What CIDEON does

CIDEON Software & Services GmbH & Co. KG is a German engineering software and services provider specializing in the integration of CAD, PDM/PLM, and ERP systems for industrial customers. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Gräfelfing near Munich, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Friedhelm Loh Group and operates from 13 locations in Germany and Austria with 310+ employees. CIDEON holds dual Platinum Partner status with both Autodesk and SAP, and serves as a channel for both vendors' software alongside its own proprietary products and integration services. Its customer base spans machinery manufacturing, plant engineering, process industry, metal construction, building services, and energy — concentrated in the German Mittelstand and including named accounts such as Viessmann, Rittal, Schubert System Elektronik, BHS Corrugated, RWE, KHD Humboldt Wedag, FERALPI STAHL, HUBER SE, and Ondal Medical Systems.

The company's product portfolio combines proprietary add-ons (Cideon Conify for variant configuration, Cideon Sparify for 3D spare parts catalogs, Cideon Conversion Engine for CAD format automation, Cideon CAD Scanner for data validation, plus Inventor/Vault Toolboxes) with co-developed PDM/PLM solutions (PRO.FILE, distributed alongside DPS Software and EPLAN) and a broad library of pre-built SAP CAD interfaces linking SAP ECTR/PLM to authoring tools including Inventor, AutoCAD, Fusion, SOLIDWORKS, Solid Edge, 3DEXPERIENCE, Onshape, EPLAN, and MicroStation Connect. Revenue is generated through professional services (consulting and implementation), Autodesk software license resale, proprietary software licensing, training, 24/7 support services, and the newer Cideon Consulting+ subscription offering that converts episodic support into recurring annual contracts. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales, the company website for inbound inquiries, partner channels through Autodesk and SAP networks, NTT DATA Business Solutions for SAP-ecosystem reach (since September 2023), and LeverX Group as Prime Authorized Partner for North America (since January 2019).

Name

CIDEON

Legal name

CIDEON Software & Services GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://cideon.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CIDEON is a German engineering software and systems integrator, dual Platinum Partner with Autodesk and SAP, providing CAD/PDM/PLM/ERP integration, proprietary add-on products (Conify, Sparify, Conversion Engine), and consulting services to mid-market and enterprise industrial manufacturers across DACH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Troisdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Consulting & Implementation): Core revenue stream from process consulting, system implementation, and system integration services for CAD, PDM/PLM, and ERP integration across the product engineering lifecycle.
2. Software Sales & Licensing: Revenue from reselling Autodesk software licenses (AutoCAD, Inventor, Fusion, Vault, etc.), PRO.FILE, and proprietary Cideon software products. Autodesk Platinum Partner status enables software distribution.
3. Subscription Services (Consulting+): Cideon Consulting+ is a consulting and service subscription offering fixed annual pricing for ongoing CAD/PDM support, software configuration, release updates, and training flatrate.
4. Training Services: Software training services covering CAD, PDM, BIM and related topics in various formats including on-site, online, and self-paced options.
5. Support Services: 24/7 CAD/PDM/PLM software support ensuring operational security of customers' software systems with regular releases and updates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CIDEON is a software and services provider focused on digital integration between CAD, PDM/PLM and ERP systems for industrial engineering customers. The company sells the co-developed PRO.FILE PDM/PLM platform, proprietary add-on products (Cideon Conify, Cideon Sparify, Cideon Conversion Engine, Cideon CAD Scanner, Cideon Inventor and Vault Toolboxes), pre-built SAP CAD integration interfaces, and Autodesk software resold under Platinum Partner status. Revenue is anchored by process consulting, system implementation, training, support and a subscription-based managed service (Cideon Consulting+) delivered by 310+ experts across Germany and Austria.

Product overview

CIDEON is a digital transformation partner for engineering, offering a portfolio of integration-focused software products and professional services. The core product portfolio consists of PRO.FILE (a PDM/PLM solution co-developed with DPS Software and EPLAN for German mid-market companies), Cideon Interfaces (cross-system interface solutions connecting CAD/ECAD, PDM/PLM, and ERP systems), and SAP CAD Integrations (pre-built SAP ECTR/PLM connectors to major CAD systems including AutoCAD, EPLAN, Inventor, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, Fusion, Onshape, and 3DEXPERIENCE). CIDEON also distributes Autodesk software (Inventor, AutoCAD, Fusion, Vault, PDMC, AEC Collection) as an Autodesk Platinum Partner. Supporting products include Cideon Conify (variant configuration linking sales and engineering), Cideon Sparify (3D spare parts web catalog), Cideon Conversion Engine (CAD format automation), Cideon CAD Scanner (CAD data validation), and Cideon Toolboxes for Inventor and Vault. Professional services encompass consulting (including Cideon Consulting+ subscription), managed services, support, training, and the Cideon UpSpace VR experience center. The company serves the manufacturing, plant engineering, process industry, metal construction, and building services sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PRO.FILE PDM/PLM platform tailored to German mid-market companies, simplifying document and workflow management. Co-developed and distributed by CIDEON alongside DPS Software and EPLAN.
• Cideon Conify Variant configuration and manufacturing software linking sales and engineering data to support Configure-to-Order and Engineer-to-Order processes for industrial manufacturers; expanded with ECAD integration in 2023.
• Cideon Sparify Web application for online spare parts cataloging; customers upload 3D models and metadata to make spare parts ordering easier for their own end customers via a web interface.
• Cideon Conversion Engine Automated CAD conversion tool that generates neutral and exchange formats, enabling complete automation of neutral and exchange format generation for SAP environments.
• Cideon CAD Scanner Automated CAD data quality add-on for Autodesk AutoCAD and Inventor that verifies and compares 2D and 3D CAD data against design and inspection guidelines.
• Cideon Inventor Toolbox Collection of add-ons extending Autodesk Inventor functionality, providing efficiency, comfort and quality features for daily mechanical design work.
• Cideon Vault Toolbox Collection of add-ons extending Autodesk Vault Professional data management functionality.
• Cideon Consulting+ Annual consulting and service subscription offering fixed-price CAD and PDM advisory support, covering software installation, configuration, release updates, hotfixes, training flatrate, and first/second-level support with a central contact person.
• Cideon Interfaces (Schnittstellen) Interface solutions that access ERP, PLM, PDM and CAD systems and prepare their data in a unified overview, enabling CAD or ECAD data to be merged with SAP or Vault environments.
• SAP CAD Integrations (SAP CAD-Schnittstellen) Pre-built SAP ECTR/PLM interfaces that integrate CAD data from AutoCAD, EPLAN, Inventor, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, Fusion, Onshape, 3DEXPERIENCE and MicroStation Connect into SAP PLM.
• Cideon 3DX SAP Interface Server-side integration enabling bidirectional data exchange between Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE and SAP ERP/PLM, optimized for stability and data security.
• Cideon Managed Services Ongoing monitoring of CAD, PDM and PLM software environments with proactive intervention when outages or issues occur, including consulting and service package components.
• Cideon Support Services 24/7 support for CAD, PDM and PLM software environments covering installation and application questions, ensuring operational security of customers' software systems.
• Cideon Trainings Practice-oriented training in various formats covering CAD, PDM, BIM and related software topics, delivered on-site, online and self-paced.
• Cideon Process Consulting (Prozessberatung) Consulting service helping customers understand engineering challenges, derive improvement potential and decide on digitalization strategies.
• Software Implementation Services End-to-end implementation services drawing on decades of consulting and integration experience to deliver CAD, PDM/PLM and SAP projects.
• Cideon UpSpace Digitalization workshop facility in Düsseldorf combining process analysis with Virtual Reality customer experiences to develop digital roadmaps.
• Cideon Vault Professional Ready2Run Service package that simplifies the introduction of Autodesk Vault Professional by bundling installation and configuration work.
• Autodesk software resold by CIDEON Autodesk software licenses sold and supported by CIDEON as an Autodesk Platinum Partner, including AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Fusion, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk ReCap Pro, Autodesk Civil 3D, Vault Basic, Vault Professional, the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection (PDMC) and the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection (AEC).

Quantifiable outcome

• Cideon integrates ERP, CAD, and PDM/PLM systems from analysis through implementation to support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• NTT DATA Business SolutionsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 September 2023Sales partnership between NTT DATA Business Solutions and Cideon announced September 2023. NTT DATA Business Solutions distributes Cideon products and services as a channel partner, expanding Cideon's reach in the SAP ecosystem.
• LeverX GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019LeverX Group operates as Prime Authorized Partner of Cideon in North America since January 1, 2019, when Cideon America operations were transferred to LeverX. LeverX distributes comprehensive software products and services for SAP PLM in North America under the LeverX brand.
• AutodeskcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCideon is Autodesk Platinum Partner, reselling and implementing Autodesk software including AutoCAD, Inventor, Fusion, Vault, Revit, AEC Collection, PDMC. As a Platinum partner, Cideon has deep access to Autodesk's product portfolio and provides implementation, training, and support services for Autodesk solutions.
• SAPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCideon is SAP Platinum Partner for software development, specializing in SAP PLM, ECTR (Engineering Control Center), and CAD integrations. Cideon develops and provides SAP add-ons, interfaces (e.g., SAP ECTR interfaces to various CAD systems), and implements SAP solutions for customers.
• PRO.FILE (Coanswer)coreTechnology or IntegrationCideon is a PRO.FILE partner, providing implementation, integration (PRO.FILE SAP Interface), and support services for the PRO.FILE PDM/PLM solution targeted at German Mittelstand companies.
• Friedhelm Loh GroupcoreOthersCideon belongs to the Friedhelm Loh Group, which operates 12 production facilities and 95 subsidiaries worldwide. The group includes companies such as Rittal, Eplan, and others in the engineering and industrial software ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CONTACT Software: German PLM/CAD integration and product development software vendor serving discrete manufacturing. Overlaps with CIDEON in PLM/ERP integration services and competes in the same Mittelstand customer base.
• CENIT AG: Listed German PLM and digital transformation consultancy with comparable focus on Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE, SAP, and CAD/PLM integration. Competes head-to-head with CIDEON for enterprise engineering digitalization projects in the DACH region.
• Eplan: Sister company of CIDEON under Friedhelm Loh Group, focused on ECAD/CAE software and engineering process consulting. Shares CEO, headquarters, and customer base with CIDEON, operating as the electrical-design counterpart to CIDEON's mechanical/integration focus.
• PROCAD (PRO.FILE / Coanswer): Vendor of the PRO.FILE PDM/PLM solution that CIDEON co-distributes and implements. Direct partnership and product overlap; competes for PRO.FILE-related integration mandates.
• LeverX Group: SAP PLM and CAD integration specialist that took over CIDEON's North American business in 2019 and acts as Prime Authorized Partner. Competes with CIDEON in similar SAP/CAD integration services, particularly in North America.

Broad incumbents

• NTT DATA Business Solutions: Large global SAP-focused systems integrator that became a CIDEON distribution partner in 2023. Competes with CIDEON on enterprise SAP S/4HANA and PLM programs at much larger scale, but also resells CIDEON's products.
• msg group: Large German IT consultancy with substantial SAP and PLM practices. Competes for CAD/PLM/ERP integration mandates in the DACH industrial market, particularly in automotive and discrete manufacturing.
• All for One Group: Mid-market SAP consultancy serving German Mittelstand with ERP, PLM, and engineering integration practices. Direct overlap with CIDEON on SAP PLM and CAD-ERP integration projects for industrial customers.

Emerging players

• PRODYNA (part of TIMETOACT GROUP): Mid-sized German IT consultancy with PLM, CAD, and SAP integration capabilities. Overlaps with CIDEON on Atlas/CMS-based and PRO.FILE integration projects for mid-market industrial customers.
• DSC Software AG: German SAP partner with focus on CAD/PLM integration, document management, and engineering process optimization. Comparable to CIDEON in scope and target market, particularly in Mittelstand manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyqgK88-gFX62JBaJ42MX4w
• Facebookfacebook.com/CideonDeutschland
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/cideon
• Xx.com/cideon

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CIDEON