Dexma

The cloud solution of DEXMA is focused on medium-sized enterprises where so far completely there are no processes integrating different stages of product lifecycle and on absolutely small project collectives. Support of social mechanisms not the main distinctive feature of DEXMA. It is absolutely new development — the application for process management of design and production according to the SaaS model. For its development and promotion in the Ascon group the independent structure — Dexma Labs is created.

2012: Start of the beta

In September, 2012 announced Ascon start of the beta of a cloud management system for design of DEXMA focused, first of all, on foreign users on average and small business, told CNews in the company. The "number one" market for which with its help Ascon expects to come is the USA, the second priority market - Germany.^[1]

The company exists since 1989 and is engaged in development of engineering software and integration in the field of automation of project and productive activity. Revenue Askona in 2011 made 707 million rubles, having increased approximately by 7% in relation to 2010. In addition to Russia the company in the market of the CIS countries and a number of the European countries, and at the end of 2011 opened office in Germany.

In Askona the internal startup of DEXMA Labs is engaged in development of DEXMA. Her head Nikolay Nyrkov told CNews that the main functionality of a cloud solution allows to exercise planning and control of design processes, to manage data on a product (its structure, configurations and documentation), to work collectively with electronic documentation and data and also to manage reference books of the components and materials applied at design. Since 2013 the functionality on production management which will allow to describe logistic and production processes also will be added to it, to plan, to perform and control them and also to transfer data to accounting financial systems, Nyrkov says.

In a product line Askona already exists a "stationary" PLM complex of systems based on the solution "the Pilot: PLM" which, in addition to the most this system, includes different application solutions and also reference books. The main difference of DEXMA from "the Pilot:" the head of its development, in addition to "overcast", calls PLM approach "all in one": in a single system also management tools design, and reference books of components and materials are initially available.

Besides, "Pilot: PLM" is focused on the Russian standards of production and is integrated with the Russian reference books while Dexma - on international standards of design and uses the globalized reference books with the nomenclature of the international suppliers. In new software other logic is also used, Nyrkov says: work of the user is carried out through a prism of the business processes typical for industrial enterprise. On the portal of the project in addition to a cloud PLM system the functionality of selection of teams of engineers-freelancers is also available.

The basic version allowing to exercise design management is available free of charge on the DEXMA portal. It can be used for creation of virtual project teams, the organization of design and data storage, explain in Askona. In this option during the work the general reference books and databases are used. Corporate candidate solution will be paid and since 2013 will be provided in two options - design management and the complete version - design management and also production and logistics. The first will cost $25 for one user a month, the second - $49.

In addition to a possibility of acquisition of advanced functionality among differences of the corporate version from free in Askona call an opportunity for the enterprises to use own bases during the work with a system and also to develop it on own servers for work in the local area network.

Main competitors of DEXMA in the company see a cloud service of Autodesk of PLM 360, Arena service from the company of the same name and also n! Fuse from Dassault Systemes. "In competitive struggle Dexma expects more complete and "end-to-end" covering of business processes of industrial enterprise and also softer price policy", - Nyrkov says.

PLM Autodesk service 360 was started at the beginning of 2012. As well as in Dexma, in it two options of a subscription - with basic and advanced functionality at the price of $ $25 and 75 for the user in a month respectively are available.

The Russian users will be able to use Dexma too, however the local market is not listed priority, note in Askona. "The solution is focused on the industrial SMB-companies, and in Russia not really there is a lot of like those, - Nyrkov explains. - Besides, in Russia the culture of use of clouds was not created yet".

2013

Start of DEXMA in commercial operation

Ascon brought the cloud management system for design and production of DEXMA developed by the division of DEXMA Labs which is a part of the company into commercial operation. The head of this division Nikolay Nyrkov told TAdviser about it in May, 2013.

Service is available in free and commercial versions. The first allows unlimited number of users of the enterprise to exercise design management on the DEXMA portal and to use the general reference books of products and materials. Commercial in addition provides a possibility of use of own bases during the work with a system, functionality of production management and logistics and a possibility of deployment of DEXMA on own servers of the customer.

In addition to the main opportunities of DEXMA also provides free functionality of employment exchange, allowing the enterprises to offer the services and to find new orders and also to look for and invite specialists in the projects.

Beta testing of DEXMA was conducted since September, 2012. Since that moment, by May, 2013, in it about 150 users, about 2/3 who were made by users of Russia were registered. Among registered also there are companies from Israel, Germany, India and the USA.

Nikolay Nyrkov notes that Russia, Germany and North America are the key markets for service, and its target audience – manufacturing enterprises numbering staff up to 250 people and the projecting companies numbering engineers up to 20-25 people. The Russian market is for Dexma among priority because of familiarity of the company about needs of local customers and also language and temporary factors, the head of DEXMA Labs notes. Among factors for benefit of priority of Germany he calls essential market sizes and "clear model of the organization of engineering", and North America – volumes and high reference character of this market.

Having proved in North America, the company has an opportunity to become known around the world, explain in Dexma Labs. At the same time Nikolay Nyrkov recognizes that to compete with the American players – very difficult task. As the main competitor the company considers a cloud service of Autodesk of PLM 360.

The head of DEXMA Labs considers that among advantages of their service in comparison with Autodesk there is PLM 360 the bigger bias in joint work with files, more flexible price model and a number of functions which are not implemented at the main competitor in pure form is: for example, control block production. Nikolay Nyrkov also noted that in practice by main competitors of DEXMA unspecialized solutions of type are Excel and Dropbox.

The head of DEXMA Labs expects that until the end of 2013 service will contain "several dozens" of commercial customers. Add to the companies that to promotion, sales and user support of DEXMA in Russia are going to attract partners, and in the USA since beta launch already work with the partner who helps the company to organize promotion and sales of service in local market.

Ascon was started by cloud crowdsourcing for engineers

In September, 2013 Ascon released the new version of a cloud PLM system of DEXMA. Its key innovation in the company call the technology of crowdsourcing "Open projects" allowing the developer organizer to create the project visible to all users and guests of DEXMA, and to any specialist or the fan - to join this project and to make the contribution in the form of the specific design solution.

The change history of files in the course of joint work over the project at the same time remains, and the end result - structure of a product with the attached files, there takes place approval of the initiator of the project.

"Open projects practice in the world of software development long ago and successfully. We thought - why not to make an analog in the world of engineering?", -the project manager Nikolay Nyrkov explains.

One more reason to develop the Open Projects function he calls the fact that many users after registration in a system practically do not conduct real work on projects. Case can be that users do not see the tangible end result - a product with its structure, documents and the work plan, assumed in the company. In open projects such result can be seen, Nikolay Nyrkov notes.

Among other new features of DEXMA in Ascon call existence of hints for the chief designer in attempt of repeated issue of an object in work at whom this object already is in work with an opportunity to cancel an investment, to cancel a task or to agree with colleagues about the sequence of works. Also in a system there was an opportunity to repeatedly reproduce the work plan or its parts from earlier executed projects, an opportunity to control at once all production and logistic processes and others.

In the next versions of DEXMA integration with third-party web services for engineers is expected. In particular, with the Fidesys CAE system of the Russian development and also with service of comparison of 3D models Geometric Comparison from Ledas Labs company. The last allows to detect and visualize all differences between geometrical models and also to monitor modifications to which the model during its lifecycle is exposed.

Nikolay Nyrkov explained TAdviser that the sense of such integration is in that users could work with a wide range of professional services, without leaving one PLM space. For example, during the work on a product in Dexma it will be possible to use the Execute Calculation in CAE Fidesys command: Dexma itself will address a settlement system, will transfer it model, and after calculation - will save results and also the link to a calculation session for the subsequent address.

Commercial conditions of integration with partner services are not agreed on yet, the project manager says. According to him, different options - from optional expansion of a subscription to Dexma and the corresponding assignments to owners of services before collection of single payment for addresses by owners of services irrespective of Dexma are considered.

"Perhaps, there will be several schemes at choice. Obviously, there will be also some pilot period, perhaps free during which we will study together demand of these services, to poll users about schemes, convenient for them, and so on", - Nikolay Nyrkov explains.

Besides, Dexma is going to set up cooperation with the companies specializing in 3D - printing to provide to engineers, a possibility of the fast order of printing of the models created within the project, Nikolay Nyrkov tells.

2014: Termination of financing of the project

In April, 2014 Ascon announced intention to stop financing of the project of creation and distribution of a cloud PLM system of DEXMA since July 1 because of "not achievement by the project of the expected commercial indicators".

Ascon - the owner of Deksma Labs LLC and the investor of the project of DEXMA - performed its financing since 2010. Further possible ways of development of the project to the companies call its sale to other large player or transfer of a system to the mode of the open source.

Development of DEXMA started in 2010 as the internal project of the company, and the beta of a system with the module of design management was submitted to users in the fall of 2012. At the end of 2012 the project and its command were transformed to separate company Deksma Labs LLC. In June, 2013 the release of DEXMA in its full-function option including modules of design management and production management took place.

Representatives of Ascon reported the portal that as of April, 2014 Dexma has about 900 users and about 350 "virtual" companies registered in the public version of a system. About 95% from them — from Russia and Ukraine. Paid users at a system did not appear.

Earlier in the company told TAdviser that investments into development and start of service made about 40 million rubles, and its reaching payback was expected not earlier than 2015.

Ascon shared basic reasons on which the planned commercial indicators did not manage to be reached with TAdviser. One of them, according to representatives of Ascon, is revaluation of needs of target audience: "the small companies are busy with more prosy tasks connected with survival and consider PLM as something what it is possible to do so far without".

Besides, believe in the companies that revaluation of attractiveness of a "cloud" factor for the companies in Russia took place and inability to find a suitable method of monetization of the public version of the system focused on teams of engineers-freelancers.

Ascon notes that their company and Deksm Labs will do everything possible that the interests of users of a system did not suffer. In particular, Ascon will undertake support of technical operability of the public cloud.dexma-plm.com portal at least till July, 2015, promise in the company.

It should be noted that Dexma became the second cloud project of Ascon which development failed in the market. Earlier it happened also to attempt of the company to start the cloud version of a CAD. In March, 2011 the company brought into commercial operation service for distribution of a solutions CAD from a cloud - cloud4business focused, mainly, on the Russian users. However, at the beginning of 2012 it became known that service stopped the work due to the lack of demand for it.

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