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Draft:Graitec

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Graitec
TypePrivate
IndustryComputer-aided design / Computer-aided engineering software, Building information modeling software
Founded1986; 40 years ago (1986)
FounderFrancis Guillemard
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Key peopleManuel Liedot (CEO)
ProductsAdvance Design, Advance Workshop, PowerPack, Graitec File Sync, Graitec STEEL
Number of employees
700+ (2023)
ParentSeven2 (majority shareholder)
Websitegraitec.com

Graitec (stylized GRAITEC) is a French software company and value-added reseller that develops computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) software for the architecture, engineering and construction industries, and resells third-party design software including Autodesk and Bluebeam products. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company was founded in 1986 by Francis Guillemard.[1] Graitec is one of the largest Autodesk partners worldwide and holds Autodesk Platinum Partner status across Europe and North America.[2] Since 2019/2020 the company has been majority-owned by the private equity firm Seven2 (formerly Apax Partners France).[3][4]

History

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Founding and product development (1986–2013)

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Graitec was founded in 1986 by Francis Guillemard to provide structural engineering software to design offices, combining finite-element analysis engines with graphical interfaces.[1] The company launched its Effel finite-element analysis software in 1989, followed by Arche, a reinforced-concrete design and detailing package, in 1993, and Melody, a steel-frame analysis package, in 1995.[1] By 1998 the company described itself as the leading structural-analysis and automatic-detailing software provider in France.[1]

Graitec began reselling Autodesk software in 2001 and subsequently developed AutoCAD-based add-on products, including Advance Concrete (2001) and Advance Steel (2003), through a series of acquisitions of European software developers and Autodesk resellers (see below).[1] In October 2013, Autodesk agreed to acquire the Advance Steel and Advance Concrete product lines and associated staff from Graitec, expanding Autodesk's own building information modeling portfolio for structural fabrication and detailing.[5] Graitec continued to develop Advance Design, a structural analysis product it had launched in 2005, as its flagship engineering software.[1]

Acquisitions and private-equity investment (2002–present)

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Beyond its own product development, Graitec has grown substantially through the acquisition of Autodesk resellers and complementary software developers across Europe and North America, alongside a 2019/2020 private-equity investment:

  • 2002 — Acquired DSC CAD/CAM-Technologien GmbH in Germany (later Graitec Germany), whose HyperSteel technology became the technical basis for Advance Steel.[1]
  • 2003 — Acquired AB Studio spol. s.r.o. in the Czech Republic (later Graitec CZ), adding the Cadkon architecture and MEP software.[1]
  • 2007 — Acquired Adris Ltd in the UK (later Graitec UK) and CivilDesign Inc. in Canada, whose VisualDesign analysis software was later merged into Advance Design.[1]
  • 2008 — Acquired CSI (Computer Service im Ingenieurbau GmbH) in Germany, Integer Ltd in the UK (whose SuperSUITE software was merged into Advance Design), and ABC Service sarl in France.[1]
  • 2011 — Acquired Trepcad GmbH in Germany, adding TrepCAD staircase-design software, and B&B s.r.l. in Italy (later Graitec Italy).[1]
  • 2014 — Acquired HPC-SA, publisher of the ArchiWIZARD building-energy simulation software; Robobat Polska in Poland (later Graitec Poland); the Italian fabrication-software developer ERA3; and MicroCAD in the UK.[1]
  • 2015 — Acquired TotalCAD Systems, an Autodesk Platinum Partner in Houston, Texas (merged into Graitec USA),[6] and StorCAD in Bratislava, Slovakia (later Graitec Slovakia).[1]
  • 2016 — Acquired the Russian Autodesk partner PSS, renamed PSS Graitec.[1]
  • 2017 — Acquired the German Autodesk Gold partner B&L, merged into Graitec Germany.[1]
  • 2018 — Acquired ProCAD in Montreal, Canada (merged into Graitec Canada), and Arma+, a French IT and fabrication-software provider.[1]
  • January 2019 — Acquired UK-based Opentree Ltd, publisher of the Cabinet document management system.[7]
  • 2019 — Acquired the Spanish Autodesk partner 2aCAD and the French Autodesk partner Lineis.[1]
  • Late 2019 — Apax Partners France (renamed Seven2 in 2022) acquired a majority stake in Graitec;[3][4] the deal closed in early 2020.[8]
  • November 2020 — Acquired UK-based Cadpoint.[9]
  • 2021 — Acquired the Montreal-based Revit plug-in developer Strucsoft Solutions[10][11] and the Spanish structural-analysis firm Arktec.[12]
  • March/April 2022 — Announced, then completed, the acquisition of Applied Software, an Atlanta-based Autodesk Platinum Partner founded in 1982 with around 130 employees; the deal roughly doubled Graitec's North American footprint.[13][14]
  • September 2023 — Acquired the Autodesk and RIB (Presto) reseller business unit of the Spanish IT firm Cad&Lan.[15][16]
  • April 2024 — Acquired Ideate Software, a US developer of Autodesk Revit plug-ins and workflow automation tools.[17][18][8]
  • May 2024 — Acquired Prodware Innovation Design, a Paris-based Autodesk partner specializing in 3D digital-twin, virtual- and augmented-reality technology.[19][20]
  • April 2025 — Acquired Microsol Resources, a New York–based Autodesk Gold Partner and Bluebeam Platinum Partner.[21][22]

Separately, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Graitec suspended all commercial activity in the Russian Federation on 2 March 2022 in compliance with international sanctions.[23]

Products and services

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Graitec develops its own engineering and productivity software alongside its role as an authorized reseller of third-party design software. Its principal in-house products include:

  • Advance Design — finite-element analysis (FEM/FEA) software for structural analysis and design of concrete, steel and timber structures, and the company's flagship engineering product.[1]
  • Advance Workshop — production-management software for steel and rebar fabrication shops.[24]
  • PowerPack — a family of productivity plug-ins extending Autodesk products, currently covering Vault and Plant 3D; the former PowerPack for Advance Steel and PowerPack for Inventor packages have been consolidated into Graitec STEEL.[24][25]
  • Ideate Software — Revit data-management and automation plug-ins, acquired in 2024.[17]
  • Strucsoft (MWF) — wood and cold-formed-steel framing software for Revit, acquired in 2021.[10]
  • Graitec File Sync — a file-synchronization tool connecting platforms including Autodesk Construction Cloud, Bluebeam Cloud, Procore and SharePoint.[26]
  • Graitec STEEL — a multi-platform steel-project delivery solution launched in June 2026 that consolidated the former PowerPack for Advance Steel and PowerPack for Inventor add-ons into a single offer spanning Advance Steel and Inventor.[27][25]

Of the two products Graitec sold to Autodesk in 2013: Advance Concrete was discontinued by Autodesk effective January 2017.[28] Advance Steel remains part of Autodesk's AEC Collection, but Autodesk placed it into maintenance mode (no further new-feature development) in March 2023 and has pointed customers to Graitec's own add-on tools — now marketed as Graitec STEEL — for continued enhancements.[29][25]

Partnerships

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Graitec is one of Autodesk's largest partners worldwide and holds Autodesk Platinum Partner status in Europe and North America, providing software resale, training and consulting services for the Autodesk product range.[2] The company is also an authorized Bluebeam reseller; in May 2026 it was named a Bluebeam Sapphire Partner in recognition of its work with Bluebeam customers in North America.[30]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Our Story". Graitec Group. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  2. 1 2 "Graitec | Autodesk Support". Autodesk. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  3. 1 2 "Apax Partners SA (via Public) / Apax Partners invests in GRAITEC, International software publisher and distributor of BIM Solutions". PublicNow. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  4. 1 2 "GRAITEC confirms its international expansion with the acquisition of Applied Software". Seven2. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. ↑ "Autodesk Signs Agreement to Acquire Structural Fabrication and Detailing Technology from Graitec". Autodesk, Inc. October 2013. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  6. ↑ "GRAITEC Acquires Total CAD Systems, Inc., US Autodesk Platinum Partner". press release via satPRnews, 3 October 2015, indexed by CB Insights. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  7. ↑ "Graitec acquires EDM solutions specialist Opentree". Planning, BIM & Construction Today. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  8. 1 2 "DDA & Company advises Graitec in the acquisition of Ideate Software, a US-based software developer of Autodesk plugin tools". DDA & Company. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  9. ↑ Sketchley, Elisha (2020-11-09). "Graitec acquires Cadpoint UK". Planning, BIM & Construction Today. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  10. 1 2 Day, Martyn (2021-04-13). "Graitec acquires Strucsoft Solutions". AEC Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  11. ↑ "DDA & Company advises Graitec shareholders in a consolidating external growth transaction, with the acquisition of the software developer StrucSoft Solutions". DDA & Company. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  12. ↑ Blundell, Steph (2021-03-04). "Graitec acquires Spanish structural analysis specialists". Planning, BIM & Construction Today. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  13. ↑ "Logiciels BIM : Graitec récidive en Amérique du Nord". Capital Finance (Les Échos). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  14. ↑ "The deal is sealed: Graitec, international BIM software developer, and Applied Software closed on the deal to become US and World Leader of AEC and Manufacturing System Integration". PR Newswire. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  15. ↑ "DDA & Company advises Graitec in the acquisition of the Autodesk and RIB (Presto) software business unit of Spanish Cad&Lan". DDA & Company. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  16. ↑ "Graitec anuncia la adquisición de la unidad de negocio de software Autodesk y RIB (Presto) de Cad&Lan". Infoconstrucción. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  17. 1 2 "Ideate Software joins Graitec Group". AEC Magazine. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  18. ↑ "Graitec acquires US-based AEC software specialist Ideate". Digital Construction Today. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  19. ↑ "GRAITEC Acquires Prodware Innovation Design". DailyCADCAM. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  20. ↑ "DDA & Company advises Graitec on the acquisition of PRODWARE INNOVATION DESIGN, a division of the PRODWARE Group". DDA & Company. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  21. ↑ "Graitec announces the acquisition of Microsol Resources to strengthen its national presence in the U.S." PR Newswire. 30 April 2025. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  22. ↑ "Graitec expands AEC offerings through Microsol Resources acquisition". Digital Construction Today. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  23. ↑ "GRAITEC's statement on its operations in the Russian Federation". Graitec Group. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  24. 1 2 "GRAITEC Software Solutions in AEC and PD&M". Graitec. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  25. 1 2 3 "PowerPack for Advance Steel is now part of GRAITEC STEEL". Graitec. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  26. ↑ "GRAITEC and Bluebeam Announce Integration Partnership to Streamline File Synchronization Across Leading Construction Platforms". Graitec Group. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  27. ↑ "Graitec Launches Graitec STEEL: A Unified Solution for Connected, End-to-End Steel Project Delivery". Graitec Group. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  28. ↑ "Advance Concrete End of Life". Autodesk. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  29. ↑ Smolker, David (29 March 2023). "Advancing Capabilities for Steel Detailing and Design in BIM". Autodesk. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  30. ↑ "Graitec Named Bluebeam Sapphire Partner, Strengthening Commitment to AECO Clients Across North America". Graitec Group. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
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