From acquisition to innovation: the CLA and Cadmatic integration journey six months on

I was the General Manager and deputy Managing Director of Computer Line Associates, or CLA, when it was acquired by Cadmatic at the end of September last year. Six months will have passed by the end of March this year, and a lot has happened in that time. We have some very exciting developments in the software solution space coming up in the next six months.

Being acquired by another company can be stressful, especially for employees who are unsure how they will integrate into the acquiring party's business practices and organizational culture. There may even be some concern about possible job losses.

Smooth and collaborative process

What really stands out for me about the six months of integration in HR, business systems, IT systems, software development, and general way of doing things is how smoothly it all went. Where changes were required, they were discussed collaboratively and positively, and the reasons for these decisions were clearly communicated to us. This, I believe, immediately fostered teamwork and aided in the integration of CLA into Cadmatic. One of Cadmatic's four values is succeeding together, and I believe this has been reflected in the way the acquisition and integration project has progressed.

The only point on which we clearly disagree is when we should have lunch. In Finland, Cadmaticans have lunch as early as 11.15 a.m., whereas in Italy, this is known to as a late breakfast. We prefer to start lunch later, rarely before 13.00. Because of the one-hour time difference, we must keep an eye on the clock so as not to disrupt each other's lunchtimes. But if this is your integration project's biggest challenge, you know things are going well.

From Growth Acceleration Seminar to the release of new software solutions

I had the pleasure of attending Cadmatic's growth seminar, which was held in Turku, Finland, from 28–29 October 2022. This was my first introduction to the Cadmatic family. A picnic cruise on the Viking Grace from Turku to Stockholm was part of the seminar. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet everyone and strategize together while also having fun. You can watch the short video below about the event below.

Since then, the focus has mainly been on organizational integration, but we haven't lost sight of our main goal: bringing together our various software solutions to add value for our clients. I am very excited about what the next six months and beyond will bring.

We are going to see the release of four distinct software solutions!

Our former product Spider will be relaunched as CADMATIC Engineering™ with an integration to CADMATIC eShare, while our project management solution TMS will be relaunched as CADMATIC Projects™ with a similar eShare integration.

The former Puma, Sumo, and Elena applications will be merged into CADMATIC Materials™, a single powerful solution. And last but not least, Cosmo and Welding Book will be merged into a new solution called CADMATIC Construction™.

Cadmatic solutions for OOP and EPCs

From the very beginning, I believed that combining CLA's SaaS-based material and construction management software and engineering data management solutions with Cadmatic's CAD applications and information management would result in a very comprehensive and powerful package. This is now becoming a reality due to our efforts.

Our customers have been patiently waiting to reap the benefits of this integration, and I am thrilled that our first delivery dates are fast approaching.

My introduction to the Cadmatic team during the Growth Acceleration seminar in October 2022.