Bentley CEO sees acquisition, evolution coming in the future

As it touted its plant information products to users at its annual conference, Bentley Corp. is also looking to evolving the next generation of end users in the plant environment. To do that, Bentley CEO Keith Bentley says the pitch has to go directly to plant operators.

"The majority of our plant reservations come from the owner-operator," said Bentley at a wide-ranging press conference at the BE Conference in Baltimore May 10. "We of course have to convince both (owners and specifiers) about our products. Convincing the owner is the strategy that has worked best."

Bentley said his company's move toward acquisition in recent years has come with growing pains as they try to integrate products and systems into a cohesive business platform. "There is overlap, but the breadth of our products is paramount," Bentley said. "I think we do a pretty credible job of integrating. I think we're getting better at it. I'm in favor of more acquisition."

Bentley Corp. has waged a very direct campaign against Autodesk, its competitor in the computer-aided drawing arena with its AutoCAD product. Bentley offered his philosophical view in approaching that particular market. "It's slow going, but we're veterans of the war," he said. "If you start over every so often and jettison what you didn't like, there is some appeal in that. However, in our particular market, what works better and what our users prefer, is a concept of continuous evolution."