SolidWorks to Get New Headquarter

Should you choose to drive from 200 Baker Avenue, Concord, Massachusetts, to 175 Wyman Street, Waltham, Massachusetts, you’ll get to your destination in approximately 15 minutes. The distance, as calculated in Google Maps, is just over ten miles. But many SolidWorks devotees will see the move of SolidWorks’ headquarter from Baker Avenue to Wyman Street as more than a relocation. To them, it may signal a culture shift. Come mid-2011, you’ll find SolidWorks’ headquarter inside parent company Dassault Systemes’ North America headquarter (Dassault NA HQ), a 320,000 sq. ft. complex on Wynman Street awaiting occupants.

Jeff Drew, VP of fama PR representing Dassault, explained, “[Dassault NA HQ] will combine the current separate offices/HQs of SolidWorks, ENOVIA, and 3DVIA into one location. There will be no brand elimination or changes of that sort. This is just about putting people together under the same roof ... [italics added for emphasis].”

The long-term lease Dassault signed has been called “the largest lease transaction in Greater Boston in 2010.” When it outgrows 175 Wyman Street, Dassault plans to expand into nearby 185 Wyman Street. Both buildings are certified for LEED Gold.

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said, “We are thrilled that global technology leader Dassault Systemes chose to locate its new Americas corporate campus here in Massachusetts. This decision speaks to the economic opportunity, world class talent,  and innovation that are unique to the Commonwealth ...”

“One of the main goals [of the site consolidation] was to increase Dassault’s presence,” noted Drew. “They wanted a location that would give Dassault a strong corporate and environmentally friendly presence. The goal was a campus setting, where Dassault would be the sole occupant, and could be visible to the outside world, an attractive place to work, and accommodate current needs and future growth.”

Perks for new occupants include a 27-acre green space courtyard,  a gourmet cafeteria, and an exercise facility. The new site is close to Boston Airport. It brings Dassault’s management team closer to the SIMULIA team located in Warwick, Rhode Island.

SolidWorks became part of the global PLM (product lifecycle management) giant Dassault in 1997 after an acquisition. In the ensuing decade, Dassault let SolidWorks operate independently. Whereas SolidWorks is commonly used by small and mid-sized manufacturing firms, Dassault’s higher-end product CATIA reaches into larger enterprises. SolidWorks is respected for its singular focus on engineering and design; Dassault’s PLM portfolio caters to a much wider audience, spanning fashion, life sciences, ship building, and game development.

In the last several years, Dassault began making an effort to introduce SolidWorks users, who are classic engineers, to its other products. For instance, some SolidWorks resellers now offer 3DVIA Composer, a package for publishing interactive 3D documents, aimed at less technical users. Though unconfirmed, it’s widely speculated that technology components from Dassault’s CATIA V6 may soon find their ways into SolidWorks.

The new campus is designed for 800 employees, according to the announcement. But the real question is, can SolidWorks users facilitate Dassault’s growing influence on their beloved software?