CAD and 3D design software specialist Autodesk enjoyed a hearty increase in sales and earnings in the third quarter, and credited the manufacturing industry for a significant portion of the upswing.
The maker of AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, and other CAD software products reported revenue of $477 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2011, ended Oct. 31, a 14% climb from the $417 million it reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. Of that total, $282 million came from CAD software license sales, a 19% jump, and $195 million came from software maintenance, up 8% from the prior year.
Autodesk improved profits by 82%, reporting net income of $53.6 million.
"We saw particular strength in our manufacturing business, which experienced strong demand on a global basis,” said Autodesk President and CEO Carl Bass, in a statement. Revenue from the manufacturing business segment was $117 million, up 30% year over year.