Earnings Labs

PTC Inc. (PTC)

Q4 2015 Earnings Call· Wed, Oct 28, 2015

$137.82

+1.03%

Key Takeaways · AI generated
AI summary not yet generated for this transcript. Generation in progress for older transcripts; check back soon, or browse the full transcript below.

Same-Day

-2.13%

1 Week

+5.03%

1 Month

+3.56%

vs S&P

+3.69%

Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by, and welcome to PTC 2015 Fourth Quarter Conference Call. During today’s presentation, all parties will be in listen-only mode. Following the presentation, the conference will be open for questions. I would now like to turn the call over to Tim Fox, PTC’s Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Tim Fox

Management

Good afternoon. Thank you. Welcome to PTC’s 2015 fourth quarter conference call. On the call today are Jim Heppelmann, Chief Executive Officer; Andrew Miller, Chief Financial Officer; and Barry Cohen, EVP of Strategy. Today’s conference call is being broadcast live through an audio webcast, and a replay of the call will be available later today at www.ptc.com. During this call, PTC will make forward-looking statements including guidance as to future operating results. Because such statements deal with future events, actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements can be found in PTC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as in today’s press release. The forward-looking statements, including guidance, provided during this call are valid only as of today’s date, October 28, 2015, and PTC assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. During the call, PTC will discuss non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP measures are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures can be found in today’s press release made available on our website. With that, I would like to turn the call over to PTC’s CEO, Jim Heppelmann.

James Heppelmann

Management

Thanks, Tim. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us for a review of our fourth quarter fiscal 2015 results. There’s a lot to talk about as we wrap up fiscal 2015 and transition into fiscal 2016, including some significant strategic and operational initiatives that we’re driving. To be frank, it will be hard to squeeze it all into this one call. So I’d like to remind you that our Investor Day is scheduled for November 10th in New York. We’ll touch on a few new topics today and then plan to go much deeper into those topics at the event in two weeks. Let me begin with a brief review of the fourth quarter. We were pleased to see fiscal 2015 end on a solid note. Q4 revenue of $313 million was above the midpoint of our guidance even with a significantly higher mix of subscription bookings than we guided, and our EPS of $0.67 was above the high-end of our guidance range. Despite challenging macro economic conditions in constant currency, our license in subscription bookings grew 3% over the prior year. Our movement to subscription showed accelerated progress with 20% subscription mix in Q4 compared to just 4% in the fourth quarter of the prior year. Due to this significantly higher mix of subscription bookings, our recognized software revenue in constant currency declined 4%. I’ll remind you though that this effect is par for the course with a subscription transition and a stronger subscription mix should be viewed as a good thing despite the pressure it puts on reported revenue and EPS in the near-term. From a segment perspective, fourth quarter and full-year results were somewhat mixed. IoT momentum continued with this segment performing well ahead of the expectations we had set, driven by strong growth in…

Andrew Miller

Management

Thanks, Jim, and good afternoon, everyone. Please note that I’ll be discussing non-GAAP results unless otherwise specified. Total fourth quarter revenue of $313 million was down $55 million year-over-year as reported. Year-over-year software revenue growth of $8 million was offset by a $31 million impact from FX, a $20 million impact from higher mix of subscription bookings, and a $12 million constant currency decrease in professional services revenue consistent with our strategy to migrate more service engagements to our partners. In addition, recurring software revenue which is 59% of our total revenue was negatively impacted by six fewer days, which is 7% as compared to Q4 of 2015. Software revenue, which consists of license, subscription, and support was above the midpoint of guidance, due to solid results for both L&S and support revenue in the quarter. On a reported basis, software revenue was down 12% year-over-year, due to the impact of currency, a higher mix of subscriptions, and fewer days in the quarter. Excluding currency and mix, software revenue was up 3%. It should be noted that we faced a tough Q4 license comparison a quarter in which our CAD and EPLM license revenue grew in the mid-teens year-over-year in addition to the tough Q4 support comparison due to fewer days. Approximately 59% of Q4 2015 revenue came from recurring business, up from 53% in the year ago period. Clearly, this growth in recurring revenue represents a very positive trend in our business and we’ll drive cash flow in subsequent quarters. Moving to the income statement, gross margin increased by a 170 basis points sequentially and 190 basis points year-over-year. The key driver was the lower mix of professional services revenue in the quarter, which was 15% of revenue in Q4 2015 versus 18% in Q4 2014, reflecting continued success…

Operator

Operator

Thank you, sir. At this we will begin the question-and-answer session of today’s conference. [Operator Instructions] One moment for the first question. Our first question is from Mr. Steve Koenig of Wedbush Securities. Sir, you may ask your question.

Steve Koenig

Analyst

Thanks. I think that’s me.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes. Hi, Steve.

Steve Koenig

Analyst

Hey, good afternoon. The pace of subscription transition next year, looks realistic given the market you operate in, But maybe some folks might have expected a bit more aggressive upfront. Can you comment on that, what – why not more next year and then what are the factors that will boost it up pretty significantly in the following years?

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes. So we expect to average 25%, but we expect to exit the year at a higher percentage than that. Essentially, there are couple of factors. As we look at Q1, clearly, what we did is October 1, we changed pricing packaging, bundling, and sales cost. So this was all introduced to the market and our sales reps just four weeks ago. So the key one pipeline has a lot of deals that are perpetual based upon the fact that everything was different at that point in time. And there’s probably not a great deal of time in the first quarter to get those deals changed in the subscription or we’re not assuming we’re gong to be able to do that. Although clearly, sales reps since they’re going to be paid more are probably gong to try if they can. At the same thing, as we look at our largest customers and 30% to 50% of our revenue comes from big customers doing big deals. They tend on have already completed their capital budgets and operating budgets at this point in time. So they maybe not be able to necessary take a deal that they were expecting to be perpetual in FY 2016, and turn it to subscription. So we’ve been somewhat cautious in our ability to get those two things flipped in the near-term. Although clearly, we think we’ve got great opportunity in both FY 2017 and FY 2018, and our studies show that. So essentially, we’re just being a bit cautious of how quickly we’re going to be able to kind of change the model that both that our customers frankly operate in at this point in time.

Steve Koenig

Analyst

That makes sense. And if I may ask one follow-up on the core business, maybe can you give us a little more granularity on two things. One is, where are the cost cuts coming from? And secondly, what kind of issues do you see with the core business or on hypotheses you have on what can be changed by new senior management there?

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes. Maybe we’ll each take a stab at that. Hi, Steve, Jim here.

Steve Koenig

Analyst

Hey, Jim.

James Heppelmann

Management

The general answer is, we’re moving investments from places of low return to places of higher return, that’s the general answer. I mean, at a high level if you look at what are we doing, we’re looking at our de-investments. We’re looking at marketing programs. We’re looking at – do we have the right structures in our sales organization and so forth. So on the cost side, we’re kind of going through the cost structures and saying, do all these investments make sense? Because over here, there’s some investments that are – investment opportunities, let’s say, that are really interesting. If you go down to the second part of that question, which was what could we fix? I think one of the issues where we could fix is to be better balanced. We have a lot of people who wake up and decide what they want to do everyday, and do they want to participate in new business or the old business or both. And these businesses are very different. And so it’s just, I think, we need to focus more. We need more segmentation. We need people who wake up and say, I’m a CAD person, another people that wake up and say, I’m an IoT person. And I think we got to be carefully not to let too many people wake up and say what do I want to do today, right? So, I think, it’s really what we’re trying to control for with this structural change is they have a group that lives and dies with the core business and a leader who lives and dies with the core business. And today we don’t really have that. So that’s – that – simple answer is that thing we’re trying to aim for.

Andrew Miller

Management

And the one thing that I would add is, when we did our operating plan this year, we did kind of a version of the zero-based budget. What we actually did is, we gave everyone a target, that was about 80% of where they start – of what they had this year. And we said, go, figure out how you do the most crucial important things to drive the business with that 80%. That freed up a huge part of money that we then, project by project kind of function by function invested in the highest return areas. So while there’s some money moving from the solution part of the business to the IoT business, there’s a lot of money moving around within the solution business, as far as where the highest return R&D investments are, frankly, investments in more marketing in certain segments, so there was a pretty strong exercise. And this is my first year going through the planning process here, and I was pretty impressed with how diligent everyone was frankly, and really coming up with what are the right things that should be invested in and the thing that where we should reduce cost. So the portfolio management process was executed probably as good as I’ve seen in my career.

James Heppelmann

Management

I might add, a number of proposed investments didn’t make the cut, that money became operating margin.

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes, yes.

Steve Koenig

Analyst

Gotcha. Very good. Congrats on the good finish through the year and we’ll talk soon.

Andrew Miller

Management

Great. Thanks, David.

James Heppelmann

Management

Thanks.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. Next question is from Mr. Sterling Auty from JPMorgan Chase. Sir, you may ask your question.

Sterling Auty

Analyst

Thanks. So last question started with why not more aggressive to begin the subscription transition, let me flip through the other end of the spectrum, the 70% coming out, I understand you talked with McKenzie or you did focus group. So curious what the customer feedback and what led to that 70% level, given that we’ve seen other companies like Cadence and Apps and technology that service pretty big companies like ExxonMobil, Samsung, Intel, et cetera, get their mix to north of 90%?

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes. So first what drove kind of 70% why people are interested is, number one is, fundamentally the flexibility they get when they compare the two models at the right price point, as they look at kind of the length and the term of their business case. And so subscription, as long as you price it at a way like our pricing, we dropped the price from 60% of our perpetual license to 45%, which is right in the sweet spot and where you would see most subscription offerings. And that means that you kind of break-even at around four years or so, which is, they get more flexibility at that and they like it. And the other thing we did is through business rules, we took out that flexibility that some might have been able to negotiate in the perpetual contracts. We’re not going to give it away, where the flexibility comes with subscription, it doesn’t come with perpetual. If you really want perpetual, it’s a less flexible offering. Now, in the end, the market continues to move more subscription over time. At this point the stake in the ground is 70%, we’re going to drive as high as we can get. But if someone absolutely wants perpetual and values it, then, at least, at this point in time, we intend to let them have it, of course, they will pay for it, but they value.

Sterling Auty

Analyst

Got it. And then the comments that you made on the macro in terms of how you put together the fiscal 2016. I want to make sure that I understand, given the uncertainty U.S., I think, you mentioned China, Japan, et cetera, it seem like you factored in some of the macro squishiness. I want to ask it this way, if the economy stay exactly the same as where we see right today, should that mean that you actually outperformed the guidance that you’ve given mean that you factored in a little bit of extra squishiness for – would it be in line?

Andrew Miller

Management

So the one thing I would tell you is that, it’s never, of course, you always want to be able to meet consensus and meet your guidance when you put it in there. So we clearly have an internal plan that is a bit higher than what we would guide, and there’s nothing unusual about that.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes. And to be frank, Sterling, we don’t have a crystal ball. But what’s happened, for example, if you look at the PMI indices regionally in the last quarter is several of them fell quite dramatically. So we’re kind of locking in, at least, on that deal that they’re, at least, worsen they were a quarter ago, maybe with the exception of Europe, which is actually a little bit better. But when we look at China that the news has gotten markedly more difficult there. The U.S. situation really dropped precipitously in the PMI indices and so forth. So we’re kind of locking in on today’s view and not trying to prognosticate, it will get better or worse, but realizing it just did get a lot worse and we have no reason to plan for it to get better.

Andrew Miller

Management

Right.

Sterling Auty

Analyst

Got it. Thank you, guys.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. Our next question is from Saket Kalia from Barclays. Sir, your line is open.

James Heppelmann

Management

Hey, Saket.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Hey, guys, how are you?

James Heppelmann

Management

Good.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Thanks for taking my questions here. First for you Andy, just a modeling question. Can you just review for us the mechanics of the metrics for us, specifically you are guiding to bookings and the mix. But can you just remind us how to sort of convert that to ACV, and then what sort of renewal rates are you expecting on the subscription? I just want to make sure we’re all on sort of on the same…

Andrew Miller

Management

Okay. Well, we guided ACV for you, so we gave it to you.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Okay.

Andrew Miller

Management

And the way to look at that is, we take the ACV as subscription and we multiply it by 2, and that’s what we say the booking is for subscription. And so, for example, if you look at our guidance, I’ll pick the high-end of the FY 2016 fully-year guidance. We’ve guided license and subscription bookings of 350. The subscription ACV is 45, which would mean that the subscription bookings are 90.

James Heppelmann

Management

90 of the 350.

Andrew Miller

Management

Of the 350, okay, so that’s where you get the approximate 25%, and the remainder is perpetual.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Okay.

Andrew Miller

Management

And so if you look at in our perpetual license revenue you see 260 is 90 less than the 350.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

That makes sense. And then that 45 million ACV, is there a renewal rate that we should be assuming that, because, of course, we can model that out for four quarters, which is sort of definition of ACV. But what sort of – how does that sort of play out, how does that 45 sort of play out between now and 2021, if that makes sense?

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes. So what I can share with you is one, we have very high maintenance renewal rates. McKenzie’s study show that subscription renewal rates are even higher than maintenance renewal rates. So you’re talking about very, very low churn, and the low to mid single-digit churn is the industry average. Of course, we have limited experience with subscription. But our subscription renewal rates are actually higher than kind of that industry average right now, but there’s limited experience with it.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Got it. And then my follow-up for you, Jim. It sounds like you’re doing a lot of the right things in terms of putting in place more favorable pricing and sort of the sales comp to drive that subscription mix. But I guess what are you hearing from some of your existing customers that have sort of been born and bread on perpetual plus maintenance? Do you think that those that currently have maintenance actually shift to take advantage of that flexibility, or is there risk that maybe they consider other competitors in the market?

James Heppelmann

Management

Well. First of all, so again our software is extremely sticky, and switching to other competitors would be a major expensive endeavor. And our software is pretty darn good. So it would be a very expensive investment to move sideways at best. So we’ve talked to many customers about this. They’re actually interested in restructuring their maintenance contracts by and large, maybe not every last one, but there’s a significant percentage of our maintenance or support customer base who is intrigued by the idea of taking a look at how it just works different if I kind of traded it in and re-bought it from you on a subscription model. So we have as part of our subscription Phase 2 a program to incent there to have. So I think that between now, I don’t know, Andy, if you had a specific number on that. But when we think out to 2018, we’re actually assuming that not only did the new sales flip to subscription, but a substantial amount of the maintenance base became a subscription base as well.

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes, we actually went and highlighted in the fourth quarter with a small number of customers, and of course, there wasn’t much time to try to get the transaction done. But we actually, one, we did learn that they really like the flexibility of subscription. And so as a result of that, we actually converted the very end of the quarter three customers, they weren’t huge customers, but we converted three of them to subscription at a higher annual contract value than they were under support, because they like just the flexibility, the ability to add some shelf where they didn’t really want, they wanted a different configuration in some of their clear seats, for example, and now is valuable. So we do have a program going and we have targeted deals this year, where we’re going to try to get them to convert from support to subscription, add a premium, and we’ll talk more about that at our Investor Day, in fact, we’ll probably give you an example of how it looks.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes, just one point though to have in the back of your mind, which is, this would normally happen coincident with the renewal. So we can’t disclose it to everybody and say let’s do it tomorrow, we’ll do in as the renewals come up and in some cases as multi-year contracts and we all get a shot at down until maybe next year or whatever. So keep that in mind to.

Saket Kalia

Analyst

Very helpful. Thanks, guys.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. Our next question is from Mr. Matt Hedberg from RBC Capital Markets. Sir, your line is open.

James Heppelmann

Management

Hi, Matt.

Matt Hedberg

Analyst

Hi, there. Thanks for taking my questions. Jim, you mentioned in your prepared remarks, but can you talk a little bit more in detail about the importance of this new GE partnership? Is there rev share in place? Are they retiring IoT pipeline? And how should we think about it impacting 2016 revenue?

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes. So, basically, GE is licensing a technology from us, building it into a GE branded solution. We have then – within our base welcoming them into our customer base and giving our guidance and incentives to do that. And, of course, GE has a customer base distinct and separate from our customer base, so they’re going into their customer base by themselves. But each time they take down a transaction for their brilliant manufacturing solution, they’re going to turn around and cut as royalty check. So it’s an interesting agreement. There are sort of minimums to it. They’re very committed to it. They’re very excited about it. We’re very excited about it. We think that we have a legitimate play together with a strong partner in one of the biggest IoT playgrounds of all. So, we’re pretty darn excited about it.

Matt Hedberg

Analyst

That’s great to hear. Andy, circling back on some of the earlier questions on how you are influencing these changes – change and behavior of purchasing? Are you applying an increase in maintenance pricing this year to help influence that transition?

Andrew Miller

Management

We did. We raised our maintenance pricing 4%.

Matt Hedberg

Analyst

And was that globally or was that…

Andrew Miller

Management

Globally.

Matt Hedberg

Analyst

Okay.

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes, the detail to – just to give everyone a little bit of detail, so we did four primary things. One is, we differentiated the subscription offering to the pricing, so by lowering the price to 45%, we did product differentiation, so we are – we have repackaged and we have more repackaged solutions coming out in January. It’s actually simpler and we did a lot of analysis to figure out what would kind of make something more attractive, only available on the subscription side, not on the perpetual. There are services differentiation, including e-learning into certain packages, and there’s new offerings that are coming out many in PLM, for example, that are only available on subscription. We removed the subscription possibility that people used to negotiate into their perpetual contract, so there’s no remix in perpetual, but you get remix in subscription. In fact, you can get extra remix multiples times a year in our subscription offering if you want. There’s no more extended payment terms in perpetual. By definition, you pay over time. And there’s no extraordinary support discounts in perpetual, and of course, there’s support discounts does not apply to subscription, but there’s no extraordinary support discounts moving forward. Our comp – sales comp, the rep makes more money to sell subscription than perpetual. And I heard an anecdote, it’s only an anecdote, so I don’t want to go too far. The sales, in fact, in one of the geos who is commenting that they are seeing some of their pipeline flip from perpetual to subscription and, somebody else had interesting customers are finding it so attractive so quickly. And you said, well to be honest, this is what we’re selling to them, so we’re not giving them the perpetual option. So I think the fact that so much of our revenue goes through our direct sales force, does give us more control over the transition and some other players who sell primarily through channel. And then we’ve got this program to migrate the support customers to subscription. So those are kind of the four basics of what we’re doing.

James Heppelmann

Management

Let me add one thing that actually you covered, but just to be clear. We also took the IoT perpetual business off the table.

Andrew Miller

Management

Right.

James Heppelmann

Management

The one caveat is our partner like GE could do a perpetual deal, because that’s how they do it. But the PTC sales guys won’t be doing perpetual IoT business, it’s not allowed.

Matt Hedberg

Analyst

That’s a great color, guys. Thank you very much. Looking forward to the 10th as well.

James Heppelmann

Management

Great. Thank you.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. Our next question is from Mr. Ed Maguire from CLSA. Sir, your line is open.

Ed Maguire

Analyst

Hi, good afternoon. I was interested to get a little bit of color on the logo ads in IoT or how much of those are new customers to PTC. And as you realign the sales force are you going – is there going to be any your cross selling that’s encouraged or are you’re really going to just focus on platforms and technologies.

James Heppelmann

Management

There will be a tremendous amount of cross selling at all the IoT and the strategic platform. So in the quarter I don’t have exactly, but roughly half and half roughly half of the IoT business was new IoT business in companies that we’ve done other business with and half of that was no IoT and business coming from companies who have never done business with, so kind of a nice healthy mix. Within the last year if I think of the 290 logos all end. We actually did really well in the strategic base. So just got only a huge cross-sell opportunity here. So that if you were in the platform part of PTC you would say that those solution guys at PTC are terrific partner I’d like to go get some more partners like that. Right and if we can do that then this business will really go somewhere. But in the meantime we make this crystal clear at Investor Day. Our customers think the fit with IoT and analytics and augmented reality and SOM and CAD, POM and AOM is magnificent and we’ll show you exactly why with a little interactive demonstration we’ll let you guys play with yourself and you’ll be crystal clear I promise on November 10 why I can deal on customer would be very excited about IOT analytics and augmented reality.

Ed Maguire

Analyst

Great and just a comment on the MAC I mean clearly you’ve seen the weakness in the U.S. market, but as you rollout these model changes at the same time is there a different cyclicality in different macro conditions. Do you anticipate any material differences in uptake of the subscription model across different regions based on the macro?

Andrew Miller

Management

I wish we had a crystal ball good talent there – subscription should, because you take your basically pay over time it’s less of an investment that by definition that should be the type of thing it’s easier for a company to do even with things and more challenging there’s less there has their business cycles go they’re feeling like they’re making less of a commitment then when you do a huge large enterprise big deal. But we’ll have to see how frankly the transition plays out.

Ed Maguire

Analyst

Great. Thank you very much.

Andrew Miller

Management

Okay.

Operator

Operator

Our next question is from Jay Vleeschhouwer from Griffin Securities. Sir your line is open.

James Heppelmann

Management

Hey, Jay.

Jay Vleeschhouwer

Analyst

Hi, Jim how are you. Hey, Andy. I’d like to ask first a product question now you made a I think a pretty critical comment earlier that you expect your now solutions business to grow at the market rates. And that kind of brings us back to obviously your product roadmap and what you’re delivering in the core products. And you didn’t really talk about that every much tonight. But could you comment on or reconfirm the very detailed and comprehensive product roadmap such you articulated in Nashville. We wrote it up back in the summer and you got a lot on your plate in terms of delivering new versions of Windchill exiting such in December three or four and so on and so forth. So just to be clear with everything that you know talking about tonight. Are you reconfirming the product release roadmaps what you talked about and then the timing and so forth that you’ve committed to?

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes, so Jay, as you know I used to be the Chief Technology Officer, but that was five years ago. So I’m a little less in the details of the roadmap. So I can tell you that by and large not aware of any substantial changes to what was talked about at the event at Nashville the Windchill 11 release continues as plan with the road based apps the connective POM the POM, AOM integration the bond management those types of things and our three or four design or releases schedule for mid-2016 model based design, digital twin, that’s pretty much as I recall what we talked about and the event in Nashville so I think I don’t want to reconfirm and a detail obviously I’m not at the detail level at this point, but I can reconfirm at a general level that we’re proceeding with the plans as we had outlined that.

Jay Vleeschhouwer

Analyst

Okay. And second, I’d like to ask about the conversion of the base, which cost about a little bit earlier. But when we look at, for example, the Creo base and you had a very large number of customers with the pretty low seat count when you think I think your average is similar to some of your competitors roughly not quite 10 or less than 10 seats on average for customer in CAD anyway probably more in POM. The question there is, if you could address how you’re going to involve the channel in converting the base? I can’t imagine it’s terribly cost effective for you to use your direct sales force to divert the customers with one or two or three seats?

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes, so the same programs that were offering on the direct side we will then channelize them to make them simple. So that the channel could handle them and basically offer the same type of program, because so much of our businesses does go direct our subscription program was first focused on getting the direct right. And then focused on the new channel bookings and then we’ll focus secondly on kind of the ability to move those who want support. We also did made changes by the way to our support to basically mirror what you see in the industry that will also prompt people to go to subscription. So things like if you fall off support what it takes to get back on. You have to basically buyback all your prior support. But one full year going forward to get on support. So same with SolidWorks or out of desk we’re limited how long people can come back on support for they have to buy new seat with the idea that then we can give them an incentive to move to subscription. So all of the programs you’ve seen our competitors we basically October 1, have those same programs in place.

Jay Vleeschhouwer

Analyst

All right. Last if I may you commented on GE earlier, you also have the couple of other pretty interesting sounding partnerships one with sales force you have to go to ServiceMax, and if you can comment on those progress in terms of business development resource as you’re throwing at those and so forth. Thanks.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes, the ServiceMax partnership is much further long and probably a tighter fit, because they’re really in the SOM business and they’ll call it SLM they’re in the business that we call SOM they’ll call it field service automation. So there’s a great fit there. We have now shift the integrated product that combines what PTC recall SLM where PTC recall IoT with what ServiceMax will call field service management. There are some customers who have already purchased. There’s a nice pipeline of customers who are pretty excited about it. In fact I was in a customer meeting here at PTC with one of the executives of ServiceMax to-date, so we’re working closely together that’s going well. And on both sides we’re pretty excited, because again as I have said service operational efficiency is really the killer app priority and we know that and ServiceMax knows that. It turns out that this augmented reality stuff is also pretty darn important in service so that’s exciting to both parties. With respect to sales force that’s our newer partnership it’s a more of a general partnership sales force is doing less substantive things in IoT right now to-date the time what they want to do and they want to collaborate with people like PTC not so exclusive looking to see maybe as ServiceMax I mean I don’t think ServiceMax is contractually exclusive with us, but by God they’re working pretty close with us. So I think that the relationship with sales force over time to be bigger, because sales force is so much bigger. But I think a lot of times in working with ServiceMax we’ll end up at the customers who use sales force who would be interested now to anyone. So there as Bob, and everybody on call knows ServiceMax has build on sales force and it’s the best sale and service solution. So just a couple of different ways into that ecosystem and we’re far ahead, because we’re six months into the ServiceMax relationship and maybe one month into the sales force relationship, but yes as I said hey Jay, I also want to back up. One thing we didn’t talk about, but I think it’s worth sharing with you it’s been external channel I had a pretty good year. I’m not sure that was in our prepared remarks it’s one of the reasons quite frankly why I know we need to work on execution, because our product in the mid-market where the channel selling did just fine. We perform as well as or perhaps better in the market in that space so it was really in the direct space with a big deal count and size went down and the IoT number went up and so forth that we really had the bigger issue with CAD and PLM so that’s kind of the issue that we’re moving to correct with structure and talent as I said.

Jay Vleeschhouwer

Analyst

Thanks, Jim.

Operator

Operator

Thank you. Our last question is from as Monica Garg from Pacific Crest. Ma’am you may ask your question.

James Heppelmann

Management

Hey, Monica.

Unidentified Analyst

Analyst

T:

Andrew Miller

Management

Are you asking relative to subscription so the channel partners will be – will earn margin off the renewals, which is the big question. If they didn’t earn margin off renewal they wouldn’t sell subscription.

Unidentified Analyst

Analyst

Yes, and then as far as the mix from the channel are you expecting the channel still relatively the same or are you guys going to be increasing or decreasing it?

Andrew Miller

Management

The subscription mix or a general or the percent of revenue what we share as we actually it was about with almost 20% more capacity in the channel than we started, as we have highlighted the channel partially grew faster than the market for the year. Great way to go after the mid-market we think we’ve got a great product in the mid-market. So we think there’s an opportunity there.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yes, now I would counter that Andy, with it depends a little bit on how we define the channels it’s GE channel.

Andrew Miller

Management

Well, I was right, I was talking CAD. But you are right if you look at TPG…

James Heppelmann

Management

Right so we’re looking at the technology product group that will be a new channel.

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes.

James Heppelmann

Management

And quite frankly, we expected we take things from there so I think maybe ask a question, which you try to give me a follow-up answer on…

Andrew Miller

Management

Yesterday.

James Heppelmann

Management

Yesterday, because depending upon if we’re going with yesterday’s definition of the channel or tomorrows definition we’d have a slightly different answer probably.

Andrew Miller

Management

Yes.

Unidentified Analyst

Analyst

Okay, that works. Thank you.

James Heppelmann

Management

Okay, great. Well, thanks a lot I got in the last question. So I want to thank you all for going through this quite full-some disclosure here on the business and now the changing metrics and so forth. But we are at a point here with the management team is pretty excited we really do think we have strategy that’s going to drive growth. There’s some things we need to do, but we can see it I know from working with Andy that he’s going to drive this subscription thing right through the company I have been watching them do that day by day and it’s like a train coming through town. Nobody is going to stop it. And then on this operating margin things I think we have a terrific track record there. And we just took the next step when we announced this restructuring today, which it’s a difficult thing to do inside the company, but generally viewed pretty positively by our shareholders and seen it. Hey, these guys didn’t give up on that, they’re not distracted by IoT or subscription they’re going to forge ahead as well with that. So I really do think this company is going to create a lot of value and I thank you all for taking the time to hear our story and for sticking with us. And we look forward to seeing many of you on November count on our Investor Day as well. All right with that thanks a lot and have good evening. Bye, bye.

Operator

Operator

That conclude today’s conference. Thank you all for participating. You may now disconnect.