In brief

A CIMdata analysis of the product life-cycle management (PLM) market estimates that the collaborative product definition segment of PLM will grow 11 percent in 2004 to $5 billion, and that the entire PLM market will show cumulative growth of eight percent, to exceed $20 billion by 2008. For further details, visit www.cimdata.com

According to the ARC Advisory Group, the distributed control systems (DCS) market in Asia is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than six percent through 2008, bringing a gleam to the eyes of automation vendors, based on new plant construction in core sectors such as cement, chemicals, power, and steel. Given pricing pressures in the region, however, says ARC, many vendors still book the lion's share of profits in developed regions. Go to www.arcweb.com for more info.

AMR Research says surveys indicate IT spending is up, with 63 percent of latest poll respondents looking at anticipated budget increases of more than 10 percent. While supply chain and customer management are the applications areas showing the most growth, much of the money is going to system upgrades, data storage, and services, including software development. For more, go to www.amrresearch.com.