Summary
• During the recession companies have been reassessing their software needs.
• They have also diversified and so needed new software.
• Users look for flexibility in design software.
• Regulatory changes, such as the Code for Sustainable Homes, are driving some software changes.
Although the market has contracted in the past 12 months, software companies are maintaining the momentum of software development as their customers focus on improving efficiencies to help them through the recession.
“The trend during the recession has been for companies to assess their current software in more detail,” said Jason Ruddle, sales and business development director of Gang-Nail Systems.
“Though they have been chasing for business to keep going, they have also taken this slowdown as an opportunity to explore where the software can help their businesses become leaner and meaner,” he said.
Gang-Nail, which supplies timber engineering software, has seen a dramatic increase in its clients implementing all the features available in its applications, which has then required more control through the company’s Matrix management software. Clients have also been diversifying into new areas which has resulted in different software requirements.
The bulk of Gang-Nail’s updates are in response to customer feedback. The upgrades, which existing customers receive automatically, are aimed at delivering time and cost savings through speeding up design and manufacturing.
“Businesses are always looking for an edge on their own competitors so it is important that change requests for software improvements are made rapidly and delivered smoothly without any major disruptions,” said Mr Ruddle.
Because businesses work in different ways, the key feature customers look for in design software is flexibility.
“Companies want software that is market focused and feature driven by the specific regulation requirements, but they also want applications that can be tailored to suit their own business needs,” said Mr Ruddle.
While customer feedback is the main driver of software developments, regulatory changes also play their part. The trend towards more energy-efficient buildings has had an impact and Gang-Nail has introduced some updates to help customers meet the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
“The change towards Code levels 3, 4, 5, and 6 is geared over a number of years, resulting in our clients researching how they can meet these requirements sooner rather than later,” said Mr Ruddle. “This has led to the implementation of some of these design requirements within the software already, even though the actual date is some way off.”
The back-up and service offered by software companies can be just as important as the software itself.
“No one business or person is the same, so training and support are critical in supporting their needs,” said Mr Ruddle.
And no matter what the economic climate, software developments will be shaped by companies’ desire to improve their businesses through greater control and easy access to information.
“Customers are always looking for software to help control their businesses and report on real-time activities, so the key criteria for future design software is for it to be easy to use, intelligent to provide design and engineering information and powerful enough to control businesses while using our developed software systems or linking into other industry-used applications,” said Mr Ruddle.
