ANSYS acquires automated design reliability analysis software provider DfR Solutions

"ANSYS' comprehensive multiphysics solutions, combined with Sherlock's accurate reliability analyses, will provide a complete designer-level toolkit enabling customers to quickly and easily analyze for electronics failure earlier in the design cycle—saving users time and money during the development process," ANSYS said in a press release. Companies are under continued pressure to develop groundbreaking products as advances in autonomous driving, electrification and internet of things continue to accelerate—increasing design complexity and making it more difficult to guarantee the reliability of electronic components and systems."

Sherlock is a turnkey solution that imports from ECAD and leverages embedded part libraries that allow engineers to rapidly build and analyze 3D models of electronic assemblies. From there, engineers can subject their products to several environmental stresses, including temperature and power cycling, harmonic vibration, mechanical shock, and bending, to help ensure manufacturability and maximize the life of a product.

Beltsville, MD-based DfR Solutions' customers span a range of electronic technology markets and industries, including avionics and aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, industrial, medical, defense, and telecommunications.

"As electronics proliferates in nearly every industry, electronics reliability becomes a key challenge, requiring companies to perform analysis earlier in the design cycles," said ANSYS vice president and general manager Shane Emswiler in the company's press release. "This acquisition will give customers the ability to push electronics reliability analysis earlier in their design cycles—saving significant costs on testing and accelerating product design."

"We're incredibly excited to become part of the ANSYS family," added DfR Solutions CEO Craig Hillman. "ANSYS and DfR Solutions share a vision of democratizing the process of electronics design by bringing powerful, analytical tools to every engineer involved in electronic hardware. ANSYS brings industry-leading electronic simulation capabilities while DfR's Sherlock extends the value of simulation by clearly quantifying the real-world cost of design and material selection decisions. This acquisition brings the entire design workflow, from functional block to change management, to the customers of both organizations."

ANSYS 2019 first quarter financials

Also on May 1, ANSYS announced its fiscal performance for the first quarter of 2019. The results were highlighted by total Q1 GAAP sales of of $317.1 million, up approximately 12% year-over-year, and up 15% in constant currency. GAAP total profit of $86.2 million increased approximately 2%, while profit margin was 30.2%.