25 years in the making, Sigmetrix hits the fast track

“We make products that our customers value because we listen to what our customers want.”

Why is Sigmetrix one of the top 10 fastest growing software companies?
“Because we care about more than just profit, I believe companies need to create a balance between customers, employees, stockholders, etc. We can and do maximize each area. Sigmetrix makes products that our customers value because we listen to what our customers want. We also create a great place to work because we place high importance on work-life balance and being happy at your job. When you put a focus on customers and employees, profits and shareholder return are a natural consequence.”

How did Sigmetrix get started?
“Sigmetrix was born out of the Defense Systems Group at Texas Instruments. The group partnered with BYU and developed a mathematically driven software to improve product quality. In 1997 Raytheon purchased the Defense Group from TI, and two years later Sigmetrix was founded as a standalone company.”

Why do you think your products have continued to rise above your competitors?
“We have some very precise mathematics. So when Texas Instruments partnered with BYU to create the software they did so on a mathematical basis. Mechanical Engineering is based on mathematics and Sigmetrix has spent years embedding complex formulas inside of our software to give customers the most accurate answers. A good example would be; I could toss a coin 10,000 times to determine that the odds of getting ‘heads’ are 50/50. But, my results wouldn’t be exactly 5,000 heads and 5,000 tails so my answer wouldn’t be precise. If you know the math you don’t need to estimate or guess, you can have a precise answer. This makes CETOL 6σ fast AND it is more accurate.”

“Not only is the software superior to our competitors, we also have a terrific network of distributors worldwide that have a broad knowledge of our products and can not only sell our software, but many of them can offer training and implementation services for our customers worldwide.”

“Success”, in Chris Wilkes’ words
“My primary job as CEO is to get the right people in place for each role and give them what they need to do their job. As well as help remove hurdles that are in their way. I try to make an enjoyable work environment, we try to give back to the community, and we listen to the employees’ ideas and executing on them. As CEO, I need to spend 90% of my time listening to customers, partners, distributors, employees and stockholders. These are not conflicting forces, when done right, we all succeed. The result is that we are able to help our customers deliver higher quality products that result in better medical devices, watches that run smoother and automotive drivetrains that last longer.”

Along that line, what have been some of your favorite customer visits?
“Well I’d have to say that climbing up the launch structure for the space shuttle was a very special experience. Also, seeing the particle accelerator at CERN was great. FN Manufacturing gives a great tour on how their firearms are made and Rolex has to be one of the most exceptional tours. I really enjoy the insight you can only get by having engineers pick up their products and show you how your software is used to make them better.”

Have you personally benefited from the products your customer’s make?
“I certainly have. Unfortunately last year I needed to be hospitalized. Within sight of the bed were no less than 5 different products made by our customers. From the medical bed itself to the IV pump on the wall, I saw our customer’s logos everywhere. That doesn’t mean that every one of the products I saw had our software used in the design, but it was comforting to know that the equipment that was supporting my procedure was made by a company that has high standards in quality and uses Sigmetrix software to help with making their products better.”

The Future Sight
“Sigmetrix is on the forefront of a trend to better communicate the intent of a design to the team building the product. The old methods of using computer generated drawings are not able to provide all of the right information. With the latest versions of our products and the design software, we can help a designer say what they want in a manner that can be automatically communicated to a programmable machine on the assembly line and then to inspection machines after the parts are made.”

Meet the Executive Duo

Chris Wilkes, President & CEO: Mr. Wilkes has an extensive background in developing marketing, operations and product strategies that enhance corporate reputation, increase shareholder value and accelerate growth. Mr. Wilkes is currently the CEO of Sigmetrix, a leading analysis software company for mechanical engineering, and serves on multiple business and charity boards including 7 Loaves Community and the North Texas Angel Network. Holding previous Presidential and Vice Presidential positions at Incentra, Sterling Software, SANZ and AT&T, he was responsible for driving top and bottom-line company growth through fiscally accountable and operationally efficient leadership. Mr. Wilkes holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and an undergraduate degree in Marketing from Texas Tech University.

James Stoddard, Vice President & Product Development Chief Technical Officer: James is the top technologist for the creation of CETOL 6σ Technologies, advanced constraint systems, architecture and CAD integrations developed over 10 years of professional research going back to his work at Brigham Young University working with Dr. Ken Chase, founder of ADCATS, the Association for Development of Computer Automated Tolerance Systems. James is recognized by the top PLM companies and universities as the leading expert in advanced constraint technologies setting the benchmark for precise solutions necessary for addressing the next generation needs of tolerance optimization systems.

“When you put a focus on customers and employees, profits and shareholder return are a natural consequence.”