Guangzhou, China –2012 marks the 7 year anniversary of when ZWCAD was introduced to Brazilian CAD designers. Since then, ZWCAD has become an integral part of the design process in the Brazilian CAD market. With over 12,000 CAD designers using this software, ZWCAD is now the second most popular CAD software in Brazil. totalCAD has been one of ZWSOFT’s global partners since 2005 and has worked diligently to make ZWCAD a major player in the market.
Figure 1. totalCAD and ZWSOFT Staff
Founded in 2001, totalCAD is a prominent supplier of low cost, high performance CAD software that serves the architectural, engineering, construction and industrial industries in Brazil. In 2005, totalCAD joined forces with ZWSOFT to introduce ZWCAD. For Brazilian users, this enabled them access to an affordable, quality CAD software. For the two companies, this marked the beginning of a successful partnership.
ZWCAD: Ending the Bad Reputation of Cost-effective CAD in Brazil
For every product to successfully penetrate a new market, it’s not only important for it to have a compelling selling point, but also good timing for the market. Back in 2005 when ZWCAD entered Brazil, the market overflowed with big name CAD software, like AutoCAD as well as other alternatives. For a long time, the alternatives had been up against strong competitors because of their low price, which gained them market share. Nevertheless, due to quality problems of the alternatives, customer complaints ensued, and thus the reputation of alternatives became tragically notorious. This was when totalCAD and ZWSOFT decided bring ZWCAD into play.
“Ever since big name CADs began to coexist with their alternatives, we hadn’t seen alternative CAD software like ZWCAD that had quality assurance and competitive price,” said Augusto, CEO of totalCAD. “After test driving ZWCAD, we couldn’t help becoming excited. Its compatibility with mainstream CAD in .dwg files, user interface and functionalities helped ensure little relearning time. The price was also very competitive, only 1/4 of the cost of mainstream CADs. Without a second thought, we knew that ZWCAD was it and decided to have a go for it. Whatever it might take.”
When ZWCAD entered the market, totalCAD and ZWSOFT were met with tremendous challenges, as expected. Dominant CAD providers, CAD applications based on big name software, local CAD software and other alternatives all posed a great threat. Though the competition was fierce, the two companies were well prepared. On one hand, by realizing the importance of platform quality and Application Programming Interface (APIs), ZWSOFT kept working hard on improving them. On the other hand, totalCAD spared no effort in introducing the improved ZWCAD platform to big accounts, and cashed in on the APIs of ZWCAD by providing custom application development and free applications in order to attract more customers.
Figure 2. totalCAD
To spread word of ZWCAD in the market, ZWSOFT shared with totalCAD the advantages of on-line marketing with ideas like Google ads. This greatly helped raise brand awareness about ZWCAD in Brazil. Due to the success of promoting ZWCAD, in less than two years Brazilian users began to look differently at the so-called “Cost-effective CAD”.
Era of Growth for ZWCAD and Team Strength
Thanks to the hard work of ZWSOFT’s R&D team and customer feedback shared by totalCAD, from 2008 to 2010, ZWCAD made a giant leap in platform quality and API improvement. Meanwhile, due to the success of technical and marketing efforts including ads, teaching videos, professional support service, forum and so forth, the sales volume of ZWCAD had skyrocketed.
For totalCAD, the double-digit annual increase of sales didn’t just bestow them a gorgeous office covering an area of over one thousand square meters, but a greater ambition. “We not only aim at winning over customers of other CADs, and making ZWCAD the No. 1 cost-effective CAD in the Brazilian market, but also to maintain the golden partnership with ZWSOFT to explore more business opportunities.” said Augusto.
With an increasing need for sales growth, and team building, totalCAD’s team has evolved from less than 10 people to now almost 100 staff members. They have a well designed structure consisting of different teams including website tech, before and after sale tech support, application development, direct sales and marketing. In terms of technical service, totalCAD persists in maximizing the satisfaction of end users by investing in training, door-to-door support like installation, upgrades, customizing apps etc. Besides that, they do regular customer visits, allow free returns of purchases etc. All this attentive service has helped totalCAD win over many users.
When the totalCAD’s team grew stronger, ZWSOFT started to shift the focus from business assistance to product development and some value-added promotions, like updates of service packs and the latest release in 2012, of the new-core based ZWCAD+. To further help promote the product, every year ZWSOFT provides a series of supports, such as an update of the Portuguese website dedicated to display products and events for Brazil, as well as an abundance of marketing materials. In addition, for partners and ZWSOFT to share successful experiences with each other, there are annual business trips to the partner’s location by ZWSOFT as well as the Global Partner Conference where partners across the globe are invited. All this to a great extent, enhances the bond between ZWSOFT and its partners.
A Thriving Future to Come
During the past 7 years, the customer base of ZWCAD in Brazil has increased to over 12,000 users, making ZWCAD the second most popular CAD software in the local market.
These customers mainly come from the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) and Manufacturing industries. Many worldwide famous fortune 500 companies in Brazil have adopted ZWCAD as their 2D CAD solution, including Pirelli, a world renowned tire supplier, Saint-Gobain, the celebrated manufacturer of high-performance construction materials, Honda, the well-known car maker, and many more.
Figure 3. Part of ZWCAD clients in Brazil
A purchasing official from Locksmiths Oak Steel and Steel Structures said: “After learning ZWCAD and its speed and accuracy in dealing with projects, we decided to take the test, and ZWCAD really surprised us! It's a CAD program that meets all the requirements offered, with a greater advantage in compatibility with other CAD programs. The proven quality and budget savings made our switch worthwhile.”
To further meet customer’s higher drafting demands, this July, ZWCAD+ the next generation of ZWCAD came into the public spotlight with features like greater DWG compatibility, capability of working with big drawings and more quality APIs. The smooth and efficient drafting experience of ZWCAD+ has brought the design work of Brazilian CAD users to a whole new level.
“ZWCAD+ aims at providing a more capable solution for user’s higher demands and also, with a compelling low cost compared to the same level CAD products,” said Augusto. “Now we have seen many users test-driving this product and we get a lot of positive responses. It would be a smash hit in this market.”
With the passing of ZWSOFT’s and totalCAD’s 7th anniversary, we know that the strong partnership and quality software will continue to amaze the Brazilian CAD market.
About ZWSOFT
ZWSOFT is a world-renowned CAD/CAM solutions provider for the AEC and MCAD industries, with over 320,000 clients in more than 80 countries. ZWSOFT's products, ZWCAD and ZW3D, have satisfied the needs of 2D and 3D designers for over a decade.
Contact
ZWSOFT
John Chow
86-20-38289780-858
zhouzehong@zwsoft.com
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