We just wrapped up an incredible journey across the globe with our Fall 2025 Aras Connect series – spanning five major cities across Asia and Europe. From Osaka to Stockholm, each location brought together a community of customers, partners, and industry experts to exchange ideas, share real-world innovations, and explore the future of product lifecycle management (PLM), artificial intelligence (AI), and the digital thread. Across the series, we saw exceptional engagement from our global community. Across the full series, we welcomed 1,500+ community members representing 200+ organizations. 

Each event featured Aras-led sessions that offered a closer look at our latest platform innovations and strategy. A highlight across locations was Aras InnovatorEdge – a low-code API framework that extends and integrates digital threads built on Aras Innovator. Another key theme explored how AI is reshaping the future of PLM. Sessions highlighted why intelligence (not just automation) is becoming the defining feature of next-generation platforms, and how AI is transforming product development, operations, and innovation across the enterprise. Members from our professional services and customer success teams also joined to share practical insights into how we support customers from implementation to sustainable, long-term success. 

Each stop strengthened connections within our growing global community – built on collaboration, curiosity, and a shared drive to solve complex challenges. Here’s a look back at the highlights, key takeaways, and some fun along the way!  

Aras Connect Osaka: A Strong start in Japan

Leon Lauritsen took the stage for the first time as CEO alongside Masahiko Hisatsugu, President of Aras Japan, to welcome our community in attendance. The event showcased how leading Japanese manufacturers are transforming product development, operations, and innovation with Aras Innovator.  

Honda introduced its Test Data Management system for automotive development, built on Aras Innovator to improve efficiency, quality, and adoption. IHI Aerospace demonstrated how model-centric design is accelerating digital transformation in aerospace and defense. SMC Corporation shared proposals for Build with Aras based on E/M-BOM development and ideas to improve upgrade environments from a subscriber’s perspective. 

Kawasaki showcased how it is transforming shipbuilding by digitizing complex, made-to-order production processes, while Mazda Motor Corporation shared how it captures and reuses simulation data in car development as well as their Aras-powered data management platform – increasing visibility, reusability, and efficiency in vehicle development. 

Aras Connect Birmingham: Leading Transformation in Birmingham

The next stop brought us to Birmingham, where discussions focused on how Aras Innovator is driving innovation across a wide range of industries – from Tokamak Energy’s pioneering work in nuclear fusion to how leading food and beverage (F&B) companies are optimizing product development processes with Fulvisol’s F&B package in Aras Innovator. 

Attendees also heard about Legrand’s journey toward a new unified PLM solution that supports R&D and Engineering teams worldwide, with a strong focus on deployment and data migration – enabling global collaboration and scalability across the enterprise.  

 

A session hosted by “The PLM Doctor,” Christophe Cenac, offered an insider’s perspective on the do’s and don’ts of a fast-paced digital thread business transformation. He shared practical insights on how organizations can balance speed and agility with structured governance, while highlighting key lessons in managing evolving requirements, aligning priorities, and maintaining momentum throughout the transformation journey. 

A magician closed out the evening with a performance that became an instant favorite – adding a unique moment to the celebration! 

“I really enjoyed the roadmap [session]. I think it is great to hear what [Aras] is working on and the perspectives moving forward. AI is a hot topic, and we want to learn more about that because management is asking how we can utilize AI in our PLM platform.” – Freja Betak, Process Manager, Kamstrup 

Aras Connect Paris: Lighting the Match on Innovation

The Paris event featured powerful stories from companies driving innovation across engineering, R&D, and enterprise collaboration. 

CERN shared how it is deploying Aras Innovator as its enterprise-wide PLM platform to manage the lifecycle of the world’s largest, most complex machine – offering key lessons learned and insights on building an integrated digital engineering platform. AVEVA outlined a scalable, engineering-led approach to PLM transformation in partnership with Aras, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and interoperability in large-scale deployments. Accenture highlighted how cultural change remains central to successful PLM initiatives, showcasing strategies to mobilize teams, align business and IT objectives, and embed new practices sustainably. Fulvisol rounded out the day sharing their “recipe for success,” showing how Aras Innovator accelerates food and beverage product development from concept to launch.

“My motivations for coming to the event were knowing where Aras is going, the networking, regaining confidence in the product, and catching ideas.” – Ludovic Bouillon, Nidec 

Aras Connect Frankfurt: Driving Seamless Connections

In Frankfurt, discussions focused on how organizations are using Aras Innovator to create seamless, data-driven processes that connect engineering, production, and operations. The event brought together a diverse mix of manufacturers, technology partners, and academic leaders sharing how digital transformation is reshaping product development across the DACH region. 

GRAMMER AG demonstrated how Aras Innovator enables a seamless, data-driven process landscape – from engineering to production – ensuring data consistency and traceability across the value chain. Matthias Kreimeyer, a renowned professor from The University of Stuttgart, discussed why modular product design remains a cornerstone of PLM and a key enabler of digital transformation. Mediatec.net demonstrated how Aras Innovator can be extended with integrated modules that simplify regulatory management and automate multilingual product communication – enabling a consistent and compliant product strategy. A final highlight was Nicomatic’s SaaS story. Attendees learned how they implemented Aras Innovator SaaS in record time, working with our partner Inensia to deliver a fast, efficient rollout built for long-term scalability.  

There was some fun mixed in there, too… we hosted a Lego networking session where teams built imaginative structures that captured the spirit of collaboration with a pop of color to wrap up the day and celebrate 25 years of building together! 

“I believe that Aras is actually prepared for the future with its low-code technology, web service, and containerizable system… Its low-code engine is incredibly flexible and actually has the prerequisites for digital thread and AI” – Martin Eigner, Eigner Engineering Consult. 

Aras Connect Nordics: The Final Finish in Stockholm

Stockholm marked the final stop on our global tour. Conversations and sessions highlighted how Aras Innovator is helping partners and customers transform their processes, sharpen their strategies, and strengthen compliance for the future.  

Aeronamic shared their decade-long Aras Innovator journey, highlighting their Digital Factory and how the digital thread connects planning, production, and service in the aerospace industry. Share PLM discussed practical strategies to build trust, reduce resistance, and drive lasting PLM transformation by focusing on people first. QCM demonstrated how SwePass supports Swedish Industries to meet EU regulations by supporting sustainable business in development and managing traceability of data through the product lifecycle. OptoFidelity explored how they leverage Aras Innovator to streamline its product release process and build a manageable digital entity that enhances traceability, collaboration, and efficiency across teams. 

“People should know that they need Aras going forward with the EU regulations that will come, so you secure compliance for your products. You have the regulations and the requirements under control, and you can connect them to your products to secure your compliance. Because if you do that, you know you are fine to sell your products on the European market.” – Jörgen Ekblad – QCM AB 

Aras Tech Summit: Diving Deep Technically with our Community

Our European events each featured an Aras Tech Summit– designed for engineers, solution architects, system integrators, and tech leads. These sessions gave participants a hands-on opportunity not only to learn from Aras, but also to learn from each other. Throughout the Q&A discussions, it wasn’t just our team answering questions – members of the community were actively sharing their own experiences, helping one another troubleshoot challenges, and offering insights from real implementations. The result was true community-led learning and collaboration. 

A variety of live demonstrations brought interest and energy to every event. Each one showcased the depth and flexibility of Aras Innovator, with internal teams and partners highlighting creative ways to extend the platform. Fulvisol, Antech, and Carnaud Metalbox delivered several of the tour’s most memorable demos: Fulvisol showed their visual studio code plug in that helps write AI code more efficiently and effectively. Antech’s Ben Brookling dove into their solution and code – showing how other community members can build with Aras. Matthew Cave of Carnaud Metalbox discussed the iterative process used to launch a new solution – including how user feedback helped them improve it in an agile way.  

We’re Keeping the Momentum Going: Join us for ACE 2026 in Miami!

Our journey across the globe this fall truly brought together our community on a deeper level. Learning from our peers, seeing the shared challenges we tackle together, and emerging trends and innovations across the market, left us with a sense of inspiration and a renewed determination to continue driving innovation.  

If you’ve been wanting to experience an Aras event for the first time – or can’t wait to join us again – ACE 2026 will take place in Miami April 13-16! The theme for the event is Adaptive Intelligence, reflecting our vision for transforming how PLM and digital thread strategies can leverage AI to deliver a level of disruptive agility to those organizations able to move fast enough. We just recently announced our keynote speaker – Cuebric founder and CEO Pinar Demirdag will join us to explore the skill sets we all need to thrive in a world reshaped by the advent of AI. We live in an important time in history, and ACE 2026 will be a chance for us to navigate the age of AI together as a community. If you are passionate about PLM, digital thread, and the future of AI in digital engineering, this is the year to be at ACE. 

You can stay connected with us year-round through our community site! Join an open network of professionals, developers, and low-code builders shaping the future of PLM and solving complex engineering challenges together.