Alma History
For more than 45 years, Alma has been shaping the future of digital manufacturing through innovation, expertise, and a strong commitment to industrial performance, always with customers’ satisfaction in mind.
1979: The Beginning of an Industrial Vision
Alma was founded in Grenoble, France, with a clear ambition: bringing advanced computing technologies to industrial manufacturing. From the start, the company focused on solving complex optimization challenges for cutting and sheet metal industries. With strong values from the start, Alma is an independent and collaborative company, focusing on human well-being and long-term relationships’ partners and customers.
1980s: Pioneering CAD/CAM Innovation
As CAD/CAM technologies emerged, Alma quickly became recognized for its expertise in nesting optimization algorithms. The company developed powerful software solutions capable of maximizing material yield while simplifying manufacturing processes.
1990s: International Expansion
Driven by technological innovation and customer trust, Alma expanded internationally. Subsidiaries and partners were established across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, supporting manufacturers and software providers worldwide.
2000s: Strengthening Expertise in Cutting Technologies
Alma continued to enrich its software portfolio with advanced functionalities dedicated to laser cutting, punching, plasma, oxycut, waterjet, and robotic cutting applications.
During this period, Powernest (today Almacam Nesting Component) became a recognized technology brand, providing high-performance nesting algorithms integrated directly into third-party software solutions.
2010s: From Software Publisher to Technology Partner
Beyond software development, Alma positioned itself as a true technology partner for OEMs, machine manufacturers, and software publishers.
Its component-based technologies enabled companies to integrate industrial-grade optimization algorithms directly into their own CAD, CAM, ERP, MES, or automation solutions or to benefit from a efficient new generation sheet metal CAM software known as Almacam software suite.
2020s: Accelerating Digital Manufacturing
As Industry 4.0 transformed manufacturing, Alma reinforced its focus on interoperability, automation, and API-driven technologies especially with a automated and simple 2D web-based application called Nest&Cut. The company expanded its expertise beyond nesting, developing new intelligent components designed to optimize every stage of cutting preparation and manufacturing workflows.
2026: Launch of the Almacam Components Range
In 2026, Alma launched the Almacam Components range, replacing the historical Powernest brand.
This new generation of industrial software components significantly expands the offering beyond nesting optimization, providing a complete portfolio of advanced algorithms and services designed to be integrated directly into third-party software applications.
With Almacam Components, software vendors, machine manufacturers, and industrial solution providers can now enhance their own applications with proven industrial expertise covering nesting, CAM automation, toolpath generation, manufacturing optimization, and more.
Today, Alma continues to innovate with one mission: helping software and industrial companies build smarter, more efficient, and more connected manufacturing solutions.