Author Archives: Jeff Ray
An update on the organizational changes at SolidWorks
I have some news to share with everyone today. After nearly eight years here at SolidWorks, including four as CEO, I have accepted a new position at Dassault Systèmes headquarters in Vélizy, France. In the next few days, I’ll be
... ContinuedSolidWorks customers play vital roles in the Chilean mine rescue effort
Late last night, after being underground for over 69 days, the last of the 33 men trapped in a mine in Chile made the 2,041-foot journey back to the surface. No one in recorded history has ever survived so long
... ContinuedFollowing up on announcements we made at SolidWorks World 2010
Eight months have passed since we took the stage at SolidWorks World in Anaheim and talked about cloud technology and the benefits it can bring to the product design process. As I travel around the world talking to companies and
... ContinuedA note from Jeff Ray & Rich Welch regarding this week’s technical issue
Last week, we became aware of a potentially serious issue that could affect SolidWorks users running on a 64-bit operating system with SolidWorks 2009 SP5, 2010 SP1, and SP2 with the PhotoWorks add-in. The cause of this issue was not
... ContinuedHow do you change the world? Tinker with it.
It was with some excitement that I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal stating that “tinkering is making a comeback.” That piece was followed a few days later by a similar one from National Public Radio. A
... ContinuedMicroWind Technologies Gets National Attention
You may recall that I mentioned young entrepreneur Michael Easton and his company, MicroWind Technologies, in my keynote speech at SolidWorks World 2009 in Orlando. He had designed a new form of wind turbine that looks much more attractive than
... ContinuedAn update on the SolidWorks Engineering Stimulus Package
I recently sat down with Oboe Wu, the product manager who has been overseeing the deployment of the SolidWorks Engineering Stimulus Package (ESP) to discuss the results. You may recall that we previewed this at SolidWorks World in Orlando. It
... ContinuedDesign That Matters: saving lives one project at a time
Over four million children die each year before their first month of life; 99% of them in developing countries. For those of you who joined us at SolidWorks World this year (or watched the videos), you’ll recall us recognizing local
... ContinuedGiving the customers what they don’t know they want
There are days when I pinch myself for the fun I get to have. That happened again last Friday, when I got to spend the day at SolidWorks' millionth-seat customer OGIO International. Despite serious jet lag from an international flight,
... ContinuedThere is a hunger for these schools
Last month I had the honor, and the anguish, of drawing names from a stuffed box of applicants for 75 coveted freshman spots at the MATCH Charter Public High School in Boston. MATCH, along with a number of other area
... ContinuedIt’s not how high you jump, but how well you bounce…
Last week, SWUGN leader Richard Doyle posted a blog entry about Rodney Hall. We first learned about Rod and his employment troubles on Twitter, and I had a chance to speak with him before SolidWorks World 2009, and even mentioned
... ContinuedWhy Amazon Will Save the World
Wow, no caffeine-induced euphoria in that hyped message, is there? As a matter of fact, I’ve been living with an Amazon Kindle now for the past few months and the romance just continues to bloom. There are so many things
... ContinuedOnly 344 days days until…
SolidWorks World 2010. But before we get going on next year, let’s take a look at SWW 2009, held last week in Orlando. Some miscellaneous thoughts and wanderings: I was blown away by the attendance figures and energy. We were
... ContinuedIt’s just a little get-together with a few of our closest friends….
Yes, it’s time once again for SolidWorks World, the annual Grateful Dead Concert for engineers and designers. Time to break out the tie-dyes and the slide rules (sorry, I know that won’t mean anything to half of you; find someone
... ContinuedAmazing things happening at Boston’s MATCH School
I recently viewed a remarkable video from a charter school in Boston called The MATCH School. Founded only seven years ago, and taking up residence in a former urban auto parts dealer (“Ellis the Rim Man”) building, the school was
... Continued