Last week companies that use SofTech ProductCenter PLM with PTC
Pro/ENGINEER were told that effective the end of January 2008, SofTech
will no longer be a PTC partner. More than one angry user contacted
CADCAMNet to share their outrage, because for them, PTC giving SofTech
the boot creates a new set of engineering IT management headaches.
The First Letter: Good-Bye SofTech
On July 24, 2007 SofTech-Pro/E users received a letter from SofTech
president Jean Croteau:
I am writing to you today to inform you that PTC has just informed
SofTech that they will not be renewing our membership in PTC’s
PartnerAdvantage Program effective January 31, 2008. The effect of PTC
not allowing SofTech to renew in their Program means that SofTech will
no longer have the right to use PTC’s Toolkits and Pro/ENGINEER licenses
for software development, maintenance or customer support purposes
beyond January 31, 2008.
PTC indicated that SofTech had not violated any of the terms of
our PartnerAdvantage Program but cited that the competitive nature of
our two companies was contrary to their best business interests and that
our termination from their Program was non-negotiable.
As you may know, prior to SofTech’s acquisition of Workgroup
Technology Corporation (WTC), WTC had been a member of PTC’s Partner
Programs since the early 1990’s. Upon the acquisition of WTC by SofTech,
SofTech continued this relationship with PTC without incident. We had no
prior warnings or indication from PTC that our relationship would come
to an end.
We contacted PTC for an explanation. The executive in charge of the
PTC PartnerAdvantage program is on vacation, so another company
representative explained that it is normal for PTC to occasionally
review the program. “In the case of SofTech, we went through an
evaluation process and we decided SofTech adds no extra value to our
customers.” The representative also noted that PTC does have competitors
as members of the PartnerAdvantage program.
The Second Letter: No Means NO
Last week SofTech’s Croteau sent another letter to its Pro/E-using
clients. We have redacted specific contact information from the letter.
On July 24, 2007, I informed you that PTC provided SofTech with
notice of its intent not to renew our membership in PTC’s
PartnerAdvantage Program effective January 31, 2008. The effect of this
action being that SofTech would no longer have the right to use PTC’s
Pro/Toolkit and Pro/ENGINEER licenses for software development,
maintenance or customer support purposes beyond January 31, 2008.
Understanding that the effect of this action by PTC would be a
hardship for your company to seek and implement an alternative solution
in such a minimal time frame, SofTech asked PTC if they would allow
SofTech to continue to provide you with technical support and updated
enhancements to the ProductCenter Pro/ENGINEER Integrator for as long as
you chose to remain a customer of SofTech. Although PTC agreed to take
our request under advisement, I regret to inform you that we have been
notified by PTC that their original decision to terminate our
relationship effective upon the renewal date of January 31, 2007 stands.
Read more...
