Mentor buys German tool company

Mentor buys German tool company
By Michael Santarini, EE Times
May 30, 2000 (5:47 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000530S0036

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Mentor Graphics Corp. showed it is getting serious about Product Data Management (PDM) systems, as its Board Systems Division announced this week the purchase of privately held Descon Informationssysteme GmbH (Nuremberg, Germany) for an undisclosed amount of money.

Bob Potock, director of business development for Mentor's Board Systems Division, said the Descon acquisition gains for Mentor a three-tool PDM suite targeted at linking design groups to the rest of the enterprise and to part distributors.

"This whole acquisition is about raising customer productivity and lowering their costs," Potock said. "We feel data management is a key element in making that happen. Descon's tools bridge the business of building products with the business of designing products."

The three components of Descon's Data Management System (DMS) suite include: DMS Comp-a, a component and supplier management system; DMS Cadlib, an EDA librar y management tool; and DMS FPDM-a, a front-end PDM solution.

Mentor's current PDM capabilities come from a tool gained in its acquisition of Veribest. Called DesignView, that offering is a graphical HDL design-environment manager with design object, design configuration and design hierarchy-management capabilities. Potock said the Descon PDM solution is a broader offering that targets the traditional PDM market. Mentor plans to continue supporting both environments.

Potock said Descon Cadlib currently supports libraries from Cadence, Zuken and Innoveda, as well as Mentor Graphics.

Mentor plans to maintain support for third-party libraries. To that end, the company is making Descon an independent group within its Board Systems Division.

Descon's DMS customers include Ericsson, Siemens, Rohde & Schwarz and Daimler Chrysler.

Descon will maintain its offices in Germany, Potock said.