Management buy-out creates Geensoft

Geensoft, a new, independent company focusing on the provision of software design tools and associated professional services for embedded systems development, has been created by a management buy-out (MBO) of the former embedded design tools business of Geensys.

The MBO creating Geensoft has been led by former Geensys executives Eliane Fourgeau, Thierry Gueguen and Marc Frouin. Geensoft will be headed by an extremely experienced executive management team that includesThierry Gueguenas CTO, Michel Hagege as VP of Worldwide Sales and Eliane Fourgeau as CEO. Marc Frouin, Geensys’ former President, will head Geensoft’s new Supervisory Board.

Geensoft’sproduct portfolio includes the award-winning Reqtify, ControlBuild and AUTOSAR Builder tool suites as well as the RT-Builder system simulation tool. Highly successful in satisfying the embedded systems and software development needs of a broad range of industries over the past five years,Geensoftintends to accelerate their worldwidegrowth potential by capitalising on their demonstrable success, industry-proven track record andrespective market-leadership. New versions of Reqtify and a novel plug-in module to AUTOSAR Builder are being launched at Embedded World 2010 in Nuremberg, Germany in March.

“The completion of the MBO will enable us to focus more clearly and completely on accelerating the market penetration and future growth potential of our portfolio of software tools for embedded systems,” said Eliane Fourgeau. “Their previous success in addressing the embedded system and software development issues of their respective target markets clearly indicates that they have a continued and significant future role to play.”

Reqtify provides the automated management of embedded systems and software requirements capture, traceability and impact analysis throughout the entire development lifecycle. Reqtify’s underlying technology also provides the requirements engine for most of the other requirementstraceability tools currently on the market. AUTOSAR Builder provides an AUTOSAR/ARTOP platform for the design, development, verification and validation of AUTOSAR-compliant automotive electronic systems. ControlBuild is a front-to-back environment for the design, development, validation, deployment and maintenance of control and automation systems and applications. RT-Builder facilitatesthe modelling, simulation and validation of distributed real-time architectures for multi-processor and multi-bus systems.

To be headquartered in Brest (France), Geensoft will continue to operate on a global basis with R&D and sales offices in France (Paris, Brest and Nancy) along with sales offices in Germany (Munich) and Japan (Yokohama) supported by a network of distributors, value-added integrators and OEMs throughout Europe, North America and Asia. All of the former Geensys personnel responsible for the development, sales and support of the Geensoft product portfolio and associated services have transitioned to Geensoft.

Geensoft inherits an enviable customer base amongst market-leading global companies. Automotive industry customers include PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault, BMW, Delphi, Valeo, Autoliv, JCAE, Magneti Marelli and Denso. Customers in the aerospace/defence arena include companies like Airbus Industrie, Boeing, EADS, SAFRAN, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins and Thales, to name a few. Rail industry customers include RATP and SNCF, Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens Transportation, Faiveley, and in other industry sectors companies like Spie, Clemessy, EDF, Degrémont, CNR, Schneider Electric, ELA Medical and Lilly.

“Over the last five years, our products have gained an enviable reputation for supportingquality centric engineering processes as well as complex embedded systems and software development for demanding customers in theaerospace, automotive, defence, energy, industrial automation, medical and transportationindustries,“ concluded Eliane Fourgeau. “Our seasoned sales, support, professional services and engineering personnel give companies in all these markets the competitive edge they have come to expect from our tools.”