In January 2020, Excitech was acquired by Addnode Group, the owner of Symetri, Europe’s leading provider of software and services for design and engineering activities.
Excitech has now become Symetri, operating as one company since the beginning of January 2021. Please rest assured it is business as usual for us and your service experience will not be impacted.
After Autodesk University 2023, it was clear that Autodesk was making a huge impact with their platform for manufacturing software on and off when needed. It has always been one of the best ideas in my mind, and Autodesk is now having. They announced the Fusion Industry Cloud, which is based on true connection of data, people, and processes.
For Autodesk to move forward, it was inevitable they would rebrand. Effective 30/01/2024, what was known as “Autodesk Fusion 360” is now “Autodesk Fusion”. This will begin a new delivery addressing a global industry, not just a single user.
In my opinion, Fusion is already at a severe stage in its evolution. When I started using the product almost ten years ago, it was difficult to see where the product fitted for commercial customers in the design, engineering, and manufacturing process, but now my perspective has shifted. Fusion is now ready to be taken very seriously.
With this new significant level of features, it must now have a realistic price, and to be “completely honest”, I still think Autodesk is giving it away, but how can they go from single users, start-ups, hobbyists, and education, to commercial customers with global security level systems, hence the reason for a price increase and high-level development of the Industry Cloud Platform.
My daily interaction with Fusion customers is starting to get very interesting. I see the beginning of a wave of brave customers who see Fusion as a tool fit for purpose.
Areas such as drawings no longer have negative energy during customer interaction. This conversation has now shifted to Automation, which is a fantastic conversation to have with customers. If you haven’t seen what is new in drawings, then you really should pay attention to this one; automated drawings are a fantastic addition to Fusion with no need to be a developer; this is a built-in feature. Discover the Power of Drawing Automation in Autodesk Fusion
Extensions
Customers are always a little sceptical about add-ons, but to be fair, there are good and bad points. The good is they can be activated when needed, and the bad is the additional cost.
But think of it this way: when you get a new project, you outline and plan all the resources you need for the job; why not factor in the use of software with this? When you go out to your customer with a price, make sure you incorporate advanced manufacturing software to do the tasks outlined in the project; if you don’t need them afterwards, you don’t purchase again.
The ability to turn the software on and off when needed has always been one of the best ideas in my mind, and Autodesk now has a range of different purchasing plans to help.
Here are the main changes Autodesk have made to Fusion Extensions:
What’s Next with Fusion
If you don’t know already, Autodesk has a Fusion Insider program where you can access all the latest ideas on what is coming in Fusion. Become a Fusion Insider.
Also, here is a link to the What’s to come in 2024 Autodesk Fusion Roadmap - Fusion Blog, where you can find out more about what is yet to come in 2024.
Future training
Symetri has a full set of training courses to help you get up to speed with Fusion, especially in the areas that might be a little more of a challenge: Fusion 360 Training Courses. Please fill in the form if you would like to talk with one of our consultants about your training needs.
