Here we are, just about to turn the calendar to 2020. As we end the year (and the decade!) we at Dassault Systèmes want to take some time to reflect on our 2019.

Our corporate mission is to provide business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. As such, it shouldn’t be a surprise that you’ll see a clear theme about this topic in all we did in this year.

Making a Difference

People who strive for sustainability and who use the virtual world to improve the real world should be celebrated! We launched a video series called Making a Difference to tell stories about people who are improving the world with Dassault Systèmes solutions. Thus far, we’ve shared seven stories of individuals who are working hard towards their sustainability goals, in a wide range of sectors: medicine, farming, transportation and more. Watch an overview of the series below, then check out the full stories of these sustainability pioneers.

We’ve Got News!

We made a number of significant announcements this year, from new customers to new products to major acquisitions.  Among the highlights:

• We completed our largest-ever acquisition, $5.8 billion for Medidata. This represents a major step forward in our mission to lead the digital transformation of life sciences in the age of personalized medicine and patient-centic experience.
• We expanded the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab: our open innovation laboratory and accelerator program. Fifteen new startups from Belgium, China, France, India, South Africa and the U.S. can now access the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to digitally develop transformative projects that contribute to one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to impact society, as well as benefit from mentoring and expertise of our people.  Check out the list of the startups.
• We signed a five-year extension of our collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to leverage virtual patients based on computational modeling and simulation to improve efficiency of clinical trials for new device designs.
• Through the acquisition of IQMS, we extended the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to small and midsized manufacturing companies seeking to digitally transform their business operations.
• We published two issues of our thought-leadership magazine, Compass.
  • Issue 14 focused on Industry Renaissance in the Age of Experience. We looked into the profound societal transformation underway, and how virtual experiences enabled by digital technology are ushering in an Industry Renaissance. The articles provided examples of companies who are transforming the world by taking a fresh new approach to the way they conduct business. Other pieces in the issues explored Upstream Thinking, the idea of involving customers before design and engineering are set to create radically inventive and disruptive concepts; how product packaging must be localized to expand into new markets; and how technology advancements are transforming medical care from a one-size-fits-all model to one of individualized treatments
  • Issue 15 focused on The Business Sustainability Imperative. Global research indicates that citizens no longer believe they can count on government to lead the way on sustainability initiatives – so they are looking to businesses instead. We explored how people and organizations that step up have the opportunity to reap great rewards, featuring seven organizations that are already doing so. Other articles include how digital technologies are creating entirely new business models, how smart airports are transforming the end-to-end travel experience and how businesses and educators are teaming up to address the profound shortage of middle-skill workers.

Helping Our Customers Sustainably Innovate

Our customers continue to sustainably innovate through the power of 3DEXPERIENCE. We shared a lot of their stories this year: including IMC Toys, Spark Racing Technology and the European Spallation Source (ESS) to mention just a few. We also shared a two-part post that featured six of our customers who are focused on sustainable design: Barilla, BMW, Decathlon, GE Healthcare, Kengo Kumo & Associates, Renault. You can read both parts: 1 and 2.

We also announced some major advances with customers, including:

• Groupe PSA named Dassault Systèmes a key supplier, making us the first and only software provider formally recognized by the automaker as a preferred digital partner for its digital transformation.
• Electric air mobility pioneer, Eviation Aircraft used the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud to develop the first prototype of its zero-emission, all-electric regional commuter aircraft
• Lockheed Martin is deploying the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to support its digital transformation, to help them build a digital thread that extends from design through manufacturing for its next generation airplanes and helicopters.

Out and About

We hosted and attended many events in 2019!  Among the highlights:

• We again held our Age of Experience events: Design in the Age of Experience in Milan in April, Manufacturing in the Age of Experience in Shanghai in September and Science in the Age of Experience in Boston in October. Click on each link above to watch a highlight video from the event. Thousands of customers, prospects and industry experts came together for educational talks, hands-on experiences and networking. We also hosted a webinar for those who couldn’t join us in Shanghai: Sustainable Manufacturing in the Age of Experience addressed how global manufacturers are using the virtual world to reinvent their business.
• CES – we once again started the year at the Consumer Electronics Show.  There, we revealed the results of a survey that asked  consumers what they expect to see in cities in 2030.  Hyperloop rail, fully connected smart home systems, mobile payments and personalized preventive health plans are just a few of the disruptive technologies respondents expect to improve overall quality of life, deliver socially-conscious benefits and personalize experiences. You can discover the results here, and you can also check out our recap video below.
  
• Paris Air Show – our focus was on how aerospace companies can reinvent the way they work as systems become more complex to design, build and deliver. We talked to OEMs, engine makers, space companies, the supply chain, and other innovators who are seeking new ways to accelerate innovation, drive efficiencies and move to the factory of the future in order to develop the best products and experience for customers. We produced 3 videos recapping this; watch those here.
• In association with Financial Times, we hosted interactive business workshop for senior executives and thought leaders to address the question “What does it take to deliver a sustainable business?” The event at Illuminate @ Science Museum examined how companies can transform macro principles into concrete actions and how they can create sustainable business models that foster agility, speed innovation for the next generation of products and services, and encourage and capture the knowledge and know-how of their workforce (including their retiring employees).

Thanks for the recognition!

We proudly received some awards in 2019.

• Corporate Knights cited Dassault Systèmes among the top 100 most sustainable companies in the world
• Our CEO, Bernard Charlès, was included on Harvard Business Review’s list of Best Performing CEOs
• We were named to Fortune‘s Future 50 list, which BCG and Fortune created to reflect a company’s capacity to reinvent its business and sustain revenue growth

As you can see, it’s been a very busy year at Dassault Systèmes!  We wish you and yours all the best, and we look forward to sharing more experiences with you in 2020!