Romans CAD
Romans CAD (Stratégies) is a French vertical CAD/PDM software vendor founded in 1988, serving 1,500+ footwear, leather goods, and soft-materials manufacturers globally with an integrated 3D/2D design, cutting, and product data management platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersRungis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Romans CAD does
Romans CAD is a vertical CAD/PDM software platform purpose-built for the footwear, leather goods (maroquinerie), and adjacent soft-materials industries. Founded in 1988 in Rungis, France as Stratégies, the company develops the Romans CAD Software (RCS) suite, which integrates 3D modeling, 2D pattern engineering, nesting/cutting, and product data management in a single native platform with a centralized database. The latest release (V16, March 2026) introduces real-time 3D-to-2D synchronization, photorealistic rendering (3x faster than prior versions), a dedicated RCS Bag 3D-2D module for leather goods, vision-assisted leather defect detection, and an AI-ready data substrate for future ML-based workflows. The platform is sold through enterprise direct sales from the France headquarters and a global network of authorized resellers across Europe, Latin America, and Asia, with integrations into ERP/PLM (via RCS API), X-Rite material appearance (AxF), SABAL/ZUND cutting machinery, Swatchbook material libraries, and Citrix cloud delivery. Revenues are generated from software licenses (network, standalone, and hardware-dongle modes) and recurring maintenance contracts, supplemented by Qualiopi-certified professional training services. The company claims 1,500+ customers across approximately 35 countries, including Michael Kors, RTFKT (Nike), and a base of French luxury shoe manufacturers with whom the platform was originally co-developed; the company is privately held, self-funded over 35+ years, and led by CEO Jean-Pierre Pedeboy.
Romans CAD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Romans CAD
- Legal name
- Stratégies
- Website
- https://romans-cad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Romans CAD (Stratégies) is a French vertical CAD/PDM software vendor founded in 1988, serving 1,500+ footwear, leather goods, and soft-materials manufacturers globally with an integrated 3D/2D design, cutting, and product data management platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Romans CAD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- CAD/PDM Software for Footwear and Leather Goods
- akta.pro primary industry
- 3D Design & CAD for Additive Manufacturing (IMAAACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Inventory, Part Libraries & Secure File Management (IMAAACAH)
Keywords
Where Romans CAD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rungis
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Romans CAD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Romans CAD Software is sold as a licensed software platform. The company offers maintenance contracts providing access to the latest software improvements and updates. Licensing modes include network licenses, standalone licenses, and hardware dongle licenses, as described in the support center.
- Professional Services and Training: Stratégies provides certified training programs covering 3D design, product engineering, and marketing presentation. Training sessions can be conducted at Stratégies headquarters, client sites, local partners, or online. The company is Qualiopi certified.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom licensing — no public pricing tiers disclosed |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Romans CAD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Romans CAD (RCS) is a unified CAD/PDM digital platform purpose-built for the footwear, leather goods, and soft materials industries. The platform natively integrates 3D modeling, 2D pattern engineering, material nesting/cutting, and product data management into a single centralized database. It enables end-to-end digital workflows from concept (Sketch 3D) through engineering, cost estimation, cutting, and B2B model publishing to retail partners.
Product overview
Romans CAD is a unified digital CAD/PDM platform for footwear, leather goods, and soft material industries. The platform architecture consists of core products: Romans CAD V16 (the latest version covering 3D/2D/PDM development workflows), Romans CAD Data Management (PDM) with sub-modules (Document Vault, Engineering, Pre-Costing, Colorize), and specialized modules for 3D Design (Last, Chaussure, Bag, Other Industries), 2D Design (pattern-making and material costing), Cutting/Lumière (placement and video projection cutting), and Showcase (B2B publishing). RCS API enables ERP/PLM integration. The platform natively integrates all modules to enable real-time 3D/2D synchronization, automatic BOM generation, and collaborative workflows from concept to production. Training and support services are also provided.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Romans CAD Software: Digital CAD/PDM platform for footwear and leather goods industries covering 3D design, 2D pattern engineering, cutting, and data management.
- RCS DM
- RCS 3D Last
- RCS 3D Design
- RCS Bag 3D
- RCS 2D
- RCS 2D Bag
- RCS Lumière
- RCS SL
- RCS Colorize
- RCS Pre-Costing
- RCS Showcase
Products and services
- Romans CAD V16 (RCS 2026) Latest major version (2026) of the unified CAD/PDM digital platform for footwear and leather goods industries, featuring real-time 3D/2D integration, AI-assisted defect detection, photorealistic rendering, and smart cost management.
- Romans CAD Data Management (RCS DM/PDM) Central Product Data Management system natively integrated into all CAD modules. Manages technical data, document vault, engineering documentation, pre-costing, and variant management for footwear and leather goods development.
- Romans CAD 3D Design 3D modeling and visualization module for footwear design including 3D Last (boot forms), 3D Chaussure (shoe design), 3D Bag (leather goods), and 3D Other Industries, supporting digital prototyping and photorealistic rendering.
- Romans CAD 2D Design 2D pattern engineering module for footwear, leather goods, and other soft material industries. Includes 2D MS for pattern-making with specialized functions (pins, pleats, gussets) and SL for material consumption and cost calculations.
- Romans CAD Lumière (Cutting) Video projection cutting software for footwear, leather goods, and furniture industries covering leather skin quality control, manual/automatic piece placement, and cutting operations with machine code generation. Integrates with SABAL and ZUND cutting systems.
- Romans CAD Showcase B2B publishing platform enabling transversal model publication, sharing virtual 3D models with stakeholders and retail partners, and collecting feedback before physical prototyping.
- RCS Bag 3D-2D Module Module specifically designed for leather goods, enabling precise bag prototyping with realistic volume and fold simulation directly linked to production patterns.
- RCS API Application programming interface enabling integration of Romans CAD platform into enterprise IT architecture (ERP/PLM systems) for synchronized workflows.
- Training Programs Certified training sessions covering all aspects of 3D design, product engineering, and virtual collection marketing for footwear, leather goods, and furniture industries. Qualiopi certified.
- Maintenance and Support Contracts Maintenance contracts providing access to the latest software improvements and updates, plus technical assistance for all Romans CAD modules.
Quantifiable outcome
- Productivity gains exceeding 50% reported by customers using Romans CAD DM
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Romans CAD
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Romans CAD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability8 records
Feature15 records
Romans CAD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, flagship and supporting.
- Kunden SystemsmajorJoint participation at Fimec 2024 in Brazil. Kunden Systems brings ERP solutions expertise, combining with Romans CAD's digital platform and Juki's sewing machinery to present an integrated offering for the footwear and leather goods industries.
- JukimajorJuki, a sewing machinery manufacturer, joined the Romans CAD and Kunden Systems partnership at Fimec 2024. Juki's local distributor also participated, expanding the collaborative presentation for the footwear and maroquinerie industries.
- SABALmajorRomans CAD V14 introduced total integration with SABAL cutting machines (Italy). Romans CAD Lumière nesting software is designed for use with 'open' cutting machines from manufacturers such as SABAL, ZUND, and equivalents.
- RTFKT (Nike)coreRTFKT, Nike's virtual sneaker and digital fashion brand, joined the Romans CAD community. The partnership reflects the platform's capabilities in digital product development and its appeal to innovative fashion brands exploring digital design and virtual product creation.
- Michael KorscoreMichael Kors joined the Romans CAD Community in 2021 through a multi-year partnership. As a major fashion industry actor, Michael Kors uses RCS platform for digital product development, leveraging the versatility of the digital CAD/PDM platform to accelerate product development processes.
- FDRA (Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America)flagshipStratégies partnered with FDRA for webinars on the New Footwear Informational Model and co-hosted a 3D Product Development Workshop in New York (November 2018) to bring 3D design software to a broader segment of the footwear industry. FDRA provides a platform for Romans CAD to reach US footwear brands.
- X-RitecoreRomans CAD natively supports X-Rite's Appearance Exchange Format (AxF), enabling accurate communication of physical material appearance — color, texture, gloss, transparency, special effects — in a single editable file. This integration is part of X-Rite's Total Appearance Capture (TAC) Ecosystem. Romans CAD users can leverage physically correct digital materials for unmatched color and texture accuracy in visualization.
- Academic and University PartnerssupportingStratégies has established long-term partnerships with fashion and design schools and universities, providing software licenses and training faculty. The company maintains special pricing programs for educational institutions and professional training centers. Certified Qualiopi training programs support professional learners.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Romans CAD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Style3D: China-based digital fashion platform offering 3D garment design, virtual photoshoots, and collaborative design tools. An emerging competitor to Romans CAD with strong momentum in Asian footwear and apparel manufacturers, leveraging regional manufacturing concentration.
- Browzwear: 3D apparel design and virtual sampling platform with strong adoption among fashion brands exploring digital workflows. Competes with Romans CAD in 3D virtual prototyping, particularly in the digital fashion and metaverse-adjacent use cases Romans CAD addresses through its RTFKT/Nike relationship.
- CLO 3D: 3D garment design and simulation software widely used by fashion brands and digital designers. Competes with Romans CAD on the 3D visualization and digital twin use case, though with broader apparel focus and stronger presence in digital fashion and education.
Broad incumbents
- Shima Seiki: Japanese manufacturer of computer-aided design systems, flat knitting machines, and CAD software for the textile and apparel industry. A broader incumbent that overlaps with Romans CAD in pattern design and fashion manufacturing digitalization, though with deeper strength in knitwear.
- Centric Software: Enterprise PLM platform for fashion, retail, and consumer goods companies. A broader incumbent that competes for the same enterprise customers as Romans CAD with end-to-end product lifecycle management, though less specialized in footwear-specific CAD/CAM workflows.
- Dassault Systèmes (3DEXPERIENCE): Global PLM and 3D design software leader with 3DEXPERIENCE platform serving multiple industries including fashion and luxury. A broad incumbent that increasingly targets footwear and fashion with integrated CAD/PLM capabilities, posing an indirect competitive threat to Romans CAD's niche specialization.
Direct peers
- Optitex: 2D/3D CAD and virtual prototyping software for apparel, footwear, and technical textiles. Overlaps with Romans CAD in digital pattern making, 3D garment simulation, and material visualization for fashion manufacturers.
- Lectra: French-headquartered global leader in CAD/CAM and PLM solutions for fashion, footwear, leather goods, and furniture. Directly competes with Romans CAD across the same core verticals (footwear, leather goods, furniture/upholstery) and serves many of the same enterprise customers with broader product breadth.
- Assyst (Hohenstein): CAD/PLM vendor for the apparel and footwear industry with strong presence in pattern making, marker making, and 3D virtual sampling. Directly comparable to Romans CAD in serving footwear brands and apparel manufacturers with integrated design-to-production platforms.
- Gerber Technology: Provides CAD/CAM and PLM solutions for apparel, footwear, and industrial fabrics. Competes directly with Romans CAD in pattern engineering, material nesting, and cutting room workflows for fashion and soft-material manufacturers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Romans CAD social profiles
Digital presenceRomans CAD compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Romans CAD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Romans CAD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Romans CAD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Romans CAD M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Romans CAD
What does Romans CAD do?
Romans CAD (RCS) is a unified CAD/PDM digital platform purpose-built for the footwear, leather goods, and soft materials industries. The platform natively integrates 3D modeling, 2D pattern engineering, material nesting/cutting, and product data management into a single centralized database. It enables end-to-end digital workflows from concept (Sketch 3D) through engineering, cost estimation, cutting, and B2B model publishing to retail partners.
Is Romans CAD a public or private company?
Romans CAD is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Romans CAD founded?
Romans CAD was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Romans CAD based?
Romans CAD is headquartered in Rungis, France, in the Europe region.
How does Romans CAD make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are professional Services and Training.
Who are Romans CAD's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Style3D, Browzwear and CLO 3D. Broad incumbents are Shima Seiki, Centric Software and Dassault Systèmes (3DEXPERIENCE). Direct peers are Optitex, Lectra, Assyst (Hohenstein) and Gerber Technology.
Does Romans CAD have an API?
Yes. RCS API enables integration of Romans CAD into enterprise IT architecture (ERP/PLM). Available since V14 (2023), allowing companies to integrate RCS platform with their internal systems for synchronized workflows. Developer documentation is at support.romans-cad.com.
What industry is Romans CAD in?
Romans CAD's product category is CAD/PDM Software for Footwear and Leather Goods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAACAA, 3D Design & CAD for Additive Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMAAACAH, Digital Inventory, Part Libraries & Secure File Management.