis is an alternative to the larger PLM providers, focusing on a more simple approach to helping companies manage CAD and other technical files. What do they have planned for the future related to PLM? Synergis plans to stay the course and continue to provide a solution that spans needs from simple document management to what they call “practical PLM.”
This is the first vendor post in my series on PLM Strategies of the Major PLM Vendors 2015+, which is a follow up to Strategic Visions of the Major PLM Vendors 2014+. I didn’t make it to some of the smaller vendors last time, so I thought I would start with one and then circle back on the “big guys.”
History
Synergis Software is not a new company by any stretch of the imagination. They have been in the technical document management game for over 20 years. In fact, they boast that the average employee tenure is more than 8 years. They have “been there and done that” with their customers and have a sister business that resells CAD. Over that time they have built a very capable product and a strong reputation as a customer-focused vendor, taking customer success personally and staying involved with customers through implementation and beyond. One of the things that always surprises me when I talk to their customers is that they use terms like “integrity” and “good people” to describe Synergis. That isn’t something many people proactively say about their software vendors! And how many vendors would list their product capabilities as their 3rd top reason to choose their product (see graphic I lifted from their website) behind customer relationships, service, and support? Very few, and having known Synergis for some time I can say this is not just marketing hype, it is company culture.
Synergis Strategy
Synergis offers a single solution, Synergis Adept, that is designed to span a large range of needs. The solution supports everything from document management, to CAD management, to Engineering Document Management, to PDM, to a lightweight PLM environment. They serve a range of industries including manufacturing but also help energy, utilities, facilities, and other “infrastructure” businesses that have to manage CAD and technical documentation. They also tout a “practical PLM” message which includes Adept integrated to ERP systems for manufacturing.
The Synergis strategy for Adept is about scalability. They focus on being technically scalable to large or small organizations, but also to be functionally scalable to meet unique departmental needs in engineering but also in other departments. Many Adept customers start by managing CAD (frequently SolidWorks or Autodesk) but expand use over time. Synergis focuses on keeping the solution simple and cost-effective so that companies can afford to implement and use it across departments for multiple purposes. Several of their customers have shared their experience of looking for a document management solution for a department like Legal, Marketing, or Accounting and deciding that they could use their existing Adept solution and keep everything in one system. They have built some unique capabilities based on customer feedback including secure file transfers / transmittals. Adept also employs a more straight-forward approach to CAD file management, keeping files in a folder hierarchy in the vault so they can be easily understood and accessed or keeping files where they are instead of moving the files to a new server. But don’t confuse simplicity with lack of technical savvy, they also use approaches like replication based on binary differencing for performance.
While Adept may not have some of the more advanced capabilities like variant configuration management to the level that some of the big guys have, they handle the PDM basics well and provide workflow to support business processes like approvals and change management. It’s a solid solution from a company that’s been around and has stood the test of time. Their flashy strategy for the future? Keep supporting their customers and enhancing the product with unique features that make life easier for their customers. Perhaps it’s not very flashy as far as strategy is concerned, but the solution is solid and they care about their customers. If that’s appealing to your company they are worth a look. Maybe a simple, scalable, functional solution without the glitz, bells, and whistles is an attractive alternative to include in a PDM / PLM evaluation.
Related Posts
See other posts in our on PLM Strategies of the Major PLM Vendors 2015+ series:
Dassault Systèmes PLM Vision 2015+
See more in our Strategic Visions of the Major PLM Vendors 2014+ series including:
Dassault Systèmes PLM Vision 2014+
Oracle’s Vision for Agile 2014+
Also, don’t miss our The Strategic Visions of CAD/CAE Vendors 2014+