Reflections from the 2026 3DEXPERIENCE & ENOVIA User Conference in Boston
ByMarc Young and Ilan Madjar
Marc Young and Ilan Madjar share their takeaways from the 2026 3DEXPERIENCE & ENOVIA User Conference in Boston, including customer insights, platform evolution, and emerging trends.
We recently enjoyed a few days in Boston at the 2026 3DEXPERIENCE and ENOVIA User Conference, and had a very positive experience.
Most striking to us was the quality of sessions and level of maturity achieved by users of the platform. There was a good representation of customers, partners and Dassault Systèmes and an appropriate balance of business and technical content for an educational and engaging event.
Here are some of our major takeaways.
Transformation Still Comes Down to the Organization
One of the presentations that impressed us the most was by Vermeer. This presentation was not highly technical but provided an overview of what is really needed for implementation. In particular, they demonstrated the importance of aligning and preparing for changes in the way the business operates. Correct technology decisions may be made, but if the business is not ready, this becomes apparent very quickly.
This serves as a reminder that successful PLM implementations are as much about people and processes as they are about the platform.
How SmarTeam Users Are Expanding With 3DEXPERIENCE
During some user presentations, we saw how companies like Marcopolo and FNSS have evolved from ENOVIA SmartTeam into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. In these cases, they began with a small implementation of digital mockup or data management and continued to expand. Finally, they managed additional processes on the platform, integrated with SAP and developed their own functionality using widgets and integrations.
This progression is important and demonstrates how mature organizations optimize the value of PLM over time, and not all at once.
Extending the Platform in a Controlled Way
In addition, we saw that customers are not necessarily relying solely on out-of-the-box functionality, but are extending the platform in a structured manner. These are not ad-hoc⁴ customizations, but well-designed extensions to satisfy actual business needs.
Finally, Dassault was in complete agreement with this approach. The discussion is evolving from "use it as is" to "use it as a basis and add where appropriate."
Managing 3DEXPERIENCE at Scale
The session with Tesla provided a good example of how this is accomplished in a more complex setting. They presented their approach to management of a multi-environment 3DEXPERIENCE system on-site using Linux and container technologies. This includes development, test and production environments managed in a manner that permits rapid scaling and control.
For organizations implementing large systems, this degree of environment management is becoming essential.
Hybrid Is the Reality for Most Teams
As many of the customer presentations were from on-premise customers, Dassault discussed the hybrid environments approach and reflects our daily experience. Many customers remain on-site while new capabilities are implemented in the cloud. Rather than forcing a complete transition, they integrate the two environments.
We saw examples of cloud-based business process management integrated with on-site systems through web services and integration platforms. This is an effective method for enabling progress without disrupting previously implemented systems.
A More Unified 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
In addition, Dassault continues to integrate additional capabilities under the 3DEXPERIENCE platform brand.
Those capabilities previously associated with product brands such as Netvibes and Exalead, including dashboards, search and data science, are now presented as components of the core 3DEXPERIENCE platform brand. As demonstrated, they are also easier to configure with more out-of-the-box roles and tools.
AI Is Coming… Thoughtfully
The use of AI was expected and included the assignment of roles such as Aura, Leo and Maria and beginning the embedding of AI in areas such as project management for identification of risks and improved planning.
It is still early but the direction is appropriate. Finally, the magnitude of the effect will depend on the quality of the data and on the degree of process definition.
Connecting Engineering and Manufacturing
One of the best technical presentations was on configuration management and the 150% bill of material (Model and Model Versions). This was one of the clearest demonstrations of how to transition from engineering definitions to manufacturing with a single configuration structure. Even customers in the room recognized that this is a longer-term step for larger organizations.
Another Event to Add to Our "Must-Attend" List
Will we again attend the 3DEXPERIENCE & ENOVIA User Conference when Dassault hosts it in the U.S.? Of course. The content illustrated what customers are doing and where the technology is heading. Both approaches are important and provide a different perspective.
With respect to our own customers, the message is consistent. The teams that get the greatest value treat the platform as one on which they build over time and not as one that they complete.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss a project to help maximize your PLM investment, please get in touch. We’re always happy to help.
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