The engineering software business in Russia is gradually shifting from the replacement of international CADs to the creation of a whole digital ecosystem. An essential aspect of this transformation is that the domestic systems may conduct design tasks independently and also interchange data with PDM/PLM platforms, regulatory and reference-data systems, and production preparation tools. A recent example is the integration of the Russian “Max” CAD system produced by Digital Manufacturing with INTERMEKH’s IPS PLM platform.
Manual Data Transfer to Integrated Digital Environment
On September 22, 2026, at the meeting ITOPK-2026, INTERMEKH and Digital Manufacturing inked an agreement on technological partnership. One of the first practical results of the cooperation was integrating the “Max” CAD system with the IPS complex.
“Max” is a computer-aided design system specialized for the development of onboard cable networks and hydraulic and pneumatic piping systems for aircraft, ships, and ground equipment. In the meantime, IPS PLM controls engineering data and design and manufacturing-preparation processes, such as PDM/PLM functionalities, documentation, product structures, and regulatory and reference information.
The main relevance of the integration is the removal of the gap between specialist engineering design and the corporate data management system. Automatically transmit regulatory and reference information from IPS to “Max.” The structure and rules of the exchange are customized according to the corporate requirements. Information about goods, their structures, and documentation can be transferred from “Max” to IPS in the other manner, including the creation, update, and versioning of objects.
That means less human operation for industrial companies when moving information between platforms. At the same time, the probability of mistakes due to repeated data entry is reduced, and design outputs can be made available to the corporate PDM/PLM environment more quickly.
Max joins a wider ecosystem
IPS integration is not a project on its own. Digital Manufacturing develops cooperation between “Max” and several Russian platforms already. The system is interoperable with Russian PLM solutions, such as LOTSMAN, Soyuz-PLM, and T-FLEX. Development of DOCs and integration linkages with T-FLEX.CAD, KOMPAS-3D, and SARUS+ CAD. The company is also providing an API to establish data exchange rules with MDM/PDM systems.
The development of the electronics sector is of great importance. In June 2026, Top Systems and Digital Manufacturing established a strategic cooperation to develop an integrated solution based on “Max.EDA” and T-FLEX PLM. The solution is meant to bring together the design of printed-circuit boards, the construction of three-dimensional assembly models, the compilation of documentation, and the management of a product’s life cycle into a single environment.
So the problem is no longer just a cable issue. Electrical design, mechanical design, administration of the product structure, and preparation for manufacture are being united in a common digital environment by Russian developers.
The Next Step: Blending the Skills of Different Developers
Another direction of development is the cooperation of Digital Manufacturing with ASCON. In May 2026 the firms announced a collaborative effort to build a new CAD system for cable systems. It is based on a close integration of “Max” with ASCON technologies, such as the LOTSMAN engineering-data management system.
The expressed concept is above the regular file exchange. The developers are working to an integrated model of electrical connections that occurs inside the framework of the whole digital model of the product. The system is targeted for aerospace, shipbuilding, rocket and space industries, and other complicated production sectors. A Model-Based Systems Engineering, or MBSE, technique is also part of the project.
This is an important adjustment in technique. The organization can build an integrated information model of a product instead of a collection of disjointed drawings and papers. The model links the different engineering disciplines.
SARUS+ enters the ecosystem too
Another major breakthrough is Digital Manufacturing’s cooperation with National Computer Corporation, the inventor of the SARUS+ PLM platform. In September 2026 the firms declared a technological partnership. The “Max,” “Max.EDA,” and the “Reliability” software package, intended for the calculation of product reliability and fail-safe indicators, is expected to be integrated in the SARUS+ environment.
SARUS+ is characterized by its object-oriented data model and microservice architecture. According to the released information, the integration is intended to enable the inclusion of engineering data created by specialized CAD systems into an enterprise information environment.
PLM – The Basis of Industrial Digitalization
These integrations are being developed against the background of increasing need of Russian industrial businesses for engineering data management. The experience of the machine-building company KOMPO is informative. The IPS implementation began in September 2023 and was formally finished on February 27, 2026. The project was focused at digital transformation of design and manufacturing-preparation processes.
The KOMPO project shows that PLM is more than an electronic repository of engineering drawings. Such a system must relate the work of designers and process engineers with approval procedures, manufacturing preparation, production processes, and the subsequent product support. This is why the integration of a PLM platform to specialist CAD systems is becoming one of the fundamental factors for developing a digital organization.
From Software Substitution to Independent Engineering Infrastructure
The key point in the evolution of the engineering software market in Russia is that the type of import substitution is changing. The first focus was on the development of individual homegrown alternatives to international CAD, EDA, and PLM solutions. But more and more, interoperability across these systems is as crucial.
Movement in this direction is visible in the integration of “Max” into IPS PLM, the creation of “Max.EDA” together with T-FLEX PLM, the joint project of Digital Manufacturing and ASCON, and cooperation with SARUS+. At the same time, developers continue to build on these integrations. For example, INTERMEKH and Digital Manufacturing have previously stated their ambitions to further improve interaction with “Max.EDA” and the “Reliability” software package.
The result is something more than a collection of distinct domestic software products. A digital ecosystem is emerging in which data might possibly flow from the early engineering concept and detailed design through management of the product structure, through documentation and manufacture preparation, and finally through the complete product lifespan.
This connectedness, rather than merely replacing a foreign program with a Russian version, is becoming the next significant stage in the growth of the domestic Russian engineering-software sector.