Next week we will be getting deep dish...travelling to Chicago for IMTS 2026, the largest trade show in North America. There is no perspective on the industry of manufacturing quite like this one. It's the chance to speak with folks from every facet affecting the supply chain and the businesses — small and large — that keep production running.
It's also a great chance to connect with our partners and peers in the industry. It is particularly rewarding to engage with fellow software companies who have integrated our 3D Framework geometry kernel into the products they are providing to the market. We built it with capabilities we found lacking in the other kernels on the market back when we started; it's always exciting to see the new ways that our licensing customers put it to use.
Another partner we'll be engaging with at IMTS is Mastercam, as a part that company's Partner Showcase series that they are presenting to show attendees. Our Andy Beaupré, Chief Consulting Engineer, will have a pod within their booth area where he will be demonstrating our CAD data fidelity and reporting tools, like Validate and Revision. Mastercam has been a technology partner of ours for many years, and we look forward to the chance to support their customers' success.
For the second straight year, an additional aspect of our presence at the event will be our CTO, Ram Eswaran, presenting at the co-located IMTS Conference. This is a technical conference held within the same event venue, McCormick Center. Ram is presenting on "The Evolution of ISO STEP, a Key Enabler of the Model-Based Enterprise."
It's an important topic because it is so easily overlooked. It is easy to view standard files as "lowest common denominator" types of formats — everyone can read them. But as Ram knows through his involvement in standards committees, there is a great deal of capability to go along with compatibility within the STEP format. Helping find ways to put these capabilities to good use aligns with the focus of our MBD File Utilities in particular: to help today's shops adapt to the model-based initiatives taking hold across the industry. We appreciate this chance to contribute to the discussion.
If you are making the trip to IMTS, please stop by and see us at Booth #155131 in the East Building down near the lakefront patio.