Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
Altium Acquires Perception Software
August 25, 2016 | AltiumEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
Altium has announced the completed acquisition of Perception Software, an industry leading provider of enterprise PLM integration solutions. Perception Software will bring over a decade of enterprise integration expertise and technology to the Altium portfolio, allowing engineers and manufacturers to design, build, and support innovative products. As part of this acquisition, Perception Software will continue to operate independently as they bridge the data and information gap between EDA design teams and the enterprise supply chain.
“With Perception’s innovative technology and expertise in enterprise integration, the EDA industry as a whole stands to benefit with a more connected and seamless product design ecosystem,” said Henry Potts, Chief Operating Officer at Altium. “Our acquisition of Perception Software will enable Altium to successfully address the enterprise integration gap between engineering teams and organizations in new and innovative ways.”
The Perception Software team will form the foundation for the introduction and go-to-market of the Altium high-end PCB product to the enterprise market.
Helping to Bridge the Gap
Perception Software was founded in 2006 with a mission to make manufacturers more productive by delivering EDA-to-Enterprise and Product Analytics solutions to decision-makers that help them design, build and support great products. By integrating the Perception technology within an EDA design team’s ecosystem, engineers are able to:
- Easily connect and share data from ECAD tools with the industry-leading Agile PLM solution from Oracle.
- Enable effective communication and collaboration between electronics design engineers and product lifecycle managers.
- Effectively allow engineers to develop new products and get them to market in the most cost efficient manner possible.
“As a long time strategic partner of Perception, we clearly see the benefits of this acquisition,” said John Kelley, VP of Product Strategy/Agile PLM for Oracle. “From our perspective, our EDA integration capabilities just got stronger.”
A Decade of Enterprise PLM Expertise
The Perception technology successfully addresses the long-standing chasm between engineering teams, their organizations, and product data, enabling engineering collaboration at all stages of a product design process. With over a decade of enterprise PLM expertise, Perception offers several innovative technologies for the EDA industry including:
- EDAConnect enables effective collaboration between design engineers and product lifecycle managers with shared ECAD and Agile PLM data.
- AgileXplorer allows engineers to easily search, navigate, and discover data within the Oracle Agile PLM environment.
- Encompass Product/Support Navigation delivers critical information to product decision makers and support teams in one centralized location.
“As a customer of Perception Software for many years with over a thousand users using their applications daily, we are very supportive of this acquisition,” said Mike Farnam, Director of Supply Chain Operations, Cisco. “Breaking down the information barriers between engineering and supply chain teams continues to be of high importance to Cisco.”
Continuing Partnerships
Perception Software will continue to maintain their strategic relationships with major EDA companies and PLM suppliers as they support their market-leading EDAConnect™ and Xplorer™ customer bases. As part of this acquisition, Altium engineers will be working to integrate the Perception best-in-class EDA-to-Enterprise PLM technology in their flagship electronics design ecosystem.
“This is an exciting development for us,” said Joe Dalton, CEO of Perception Software. “Our vision of seamless EDA to Enterprise integration is perfectly aligned with Altium, and we look forward to continue to deliver on that vision.”
About Perception Software
Perception Software’s mission is to make manufacturers more productive by delivering EDA-to-Enterprise and Product Analytics solutions to decision-makers that help them design, build and support great products.
About Altium
Altium Limited is a multinational software corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, that focuses on electronics design systems for 3D PCB design and embedded system development. Altium products are found everywhere from world leading electronic design teams to the grassroots electronic design community.
Share on:
Suggested Items
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Connect the Dots: The Future of PCB Design and Manufacturing
07/02/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsFor some time, I have been discussing the increasing complexity of PCBs and how designers can address the constantly evolving design requirements associated with them. My book, "The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality," details best practices for creating manufacturable boards in a modern production environment.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?