Throughout the 1990s, Gainesboro helped set the standard for CAD/CAM, but the aggressive entry of large foreign firms into CAD/CAM and the rise of the U.S. dollar dampened sales. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, technological advances and aggressive venture capitalism fueled the entry of highly specialized, state-of-the-art CAD/CAM firms. Gainesboro fell behind some of its competition in the development of user-friendly software and the integration of design and manufacturing. As a result, revenues slipped from a high of $911 million, in 1998, to $757 million, in 2004.