PacifiCAD Inc., a 27-year-old Spokane reseller and servicer of software for Autodesk and some other products related to engineering design, is preparing to diversify its offerings.

The company says it has sold its Autodesk manufacturing and plant assets to Springfield, Mo.-based D3 Technologies, and expects soon to be able to announce a new software product line offering that it will market to current and prospective manufacturing sector clients.

“There is a very large manufacturing market in the Pacific Northwest, and only a portion of it uses Autodesk manufacturing and plant processes,” says Bill Inman, PacifiCAD’s Seattle-based president. “This opens it up to a much bigger customer base we’re going after.”

He says the assets that PacifiCAD has sold consist mostly of the company’s customer base that uses the Autodesk manufacturing and plant software. The company will continue to own and operate a larger Autodesk architectural, engineering, and construction software sales and service business segment and to grow its other software and service offerings, he says.

Inman declines to discuss details of the sale to D3 Technologies, which was completed Sept. 6, but says, “Part of the sale is an ongoing partnership with D3, and they’ll be sharing offices with us and providing staffing.”

He say PacifiCAD transferred one of its employees, who now is a D3 employee. Also, he says, “D3 will be adding a person in our Seattle office, and we expect them to add someone in our Spokane office as well. There’s added jobs coming to the Northwest because of this deal.” 

D3 Technologies describes itself as a consulting company that partners with manufacturers to design better products and to get them to market faster by leveraging best-in-class engineering, design, process automation, and data management technologies. 

Ron and Debbie Reed founded PacifiCAD here in 1989, and remain its co-owners. Ron Reed retired last year to focus on an interest in music, naming Inman as president in July, but Inman says Debbie Reed remains the company’s chief financial officer.

The company’s headquarters occupy the top, or third, floor of Steam Plant Square, at 823 W. Railroad. It also operates offices in Seattle, Boise, and Bozeman, Mont. The company employs 28 people, including 15 here.

Along with providing customers with software, it trains them how to use it and provides needed technical support. Its customers include architects, engineers, infrastructure designers, construction companies, and local and state governments, among others, Inman says.

Of the reason for the recent divestiture, Inman says, “Divesting allows us to focus on the larger portions of our business, which are mainly architectural and engineering, civil engineering and infrastructure.”