Design software vendors see a big market emerging in India as outsourcing of engineering services gains momentum. The outsourced engineering services is considered a next big thing for Indian vendors, who are seen buying design software and tools to build capabilities to tap the new found opportunity.

"The engineering services provider (ESP) category is an emerging market segment for us where we are seeing some good growth," said Mr Kamal Kumar, Managing director of Delmia India, a subsidiary of Dassault Systemes.

While the ESP market in India is definitely adding to the kitty of the product lifecycle management (PLM) solution vendors like Dassault, PTC, UGS among others, there are no estimates available for the design software market in the ESP category. The PLM solutions help companies manage entire lifecycle of a product from the concept and design phase through product planning, visualisation and marketing to the point where the product is recycled.

In India, industry verticals like automotive, aerospace and discrete manufacturing are leading the adoption of PLM solutions. "We are seeing demand from not only global firms setting up their captive design centres in India, but also from the major Indian IT vendors, who are building capabilities to tap the engineering services segment," said Mr Vivek Marawah, Country Marketing Manager, UGS India.

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