Bentley Systems, Incorporated today announced the acquisition of FormSys, based in Perth, Australia. This software development company has a proven, twenty-year track record in 3D design, analysis, and construction software for structural engineering, offshore engineering, and naval architecture.
The acquisition will expand Bentley’s SACS offerings for the design and analysis of floating structures, further extending the company’s reach in the offshore energy market. SACS is an integrated finite element structural analysis suite of programs that uniquely supports the design, fabrication, installation, operations, and maintenance of offshore structures, including oil platforms and wind farms. Thirty-eight years of focus on these specialized requirements have made SACS the analysis mainstay for most of the world’s offshore engineers. FormSys brings complementary capabilities to this market leader.
CEO Greg Bentley said, “I’m pleased that we are further expanding our leadership role in deeper offshore opportunities with this acquisition. We are nowhere near the point of diminishing returns in engineering software for better-performing offshore structures – ranging from shallow water fixed oil platforms to deep water tethered wind farms – particularly as to their safety and resilience. We are mindful that ‘offshore’ makes up seventy percent of the Earth’s surface, and we would like to contribute even more toward its vital role in sustaining infrastructure.”
FormSys software, like SACS, is employed around the globe. Among the many committed users of its products are leading consulting engineering companies in the offshore sector, including Aker Solutions, DOF Subsea, and Noble Denton, and classification societies Lloyds Register, DNV, and ABS. FormSys users, as well as the users of SACS, will benefit both technically and commercially from this acquisition. FormSys software is particularly strong in the analysis of offshore vessels and structures such as offshore supply vessels, FPSOs, and drillships, as well as spars and semi-submersibles. This complements the industry-leading capabilities of the SACS product line in the design and analysis of fixed offshore structures, making the combined technology strengths a compelling fit for offshore structures of all types.