I just returned from SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego after interviewing thirty exhibitors, talking to attendees, and seeing and feeling the upbeat  energy of an industry that’s on an optimistically positive trajectory.

Show attendance was up year over year and all the exhibitors interviewed exuded confidence in the manufacturing sector’s growing strength.  One case in point was a conversation I had with Chris Wilkes, VP at Simetrix who said that sales of their CETOL  tolerance analysis software is way up and has been trending strongly in a positive direction. Chris pointed out that tolerance analysis software purchases are a leading indicator since major manufacturing companies make these purchases a year to eighteen months ahead of implementation.

This sentiment of upbeat movement was echoed by virtually every MCAD/CAM vender we interviewed, and I walked away buoyed by their enthusiasm.

The conference was a showcase for innovation that drew enthusiastic attendees who physically vied for a close-up view of newly released software and hardware to experience the wow factor of these game changing technological advances.

To illustrate the ‘wow’ I took these shots of the HP booth during a lull in show floor traffic as a crowd vied for an close up look at HP’s  new Z1 workstation that integrates the power of multi-core and more with a 27″ high-res display.

HP’s Z1 All in One Workstation Wows the Crowd During a Lull in Floor Traffic

If you attended this conference you’ve experienced first-hand the positive mood and energy.  If you couldn’t make it to San Diego you can virtually be there by watching the many MCADCafe interview videos soon to be posted on this site.

I left with a renewed sense of optimism in our nation’s economic recovery lead by the manufacturing sector.  I just pray that nothing “mucks this up” as the President recently warned.  I’ve got my fingers crossed, and am holding my breadth.