ACE2025@Boston Participation Report
Zionex provides the Dynamic Task Manager (DTM) as an add-on solution for the Aras Innovator PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) platform. As a partner of Aras Corporation, Zionex participated in the ACE2025 event held from March 31 to April 3, 2025, with a 4-person team including Executive Officer and DTM Business Manager, Mr. Ito at Zionex Japan.
The event took place at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, under the theme “Connected Intelligence.”
This report shares Mr. Ito’s impressions and findings from the event.
Objectives of Zionex’s Participation in ACE2025:
- To understand the future direction and initiatives of Aras Corporation.
- To exchange insights with Japanese customers and partners overseas.
- To technically validate the compatibility of DTM with Aras Innovator SaaS as an ISV Partner.
- To explore business opportunities in the US and European markets.
Key Highlights:
Aras introduced the concept of “Aras InnovatorEdge”, aiming to provide APIs that allow external integration and extend the capabilities of its SaaS components, including the Product Data Platform, Application Library, and Low-Code Development suite.
The conventional method of customizing by modifying code trees and referencing physical files is being replaced by API-based data access. Zionex intends to continue monitoring the evolving specifications of Aras InnovatorEdge.
CEO and CTO Sessions:
In his keynote, Aras CEO Roque Martin emphasized the 25th anniversary of the Aras Community, highlighting the values of innovation, community, and connection. He reflected on the challenges of the Y2K era, the origin of the company’s name by founder Peter, and the technological evolution that parallels Aras’s own journey over the past 25 years.
CTO Rob McAveney, in his “What if” session, reviewed Aras’s technological development. Mr. Ito found the session nostalgic, noting how the rapid rise of AI within just 25 years underscores the accelerated pace of technological change.
Customer & Partner Engagement:
Zionex had the opportunity to meet both new and familiar Japanese customers and partners, engaging in valuable discussions and exchanging ideas. The feedback received will be reflected in future product improvements.
Technical Collaboration with Aras:
To ensure compatibility with Aras Innovator SaaS, DTM must support .NET 8 and run in Linux containers. Zionex had paused development for about a year due to various constraints, but used ACE2025 as an opportunity to resume technical discussions with Aras engineers.
Once the DTM application is ready, it will go through the CI/CD pipeline, undergo UAT and staging validation, and be prepared for deployment to the production environment. Zionex aims to make DTM available to users as soon as possible.
Zionex extends special thanks to John Sperling, Aihoa Borowicz, Benjamin Chaillon, Grant Killian, and the team at Aras Japan for their coordination and support.
Additional Activities:
- Zionex participated in the Aras DevOps training sessions, gaining a solid understanding of the development processes required for SaaS compatibility.
- During the “Aras in the Round” session on April 2, project management functionality emerged as a key discussion topic, which was of strong interest to Zionex.
- In Japan, Zionex is currently conducting a joint promotion campaign with Aras under the theme “Build with Aras.” Zionex was eager to gauge awareness of the company and the DTM product.
- During the reception, executives including Peter, Roque, Rob, and Leon shared positive recognition, stating, “We know Zionex and DTM!”—a response that further motivated Zionex to introduce DTM more actively and continue evolving its offerings through ongoing dialogue and feedback.
Final Thoughts:
Mr. Ito noted that the area within a 40-minute walk from the Hilton Hotel offered a peaceful and scenic atmosphere. He enjoyed invigorating morning jogs, watching lively dogs in the parks, and dining at excellent restaurants—allowing him to fully appreciate the calm charm of Boston. (MIT campus with the “Dome” is visible across the Charles River as shown in this photo.)
