PCB market share – excitement for marketing strategists, but what about customers?

There has been a lot of talk lately about who can lay claim to market leadership in the PCB and EDA markets. A phrase popularized by Mark Twain said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” This, of course, refers to the misuse of statistics to bolster weak arguments.

Regardless of the exact numbers, and who is doing the counting, it seems clear that the PCB market standings as of this writing are Mentor, Zuken, and Cadence (in that order) with Ansys and Altium duking it out for fourth place.

But in the end, who is really bothered beyond the marketing strategists and the shareholders?

• One vendor says, “We’re number 1.”
  - Of course, they bought seven different companies in order to achieve this.
• Another says, “Nearly two thousand customers have switched to us.”
  - Switched from what? … And what does “switch” mean? They bought a seat of low-priced software to see if it works?

In light of these kinds of claims, we have to make our pitch too. After all, you need to hear from everyone before you can decide for yourself.

So, here’s mine:

CR-5000 is the #1 selling PCB product in the world.

Shocked? I’m not surprised.

CR-5000 - Enterprise-wide modular PCB Design

Many were shocked to find out that Zuken is #2 in overall PCB market share and #4 in overall EDA market share. But there is some simple math that you can do at home to show you what I mean.

• Start with the data provided by Gary Smith EDA in their Q1 2011 market update.
• Add to that the fact that CR-5000 represents more than 90% of Zuken’s total PCB revenue.
• The #1 vendor divides their PCB market share over three product lines, none of which match CR-5000.

Exciting, isn’t it? … You’re right, I’m the marketing guy.

But the real point is, when you are choosing a PCB design software solution, it only makes sense to consider all of the alternatives.  When you do, make sure Zuken is on your list.

Regardless of the actual market share numbers, a lot of people have chosen Zuken. Have a look at CR-5000 for yourself and see why.

… better still, contact your local Zuken office and we will advise you how you too can benefit from being part of the largest selling PCB product in the world… CR-5000.

Further Reading

Some other posts you may be interested in include:

• Zuken World #2 in PCB Design Market Share According To Updated Figures from Gary Smith EDA
• Zuken Experiences Steady Growth in the Global PCB Market over the Last Decade
• PCB Market Share – A Personal View

I am Zuken’s head of international marketing across Europe and North America, with marching orders to help Zuken improve market share and widen perceptions of the company. I am based in the Westford office in the U.S.A., but spend a lot of my time working from my home office when I am not traveling the world. My interests outside of work include biking and I enjoy listening to Benny Goodman and The Beatles when I can get a moment away from my gaggle of kids.

Steve Chidester

View all posts by Steve Chidester

Tagged as: CR-5000, electronics design, Market Share, PCB