As the spotlight illuminated the stage at the 2024 Autodesk University, the air was charged with anticipation. The Design and Manufacturing Keynote, featuring Autodesk leaders Srinath Jonnalagadda, Derrek Cooper, and Stephen Hooper, offered an exclusive look at how Autodesk is not only keeping up with industry trends but setting the pace. In an era where the manufacturing sector is predicted to skyrocket from $1 trillion to $16 trillion by 2028, the keynote emphasized the urgency of embracing digital transformation and technological convergence to stay competitive.
Srinath Jonnalagadda
VP, D&M Industry Strategy
Vice President of Design and Manufacturing Strategy, Srinath Jonnalagadda, led with a compelling overview of the industry’s rapid evolution, citing everyday items as examples of this shift. “Today, even a coffee maker is no longer just a coffee maker,” Jonnalagadda quipped, explaining how this familiar device now functions as a connected smart appliance, blending hardware, software, and sensors to elevate a simple brew. This example mirrored a broader trend in manufacturing: the fusion of various domains—mechanical engineering, electronics, and software—that together enable the creation of intelligent, data-driven products.
Fusion 360: A New Era for Manufacturing
At the heart of Autodesk’s strategy is Fusion 360, which Jonnalagadda, Cooper, and Hooper described as “not just CAD, CAM, and CAE software,” but a platform that bridges every stage of the product lifecycle. Fusion 360’s latest updates reflect Autodesk’s focus on interoperability, where engineers, designers, and manufacturers can collaborate seamlessly regardless of the software ecosystem they rely on. “Fusion 360 is now the gateway to an end-to-end connected experience,” explained Cooper. “It’s about more than just compatibility; it’s about creating a cohesive platform that integrates each phase of product development with unparalleled fluidity.”
This new functionality aligns with Autodesk’s goal to make Fusion the backbone of product lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) by enhancing its ability to connect, adapt, and scale. Cooper highlighted how Fusion’s performance had increased by 300% over the past year, a boost that has enabled even the most complex industrial assemblies to be handled with ease, allowing large-scale engineering teams to collaborate in real-time.
The addition of specific enhancements for Inventor and Alias expands Fusion’s capability to support diverse, sophisticated workflows. For instance, Autodesk has streamlined sheet metal design with a new, intuitive interface, crucial for companies like Masten Brook, a producer of earth-moving machinery that deals with assemblies involving over 300,000 unique parts. These updates aren’t just about speed; they’re about precision and flexibility in a world where design challenges grow more complex by the day.
