LMS and SAMTECH join forces for market leadership in global aerospace and automotive industries

LMS International, the leading partner in Test and Mechatronic Simulation today announced that it has acquired a 60% controlling majority position of SAMTECH, the Liège-based European provider of Computer Aided Engineering and structure analysis software. Under the leadership of Eric Carnoy as CEO, LMS SAMTECH will become the centre of the worldwide aerospace simulation business in the LMS Group. Including SAMTECH, LMS projects combined revenues for 2011 of 175 Million Euro or approximately 250 Million Dollars, and employs 1150 people over 40 offices in Europe, Americas and Asia.

For Dr. Urbain Vandeurzen, Chairman and CEO of LMS International, this is a strategic next step in LMS’ ambition to be the undisputed leader in Test and Mechatronic Simulation and to become the preferred engineering innovation partner for the leading Top Fortune 500 manufacturers in the automotive, aerospace and other advanced manufacturing industries: “LMS is truly unique in delivering mission-critical software and advanced engineering services for product innovation to the advanced high-tech mechanical and mechatronic industries. LMS combines hardware and software platforms for advanced testing with the most complete 1D and 3D platforms for realistic mechatronic simulation. These solutions enable our customers to take full advantage of the emerging model-based systems engineering approach, and to win by superior product innovation. We truly empower our customers by business transformation and next generation processes to develop more attractive, sustainable and smart products.”

“Building on our outstanding results in 2010, 2011 will become an absolute record year in LMS’ history with another year of 20% organic growth in revenues and record profits forecasted. With the addition of SAMTECH, LMS is projected to grow a stellar 65% over 2 years.”

Dr. Vandeurzen adds: “Over the past years SAMTECH has enjoyed healthy double digit growth year after year, and has developed an undisputed leadership position for 3D simulation in the European aerospace industries. The worldwide global presence of LMS and its strong references across all high-end mechanical industries can further accelerate the deployment of SAMTECH’s innovative software in Asia and the Americas. LMS and SAMTECH joining forces creates a win-win opportunity for joint customers across aerospace, automotive and other high-tech industries.”

Freddy Meurs, Deputy General Manager of Meusinvest and Michel Tilmant, former SAMTECH Board President: "After a thorough review of all strategic alternatives the SAMTECH Board of Directors has approved the decision to join LMS. This is truly a unique fit for the international development of SAMTECH, representing excellent opportunities for our customers, staff and shareholders. The international sales network of LMS in Europe, in the Americas and Asia will boost the promotion and the sales capacity of SAMTECH’s software and services business within all the key aerospace clients worldwide. Both companies have the same drive for innovation and growth. The fact that SAMTECH Liège will become the world centre for all further aerospace simulation business of the LMS Group activities is a sign of trust in the combined talent, competences and technologies of the SAMTECH team. We are looking forward to this next stage in the company's successful development.”

Eric Carnoy, CEO of LMS SAMTECH; “The powerful complementarities between SAMTECH and LMS will greatly extend the SAMTECH leading company position in structural analysis, including linear and non-linear CAE simulation, structural optimization and coupled multiphysics. The unique combination of SAMTECH’s simulation solutions with the LMS hybrid engineering portfolio creates tremendous value for really all manufacturing companies.

During the last twenty five years, SAMTECH has developed its aerospace business (with AIRBUS, EADS, SNECMA SAFRAN Group, EUROCOPTER, ALENIA Aeronautica, THALES ALENIA Space, ONERA, SABCA, SONACA, TECHSPACEAERO, ESA, CNES, …). More recently important product diversifications were also started in the automotive sector (with TOYOTA Motor Corporation, PSA, RENAULT, DAIMLER ...), and in the wind energy sector (for example with ALSTOM, REpower, AREVA, …).”

Within this list of customers, AIRBUS is certainly the most significant success story. The first SAMCEF licence was installed in AIRBUS Toulouse in the summer of 1986. During the late eighties, AIRBUS and SAMTECH worked together on parameterized FEA models for fatigue analysis of structures. SAMTECH Toulouse was opened in 1989. During the nineties, SAMTECH and AIRBUS have been working together on composite FEA simulations. In 1998, the first partnership contract was signed for the development and the commercialization of Professional Solutions. It started with the distribution of the SAFE tool for fatigue analysis of aircraft structure. In 2000, another professional application followed for composite structures analysis (Application Composite). In 2004, AIRBUS decided to launch a huge transnational program for the harmonization of its 400 legacy engineering software tools, to enhance its engineering methods for composite design and to share its tools with the Risk Sharing Partners of the new A350 XWB aircraft. In 2005, SAMTECH accessed to a new level of partnership with the new ISAMI project (Improved Structure Analysis Multidisciplinary Integration) on the basis of the engineering framework CAESAM (Computer Aided Engineering by SAMTECH). In parallel, SAMTECH could also put in evidence its BOSS quattro optimization capabilities in the context of the COMBOX project (for the preliminary design optimization of composite wing boxes). In July 2007, a Master Agreement Contract (MAC) was signed for service activity and from July 2008 until now, the deployment of ISAMI is progressing inside the AIRBUS world wide Extended Entreprise, in order to give access to the same engineering environment to all the structure analysis engineers working for or with AIRBUS.

“LMS and SAMTECH are long time and respected partners for ESA, with the products and services of both companies being critical enablers for spacecraft engineering at ESA’s technical centers throughout Europe. I’m convinced that with SAMTECH now part of LMS, the combination has the fantastic potential to further expand its technology and application leadership, and to support the spacecraft industry with its future engineering challenges.”, Dr. Constantinos Stavrinidis, Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, ESA-ESTEC.

LMS becomes the first and the only provider in the industry to deliver a full and unique portfolio of test and mechatronic simulation solutions for model-based system engineering, using 1D- and 3D system simulation and supporting all phases of product development – from the concept and the detailed design stages, through the final refinement and physical prototype validation stages. With the unique LMS-platform strategy, integrating test and mechatronic simulation across the development process, manufacturing companies can realize significant strategic competitive advantages.

SAMTECH Conferences 2011: the sign of the Group's expansion

SAMTECH, a European leader in non-linear CAE simulation, structural optimization and coupled multiphysics, is pleased to announce more than 50 papers presented at the SAMTECH Conference 2011 to be held at the Crowne Plaza Liège, Belgium. Over a 2-day and 3-parallel session programme, industrial attendees will be able to choose the appropriate “circuit” to their interest.

World renown industries such as AIRBUS, ALENIA AERONAUTICA, ALSTOM Wind, ASTRIUM Space Transportation, MBDA, PSA, SAFRAN Group, GOODYEAR or TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, will present real-life business applications and the latest technological evolutions of their simulation processes over two days. SAMTECH is also very honoured to welcome new SAMTECH software customers including AVIC 603, COMAC, NEY & PARTNERS or OWENS CORNING.

“This upcoming Conference promises to be especially interesting, with about 50 technical presentations showcasing applications from industrial sectors as varied as automotive, wind energy, aeronautics, space” said Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Headquarters's CEO. “We were also greatly pleased to see the very positive enthusiasm from our customers to present their applications. It is an important indicator about the confidence of our customers in our software but also about the partnership spirit that SAMTECH teams are developing with them.”

The programme has been devised to promote effective interactions and networking opportunities between attendees, while keeping the entire conference to two days. It is designed to bring delegates together to hear high level presentations that impact their daily simulation work. It is the concept of “circuit” put in place together with ACOMEN Conference which is organised at the same date by the University of Liège.

“This complementary “circuit” illustrates the efforts by SAMTECH to encourage interactions between industries and researchers but also to reaffirm to SAMTECH software users the positioning of SAMTECH as a leader in innovation.” concluded Eric Carnoy.

Based at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in the heart of the historic and cultural centre of Liège, the SAMTECH Conferences 2011 will cover a wide range of topics from the world of engineering simulation (CAE simulation and analysis, FEA, MBS, flexible system dynamics, optimization, multi-physics, simulation lifecycle management).

This event is organized in collaboration with the ACOMEN Conference (www.ltas.ulg.ac.be/acomen2011), to celebrate 25 years of SAMTECH, 10 years of OPEN ENGINEERING and 50 years of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Liège, from where SAMTECH originated.

For more information about the SAMTECH Conference 2011, including programme, online registration, venue information and sponsors supporting the conference, please visit the SAMTECH Users Conference website at www.samtech.com/conference2011.

SAMTECH announces SAMTECH Conferences 2011

SAMTECH, a world leader in non-linear CAE simulation, structural optimization and coupled multiphysics, is pleased to announce the organization of the 2011 SAMTECH Conference to be held at the Crowne Plaza Liège, Belgium. SAMTECH Conference will host Mr Hiroo Yamaoka from TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, Mr Pierre Sarlin from EUROCOPTER and Mr François Caruel from SNECMA as Keynote Speakers..

Following on from the highly successful 2009 Paris User's Conference, SAMTECH is delighted to announce the 2011 conference is taking place in the dynamic city of its origin and Headquarters, Liège, Belgium.

"We are honoured to welcome TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, EUROCOPTER and SNECMA for our introduction lectures", said Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Headquarters' CEO."They will give attendees an exclusive strategic view on the Virtual Prototyping technologies used in the automotive and aeronautic and sectors. Furthermore, with the international panel of speakers, the SAMTECH Conference 2011 will be a unique opportunity to discuss the state-of-the-art CAE simulation and analysis projects in the industry

Over a 2-day and 3-parallel session programme, industrial attendees will be able to choose the appropriate “circuit” of their interest:

a “mechanism circuit” with sessions dedicated to mechanics and thermo-mechanics simulation;
a “structural “circuit” with composite, fracture mechanics, structure analysis and structural dynamics session;
a “simulation lifecycle management circuit” around Aeronautic Airframe Integration;
an “industry -circuit” with dedicated sessions on automotive, wind energy, space and aeronautic;
finally the multi-physics session.

SAMTECH Conferences 2011

Based at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in the heart of the historic and cultural centre of Liège, the SAMTECH Conferences 2011 will cover a wide range of topics from the world of engineering simulation (CAE simulation and analysis, FEA, MBS, flexible system dynamics, optimization, multiphysics, simulation lifecycle management).

This event is organized in collaboration with the ACOMEN Conference, to celebrate 25 years of SAMTECH, 10 years of OPEN ENGINEERING and 50 years of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Liège, from where SAMTECH originated.

For more information about the 12th SAMTECH Users Conference 2011, including programme, online registration, venue information and sponsors supporting the conference, please visit the SAMTECH Conference website.

SAMTECH opens new subsidiary in Hong Kong

Liege, Belgium: SAMTECH, a European specialist in Computer Aided Engineering software, today announces the expansion of its presence in Asia by opening SAMTECH Hong Kong in China.

To further strengthen the position and the long-term development in the world's second-largest economy country, SAMTECH decided to found another subsidiary in Hong Kong, China. SAMTECH HK Limited is to take charge of all business affairs on sales support, platform development service, and engineering consult in greater China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).

Meanwhile, SAMTECH Beijing Representative Office which was created in 2007 is still maintained, to be a local outsourcing and cost center which will undertake the outsourcing from SAMTECH Headquarter and other subsidiaries, such as software development and test. Mr. YE Jiyuan is appointed as General Manager of SAMTECH HK Limited and SAMTECH Beijing Representative Office.

“By creating SAMTECH Hong Kong, we show our commitment to support and enhance our activities in the Chinese market but also in the South East Asia Region.” said Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Chief Executive Officer. “These markets are eager to get best of class technology and our proven success record in Europe is the strongest incentive to convince these markets along with outstanding local support and expertise.”

“The foundation of SAMTECH HK Limited is a symbol of a new stage of SAMTECH in China.” continues Eric Carnoy. “Not only does SAMTECH take root in China to provide high-quality services, but also China is considered as a global cost center to improve the operation efficiency of SAMTECH. This strategy and its huge investment behind represent a long-term promise of SAMTECH to the Chinese market”.

SAMTECH opens new subsidiary in Japan

Liege, Belgium – SAMTECH today announced the expansion of its presence in Asia by opening SAMTECH Japan in Nagoya. This expansion is due to growing business activities in Japan, especially in the areas of automotive and aerospace.

SAMTECH decided to further strengthen its position in Asia with the creation of a second Asian subsidiary located in Nagoya, Japan; the first one being established in Beijing, PR China.

SAMTECH also announces the assignment of M. Matsui as sales and major account manager at SAMTECH Japan. M. Matsui Tamotsu has a proven track record in sales, business development and management across Japan. Before joining SAMTECH, he worked for both Altair and MSC, where he was in charge of several Japanese major accounts in both the automotive and aeronautic industries.

“The creation of SAMTECH Japan is a strong, strategic and symbolic message sent to our customers like Toyota Motor Corporation about SAMTECH's commitment to initiate a long-term partnership.” Said Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Chief Executive Officer. “This expansion further enhances our capability to provide reliable, timely support for our customers throughout the world. As a Japanese-based CAE software partner, we are very proud to help our Japanese customers in maintaining their leading position in their respective field.” continued Eric Carnoy.

“Our sales records show that SAMCEF Mecano represents the best-of-class commercial CAE software coupling non linear FE analysis and flexible systems for our Japanese customers as well as for Asian customers in general.” Explained Serge Van Den Heuvel, Chief Sales Officer. “The creation of SAMTECH Japan illustrates our commitment to be a leading CAE software developer and partner for Japan, operating from a local base and developing local talent in order to provide our industrial partners with the highest quality of services and support on our software products.”

SAMTECH officially opens its new office on Wednesday 16th September with a reception featuring speeches from SAMTECH Chief Executive Officer Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Chief Sales Officer Serge Van Den Heuvel and SAMTECH Japan Sales Manager M. Matsui. Customers, prospects, distributors, journalists and local partners as well as the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO), Nagoya City and Nagoya University will also attend the event.

SAMTECH Unveils New Brand Identity

Liege, Belgium – SAMTECH today unveiled a new brand identity to emphasize its commitment to being recognized as a modern, harmonized and integrated company. The launch of the new corporate image includes the introduction of a new corporate logo, new product logos and a new corporate web site (www.samtech.com).

The launch of the new identity corresponds to SAMTECH’s strategy to strengthen SAMTECH with more visual weight and to represent the essence of competency, expertise, precision and integrity. This strategical move was made to reflect SAMTECH’s dynamic, courageous and proactive attitude in the simulation world but also to express SAMTECH’s commitment to place its customers and partners at the center of the relationship. Through this customer- driven attitude, SAMTECH wanted to communicate its unique added-value coming from the motivation and the devotion of its teams where ever SAMTECH is, on local or on worldwide level.

“After more than 20 years experience, SAMTECH has become a valuable brand, and we intend to continue to grow the value of our brand as the company further evolves,” said Eric Carnoy, SAMTECH Chief Executive Officer. “This evolution will allow SAMTECH to be better recognized for our contributions, establish a stronger emotional connection with our audiences, and strengthen our overall position in the marketplace.”

M. Carnoy continued, “We felt it was the right time to update our look, so we developed our logos and web site to be consistent with a cleaner and more modern identity. This represents a significant milestone in the company history and the new image is cohesive with SAMTECH’s direction. That’s why the new web site is part of this project. This online communication platform is strategic for our development since it will considerably strengthen our relationship with our market.”

With the recent launch of new brands such as S4 professional products, the new branding project simplifies and unifies the look and feel across SAMTECH products in an effort to better communicate important characteristics and value to consumers. The rebrand includes new logos for OOFELIE, EUROPLEXUS and S4 professional products, and re-designed logos for SAMCEF, BOSS quattro, and other CAESAM. Each product logo also incorporates the new SAMTECH logo.

“In parallel to the new image, we are also very proud to announce the launch of our new corporate web site”, explains Serge Van Den Heuvel, SAMTECH Chief Sales Officer. “The web site will be completely integrated with the company Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Electronic Document Management (EDM) systems. This will bring a high added- value to the technical and commercial support, which will be provided for our customers and partners in the frame of the customer portal. This private portal will be launched by the end of the year 2009”.

SAMTECH will reveal the new corporate image at the trade event Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France (June 15-21) where the company will exhibit in Hall 2B, stand F19.

SAMTECH to announce the 11th SAMTECH Users Conference 2009 in Paris

Liege, Belgium : SAMTECH, the leading European provider of simulation software for Finite Element Analysis and Optimization, is pleased to announce the next SAMTECH Users Conference to be held from 31st March to 1st April 2009 at the Musée Dapper, Paris, France. Considered as a must-attend event, the SAMTECH Users Conference will provide an outstanding opportunity for CAE professional users, engineering executive and senior managers from a wide range of industries to meet and exchange views in order to develop their business.

SAMTECH to organize a Wind Turbine Simulation Event at EWEC 2009

Liege, Belgium : SAMTECH, European specialist in development of Computer Aided Engineering software and advanced FEA modeling technology, announces its participation to the European Wind energy Exhibition and Conference (EWEC 2009), which will be held from the 15th to the 19th of March in Marseille, France.

On March 17th at 2:00 PM, SAMTECH will also organize a side event at EWEC 2009 to demonstrate to wind energy industry the power and user-friendliness of the latest release of its engineering software platform “SAMCEF for Wind Turbines (S4WT)”.

S4WT is dedicated to the prediction of dynamic loads on Wind Turbine components, through a global model of the whole wind turbine, with or without gearbox.

Tata Elxsi inks MoU with Belgian company Open Engineering

New Delhi: Tata Elxsi, the embedded technology arm of the Tata group today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Engineering, the R&D subsidiary of the Belgium headquartered Samtech Group, Europe’s leading provider of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software.

As per the MoU, Tata Elxsi will be Open Engineering’s exclusive partner in India for the distribution and support of OOFELIE®, a multi-physics numerical simulation professional software dedicated to provide an open powerful but easy to use CAD CAE all-in-one solution for industrial engineering departments and research centers.

The MoU was signed today in the presence of H.E. Jean-Claude Marcourt, Honourable Minister for Economy, Employment, Foreign Trade and Heritage, Government of the Wallonia, Region of Belgium between Mr. Igor Klapka, CEO, Open Engineering and Mr. M.M Prasad, General Manager & Head, System Integration Services, Tata Elxsi Limited.

OOFELIE framework is a design flow software tool for rapid virtual prototyping, parametric simulations, and design optimization for electromechanical systems. It automatically generates meshes from parametric geometries, solves complete multi-physics problems, and provides customized parametric designs. Open Engineering, has developed OOFELIE® for modeling and design of electro, thermal, optical and mechanical systems, integrating electrostatic effects, acoustics, phase change and fluids. Open Engineering also provides project and product design services, and participates in joint industry and academia R&D partnerships for the next generation of sensors and actuators, including micro technologies constraints.

Mr. MM Prasad, General Manager & Head, System Integration Services, Tata Elxsi Limited said, “Increasingly industrial designers and design engineers are looking for cutting edge solutions that can improve product styling and functionalities, enhance product quality and maximize productivity, crunch time to benefit and cost, ensure seamless communication with downstream engineering teams, and incorporate customer feedback loops in the prototype stage itself. The partnership with Open Engineering will enable us to address the growing requirements of the CAE market segments in India such as Automotive, Aerospace, Defence, Research and Education, offering them the support they need when it comes to implementing cost-effective technologically advanced solutions in the shortest possible time “

Mr. Igor Klapka, CEO, Open Engineering said, “By managing an open industrial CAD-CAE multidisciplinary simulation flow, our software products respond to the increasing needs of engineers and designers to have the best advanced fine, accurate and adapted answer to their more and more complex problems, giving them fast, parameterized and industrially improved models’ prototypes. Due to the high technology level of this offer, we need to find high-level market entrance partners. In TATA ELXSI we not only found a technologically trust worthy distributor for India, but also a real partner with industrial added value for our users, which will support them even on the most complex areas like, for example, on thermo mechanical effects, vibro-acoustics radiations, mechanical-optics coupling, fluids-structure interaction, electromagnetic impact, Mems design, piezoelectric systems, etc.”