PTC Inc. (formerly Parametric Technology Corporation) is an American

computer software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

and services company founded in 1985 and headquartered in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts. The company was a pioneer in parametric, associative feature-based, solid

computer-aided design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

(CAD) modeling software in 1988, including an Internet-based product for

Product Lifecycle Management In industry, product lifecycle management (PLM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its inception through the engineering, design, and manufacture, as well as the service and disposal of manufactured products. ...

(PLM) in 1998. PTC (

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

: PTC) markets products and services and an

Internet of Things Internet of things (IoT) describes devices with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communication networks. The IoT encompasse ...

(IoT) and

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

(AR) platform for partners and developers.

Products

PTC has eight core product families: Creo,

Windchill Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...

, Mathcad,

Integrity Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and Honesty, truthfulness or of one's actions. Integr ...

, Servigistics, ThingWorx, ServiceMax, Arbortext Editor. The company's technology is primarily used by discrete manufacturers to design, operate and maintain complex products. PTC's technology is also used to connect products to the Internet for the purposes of capturing and analyzing information from them.

PTC Creo

The PTC CAD product provides a set of Computer Aided Design capabilities. PTC CAD is a suite of 2D and 3D product design software used to create, analyze and view product designs. PTC Creo software was released in June 2011 to replace and supersede PTC's products formerly known as

Pro/ENGINEER Creo Parametric, formerly known, together with Creo Elements/Pro, as Pro/Engineer (commonly referred to as Pro E) and Wildfire, is a solid modeling or computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CA ...

, CoCreate, and

ProductView Creo Elements/View, formerly known as ProductView, is a suite of digital mockup and product visualization software applications from PTC. History ProductView, now Creo Elements/View, was originally developed by Object Logic, a small compan ...

. Other products include: * ''CREO parametric - formerly Pro/ENGINEER'' * ''CREO simulate - formerly Pro/MECHANICA'' * ''CREO direct - formerly CoCreate OneSpace Modeling'' * ''CREO options modeler'' * ''CREO illustrate schematics'' * ''CREO view'' * ''CREO illustrate'' * ''PTC Mathcad -'' Engineering calculation software that is used by engineers to solve, document and share the calculations used for product design.

PTC Windchill

Web-based database software that provides access to product information like MCAD and

ECAD Electronic design automation (EDA), also referred to as electronic computer-aided design (ECAD), is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. The tools work together ...

data files, process documents, and software engineering information. The PTC Windchill product provides a set of PLM

capabilities and consists of the following products: * ''Windchill PDMLink'' * ''Windchill product analytics - formally Materials Compliance'' * ''Windchill quality solutions - formally Relex and NetRegulus'' * ''Windchill workgroup manager'' * ''Windchill projectlink'' * ''Windchill part classification'' * ''PTC FlexPLM''

PTC Integrity

The PTC Integrity product provides a set of

Application Lifecycle Management Application lifecycle management (ALM) is the product lifecycle management (governance, development, and maintenance) of computer programs. It encompasses requirements management, software architecture, computer programming, software testing, ...

(ALM) and

Systems Engineering Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their Enterprise life cycle, life cycles. At its core, systems engineering uti ...

capabilities and consists of the following products: * ''PTC Integrity Asset Library'' * ''PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager - formerly MKS Integrity'' * ''PTC Integrity Modeler - formerly Atego Modeler'' * ''PTC Integrity Process Check'' * ''PTC Integrity Process Consumer'' * ''PTC Integrity Process Director'' * ''PTC Integrity Process Perspective'' * ''PTC Integrity Requirements Connector'' * ''PTC'' ''AgileWorx''

PTC Servigistics

Service lifecycle management SLM software that is used by manufacturers to understand how service planning, customer service, and analysis of returned product data can improve service value over a product's life. PTC SLM productset includes: * Servigistics Inservice - formally Enigma * Servigistics Arbortext - formally Arbortext without Servigistics * Servigistics Connected Field Services * Servigistics Predictive Service * Servigistics Remote Services * Servigistics Parts Pricing * Servigistics Arbortext Editor * Servigistics Arbortext Isodraw * Servigistics Arbortext Isoview * Servigistics Service Network Management * Servigistics Service Parts Management

ThingWorx

A platform for the rapid development of applications designed for smart, connected sensors, devices, and products – or the

. * Axeda - A cloud-based service and software for managing connected products and machines and implementing Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Vuforia

Vuforia is an Augmented Reality Software Development Kit (SDK) for mobile devices that enables the creation of

applications.

Kepware

History

1985 - Company founded by Samuel Geisberg, and Mike Payne formerly from

Prime Computer Prime Computer, Inc. was a Natick, Massachusetts-based producer of minicomputers from 1972 until 1992. With the advent of Personal computer, PCs and the decline of the minicomputer industry, Prime was forced out of the market in the early 1990s, ...

Computervision Computervision, Inc. (CV) was an early pioneer in Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing ( CAD/CAM). Computervision was founded in 1969 by Marty Allen and Philippe Villers, and headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. Its earl ...

, and Applicon.
1988 - Steve Walske named CEO. Company shipped Pro/ENGINEER and was considered first to market with

parametric modeling Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules that may be easily changed over time. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeli ...

design software. This positions PTC as a leader in the CAD industry until the mid-1990s when a new generation of low-cost competitors arrive in the market.
1989 - Initial public offering at the NASDAQ exchange.
1992 -

Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc., also known as Cat, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the ' ...

becomes PTC's largest customer.
1996 - PTC acquires

Reflex In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...

project modeling and management software technologyParametric Technology Corporation acquires object-oriented software technology for project modeling and management
PTC news release dated 11 July 1996 (archived at FreeLibrary.com). Retrieved: 17 October 2015. sold the following year to the Beck Group.
1998 - Company ships Windchill and is considered first to market with internet-based solutions for

(PLM).
1999 - PTC announces it has 25,000 customers. Major industries include

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

apparel Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

, automotive, industrial equipment,

consumer products A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike an intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good. Whe ...

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

, and

high tech High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the state of the art, cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the ...

.
1999 - Acquired Division Group (Division Ltd, Bristol Uk, Division Inc) Virtual reality - dVision Head Mounted Display & Software 2002 - The company releases Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire. This is the first CAD system to support web-based services.
2005 - Acquired Arbortext for technical publishing technology. Acquired Aptavis for retail, footwear and apparel technology.
2006 - Acquired Mathsoft for its engineering calculation software. Acquired ITEDO for its 3D

technical illustration Technical illustration is illustration meant to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams. Technical illustrations in general aim "to generate expressive ...

software.
2007 - Acquired CoCreate for its direct modeling technology.
2008 - Acquired Synapsis for its performance analytics technology to improve environmental performance of products.
2009 - Acquired Relex Software for its

reliability engineering Reliability engineering is a sub-discipline of systems engineering that emphasizes the ability of equipment to function without failure. Reliability is defined as the probability that a product, system, or service will perform its intended functi ...

software.
2010 - James E. Heppelmann announced as CEO effective October 1, 2010. Company renames Pro/ENGINEER to PTC Creo and promises the market product design software that is scalable, open, and easy-to-use.
2011 - Acquired 4CS for its warranty, service, support and service parts technology. Acquired MKS for its

application lifecycle management Application lifecycle management (ALM) is the product lifecycle management (governance, development, and maintenance) of computer programs. It encompasses requirements management, software architecture, computer programming, software testing, ...

technology for all software development processes.
2012 - Acquired Servigistics for its suite of service lifecycle management software.
2013 - Acquired NetIDEAS hosting vendor for more technology deployment options. Acquired Enigma for its ability to deliver technical content to aftermarket service environments. Acquired

platform developer ThingWorx for their software applications that connect and track network-enabled products.
2014 - Acquired Axeda Corporation
2014 - Acquired ATEGO Software, a leader in MBSE (model-based systems engineering) tool used in aerospace, transportation, and automotive industries (such as Alstom Transport and Rolls-Royce Defence)
2016 - Paid $28 million to resolve probes by the U.S.

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and the

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

, alleging PTC subsidiaries paid over $1.5 million in bribes to Chinese government officials between 2006 and 2011.

Companies acquired by PTC

in 1992. * CDRS and 3DPaint from Evans & Sutherland on April 12, 1995, for $33,507,000. * Rasna Corp., developers of ''MECHANICA'' design optimization and simulation software, in May 1995 for $180 million. * PTC acquires Reflex project modeling and management software technology in July 1996, for $30m. *

, developers of CADDS,

MEDUSA In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

and the MPDS Plant Design System in 1998 * Division Group (Division Ltd, Division Inc) dVisor Virtual Reality HMD * Polyplan, Technologies acquired 2005 for Manufacturing Process Management *

Arbortext Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher (APP, formerly Advent 3B2) is commercial typesetting software application sold by Parametric Technology Corporation. The software contains an automated publishing engine that can manually or automatically produc ...

in 2005, for $190 million * DENC AG and Cadtrain Inc. in late 2005 for an aggregate of $10 million. DENC adds a German consulting practice with expertise integrating PTC applications with enterprise-resource-planning software. Irvine, Calif.-based Cadtrain provides online training modules for PTC software. * Aptavis Technology Corp, Windchill-based technology and expertise for retail, footwear and apparel, in June 2005 * Mathsoft, developers of Mathcad, in April 2006 for $63 million. * ITEDO Software GmbH in October 2006 for $17 million. ITEDO developed technical illustration software and had 34 employees mainly in Germany and the United States. * NC Graphics in May 2007 for an undisclosed sum. * NetRegulus, Inc, an Enterprise Study and Quality management software for Medical Devices, in November 2007 * CoCreate in December 2007 for $250 million. * Synapsis Technology in December 2008 for an undisclosed sum. * Relex Software in June 2009 for $25 Million. * Planet Metrics in January 2010 for an undisclosed sum. * MKS Software makers of MKS Integrity - May, 2011 *4CS Software Solutions Inc, a developer of warranty management and service lifecycle management software for an undisclosed sum *Servigistics in August 2012 *Enigma in July 2013/ *NetIDEAS in September 2013 *ThingWorx in January 2014 *

Atego (company) Atego was a software development corporation headquartered in the United States and the United Kingdom with subsidiaries in France, Germany, and Italy. Formed from Interactive Development Environments, Inc. and Thomson Software Products, it was ...

, a developer of model-based systems and software engineering applications based in Cheltenham, UK for approximately $50 million in cash in July 2014 *Axeda Corporation - a leader in the M2M / IoT space connecting things with people and other things, based in Foxborough, MA for approximately $170 million in cash in August 2014 *Coldlight in 2015 *Vuforia in 2015 *Kepware in 2015 for approximately $100 million, plus up to an additional $18 million based on achievement of certain strategic initiatives and financial results. *

Onshape Onshape is a computer-aided design (CAD) software system, delivered over the Internet via a software as a service (SaaS) model. It makes extensive use of cloud computing, with compute-intensive processing and rendering performed on Internet-bas ...

in October 2019. *intland (Product CodeBeamer) in May 2022.

Support of STEM Education

In 1999, PTC created a Global Academic Program designed to support educational initiatives in

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, and

math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

(

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

) skills. The program aims to partner schools and universities with companies to assist students in developing real-world skills needed for careers in

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

, and other

jobs. The program also has a direct recruitment program intended to place students in jobs with PTC's commercial customers. PTC has also been a corporate sponsor of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) since 2008, providing participating students with access to PTC software for use in the

FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other te ...

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition operated by ''FIRST''®. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work to build robots capable of competing in that year's game. Robots c ...

FIRST Lego League The ''FIRST'' Lego League Challenge (formerly known as ''FIRST'' Lego League) is an international competition organized by '' FIRST'' for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14 in the United States and Canada, 9-15 elsewhere). Each y ...

, and FIRST World Championship.

Awards and accolades

4th Annual Postscapes

(IoT) Awards: PTC, ThingWorx, Axeda Win 2014 Internet of Things (IoT) Awards in Six Different Categories
M2M WorldNews

References

External links

* {{PTC (software company) American companies established in 1985 Software companies established in 1985 1985 establishments in Massachusetts 1980s initial public offerings Software companies based in Massachusetts Software companies of the United States Companies based in Boston Companies listed on the Nasdaq