20 Years of Innovation and Automation

Celebrating 20 Years of DriveWorks

This year we are celebrating an amazing 20 years of DriveWorks!

For the last 20 years, we’ve marked 1^st February on the calendar as the official day when DriveWorks software first came to market.

Since 2001, there’s been lots and lots of development, as we’ve worked hard to anticipate and respond to user suggestions, and to take advantage of new and emerging technologies.

It adds up to making our celebration a celebration of continuous innovation and automation.

DriveWorks was founded in 2001 when Glen Smith, mechanical engineer, automation advocate and SOLIDWORKS 3D Evangelist saw the opportunity to create a productivity tool for automating designs created in SOLIDWORKS.

That’s when he asked Maria, also a SOLIDWORKS enthusiast and business development specialist to work with him and “Take DriveWorks to Market.”, creating DriveWorks, a design automation software tool to automate SOLIDWORKS, the leading 3D CAD design package.

Since then, our team has grown and we’ve developed three DriveWorks software products; DriveWorksXpress, DriveWorks Solo, and DriveWorks Pro.

They are used for design automation, product configuration, business process automation and as a CPQ, sales configurator solution.

DriveWorks software is used by businesses of all sizes, in a wide range of industries and market sectors across the globe. We’ve established an international network of over 100 Value-Added Resellers, across 51 countries, who sell and support our software internationally.

Our Technology

During these 20 years, the many members of the DriveWorks team have worked hard to deliver our award-winning software.

We’re proud to have delivered 18 major software releases with multiple Service Packs so far.

Each release offering new features and even more functionality for our customers.

Over the past 2 decades, technology has changed considerably, something that we’ve embraced and adapted to with our own technology.

During this time there have been huge advances that have changed the future of digital.

In January 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and it was released in June of that year. In September 2008, Google Chrome was launched.

In April 2010 the first iPad was launched and in 2014, VR rapidly gained momentum as more people started exploring the possibilities of VR.

By recognising new innovations that are changing the technology world, it allows for us here at DriveWorks to take our own technology to the next level as we implement new innovations into our own software.

Everyone here at DriveWorks is incredibly dedicated to creating great, innovative software for our customers all over the world.

The collaborative work-spaces we have created and our company culture all foster innovation. It’s at the heart of everything we do.

Our Success

Another milestone in our technology was in 2007 when SOLIDWORKS  announced at SolidWorks World, that DriveWorksXpress would be included in every license of SOLIDWORKS.

Over the years our relationship with SOLIDWORKS has grown and we are proud to be a SOLIDWORKS Gold Certified Partner and the chosen design automation solution for SOLIDWORKS.

Based on this trust, DriveWorksXpress, DriveWorks Solo and DriveWorks Pro are all SOLIDWORKS Gold Partner Products and we have built strong links with the entire SOLIDWORKS Community.

We have also been recognised as a Microsoft Gold Partner for Application Development and our products are Windows 10 compatible and fully supported by us.

In 2019, we were recognised locally with two High Sheriff’s Awards, for Innovation and Export.

The awards are the region’s most prestigious awards for business performance.

The Export award recognised our significant growth in international business through a clear commitment to the development of new export market opportunities.

While the Innovation award recognised our ability to create, nurture and develop new products.

In the same year, we were also recognised with the highest accolade available to UK businesses, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

The Queen’s Awards recognise businesses for outstanding achievement and we are honoured to have received two awards, for Innovation and for International Trade.

On Friday 6th September, we held our Queen’s Award presentation and Digital Technology & Automation Open Day at our corporate headquarters in Thelwall, Warrington.

Proudly flying the Queen’s Award flag at our corporate headquarters, we welcomed 135 guests to join us for a Technology and Automation Open Day to celebrate our achievement.

Looking to the Future

We continually monitor what’s happening in industry; from innovative technologies to emerging tech trends.

At the rate technology is advancing, we see now more than ever how important it is to adapt and be responsive.

Our team is resourceful and imaginative. We listen to customer suggestions and are always looking for ways to make our software the very best it can be.

We work hard to keep our knowledge up to date and be agile so that we can continue evolving.

Whilst many of us are working from home at the moment, we still have a lot of work to do and a lot to look forward to.

We are taking part in an-all virtual 3DEXPERIENCE World 2021 with a full team of DriveWorks Experts on our live booth answering questions, and DriveWorks ‘on-demand’ presentations ready to be watched.

We are also planning a virtual DriveWorks World 2021.

DriveWorks World is our annual technical training event that brings together DriveWorks users from all around the world for a week of learning, networking and sharing knowledge.

After many successful years of hosting DriveWorks World and each year the event growing, we can’t wait to see what this year’s virtual event holds!

Celebrate 20 Years With Us