Westinghouse signs Agreement with Infotech Enterprises Ltd. for the provision of engineering services in India

Hyderabad: Westinghouse Electric Company today announced it has finalized a master agreement with the global engineering services provider Infotech Enterprises Ltd., headquartered here and its U.S. affiliate, Infotech Enterprises America, Inc., for the provision of engineering services in India and the United States by creating the Westinghouse India Engineering Center ("WIEC").

WIEC will be located at Infotech''s campus in Hyderabad and will be staffed with Infotech employees dedicated solely to working for Westinghouse.

Infotech and Westinghouse officially inaugurated the newly-formed Westinghouse India Engineering Center today in the presence of the leaders from both companies.

The agreement will enable Westinghouse to augment its engineering resources as it prepares for continuing growth in the global nuclear energy business and will lay the foundation for Westinghouse AP1000(TM) nuclear power plant work in India. The official inauguration of the newly formed Westinghouse India Engineering Center will be held this morning with leaders from both Westinghouse and Infotech in attendance.

"Our partnership with Infotech will further strengthen Westinghouse's capabilities in the region, and it serves as another sign of our commitment to the Indian market," said Aris Candris, President and CEO of Westinghouse.

Mr B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, Infotech Enterprises Limited expressing his delight on signing the agreement said, "We are proud to be providing high value engineering services to Westinghouse complimenting their effort in becoming a global nuclear powerhouse. The inauguration of the CoE today is an acknowledgement of Infotech's pursuit of excellence in global engineering. This is the first engagement for outsourced engineering in India in the nuclear industry and further demonstrates Infotech's strength in working in time and mission critical engineering industries."

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Krishna Bodanapu, President - Engineering, Infotech Enterprises Limited said, "We see a significant amount of synergy between Infotech and Wstinghouse. Infotech's rent less focus on people, process, tools, technology and training that facilitate effective globalization of engineering will help Westinghouse further strengthen their engineering capability worldwide. Infotech looks forward to being a trusted engineering partner of choice to Westinghouse," said Krishna Bodanapu, President - Engineering, Infotech Enterprises Limited.

"Having skilled people working on our projects is critical to success," said Candris. "The people of Infotech have the proper skills, experience and resources to help ensure the success of our projects in the region."

Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation, is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first PWR in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants, including 60 percent of those in the United States.

Altair adds FTire by cosin scientific software to the HyperWorks Partner Alliance

FTire’s integration to Altair’s MotionSolve enables realistic, full vehicle model simulation accessible under one licensing system.

TROY, Mich – Altair, a global provider of technology and services empowering client innovation and decision making, today announced the addition of FTire to its HyperWorks Partner Alliance (HWPA). FTire, a full 3D nonlinear tire simulation model, is developed by cosin scientific software and interfaces with Altair’s MotionSolve, a mechanical systems simulation solver, which enables realistic, full vehicle model simulations to improve durability and vehicle ride comfort. HyperWorks users can now download the latest version of FTire from the HWPA website at www.hyperworksalliance.com and use it at no incremental cost through their existing HyperWorks software license system. To date, over 340 companies worldwide have joined the HyperWorks Partner Alliance.

FTire is used by engineers in the vehicle and tire industry worldwide for vehicle durability and ride comfort analysis. FTire supports industry standard road input data files for analytical and discretized road surfaces. Coupled with HyperWorks MotionSolve Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD) technology, HyperWorks Partner Alliance users can employ FTire’s highly sophisticated tire simulation capabilities for 2D and 3D road surfaces, enabling efficient and accurate system level simulation of on-road vehicles. The Altair MotionSolve-FTire interface can be used for any model simulation of a vehicle equipped with passenger or light truck/SUV tires within a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace and defense.

"The on-demand availability of FTire in the HWPA brings together the benefits of high end tire modeling with MotionSolve MBD technology in a convenient and flexible way,” said Gerald Hofmann, Partner at cosin scientific software. “FTire has established its position as the leading higher-frequency and short-wavelength tire model over the last years. Today, almost every important OEM in the automotive industry is using FTire for critical road loads, ride comfort and vehicle durability simulations. The reduced administrative overhead obtained by using the HyperWorks licensing scheme allows both the end user and cosin to focus on development and application rather than on software and license availability issues."

HyperWorks is a suite of enterprise analytic applications that includes statistical, database, visualization and simulation software to help companies make better business decisions. Its patented HyperWorks Units licensing technology allows users to transparently share software licenses globally across a broad suite of applications. MotionSolve, an application within the HyperWorks suite, is a powerful mechanical-systems simulation solver based on a modern formulation tuned for computation speed and results accuracy. With robust solutions for dynamics, kinematics and statics, MotionSolve provides analysts and designers with powerful capabilities to accurately simulate and analyze complex mechanical-systems behavior and performance.

“Here again, Altair has teamed up with one of its strategic partners to offer our users a fully integrated solution accessible under one simple licensing model,” said Martin Nichols, Altair Executive Vice President of Global Alliances and Operations. “The integration of HyperWorks MotionSolve and cosin’s FTire provides a comprehensive full vehicle mechanical systems simulation tool. Vehicle and tire manufacturers can easily test and implement this technology to significantly improve their tire dynamics predictions. Best in class technology and cost-efficient delivery are the main drivers behind the success of the HyperWorks Partner Alliance.”

The partnership with cosin scientific software brings the total number of applications available under the HyperWorks platform to 57 including 32 third-party software applications such as FTire. These applications enable users to maximize their current investment in HyperWorks licenses by giving their engineers and designers flexible access to a growing pool of leading technology solutions.

CD-adapco Forum to feature Discussions Among Leading Aerospace & Defense Organizations

New York: CD-adapco has announced that Textron AAI, NASA, Hawker Beechcraft, and Lockheed Martin will kick off its 2010 Aerospace & Defense STAR Global Forum. Representatives from each company will participate in a round-table discussion moderated by leading industry analyst, Monica Schnitger.

The panel will take a critical look at the role of engineering simulation in aerospace, and its impact on improving the overall engineering process. Furthermore, the panel will focus on the ways in which CAE technology needs to advance to keep pace with the increasing demands aerospace and defense industry.

“These conferences bring together representatives from every aspect of the industry,” said David L. Vaughn, CD-adapco, Director of Aerospace and Defense Industry. “The cross pollination between missile manufacturers, land and sea defense systems, business and commercial aircraft, and tier 1 and 2 suppliers, really delivers the greatest benefits to forum attendees. While the morning round-table allows the disseminate of information on common problems across all sectors, the afternoon technical sessions will demonstrate how individual organizations are tackling problems using more sophisticated methods for handling complex geometry and meshing, and complex physics like conjugate heat transfer and multiphase flow.”

In addition to the panelist discussion, the event will host general speaking session and training courses. demonstrations and workshops using the latest version of STAR-CCM+. Other participating companies include US Army TACOM, Lockheed Martin, AAI, ATA, American Dynamics, NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command), and NAVSEA Warfare Centers.

For more information on Aerospace & Defense STAR Global Forum on May 12-13, 2010 at the Historic Hilton in Fort Worth, Texas. please visit:

http://www.cd-adapco.com/aero2010

This event trails the recent Aerospace Digital Report published by the company earlier this year. The report captures over ten application stories illustrating the impact of simulation in the industry. It complements similar stories that will be shared at this STAR Global Forum event in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Aerospace Digital Report is complimentary and available for download at:
http://www.cd-adapco.com/applications/aerospace

Kubotek to Sponsor CIC Bonus Round Table Discussion on Aerospace, Model Based Definition and the FAA

The Role of Interoperability in CFR 14 Part 21 (Data Use in Certification), Order 8000.7 and Draft Advisory Circular AC21-XXX on Model Based Definition and Moving Certification Data in the Aerospace Industry.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass — Kubotek USA and Aerospace Industry leaders will host an open round table session to talk about the new Model Based Definition (MBD) process proposed by the FAA for preserving 3D data used to design and build aircraft. Leading the discussions will be James DeLaPorte from Gulfstream and Bob Deragisch from Parker Aerospace. Topics will include the dos, don’ts and best practices from an OEM and tier one supplier perspective.

Robert Bean, Executive Vice President and Jim Gordon, Vice President of Development and LOTAR Committee Member will be hosting the session for Kubotek USA.

Robert Bean states, “We have a great opportunity to discuss what these new regulations—released in draft form last week—mean to the Aerospace industry and hear from industry experts who are leading the charge with MBD certifications. OEMs and suppliers can get a head start on compliance methodology before the Advisory Circular is formally issued.”

This informal discussion will take place immediately following the Collaboration & Interoperability Congress (CIC) on May 5. It is scheduled to run from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will be open to all CIC attendees.

If you are interested in attending this session, please contact Paula Garside from Kubotek USA at Email Contact or (508) 265-6335 to register. Lunch will be provided to all registrants.

The CIC is organized by Longview Advisors. CIC, now in its sixth year, brings together experts and executives from a wide range of discrete manufacturing industries, as well as representatives from government and defense communities, to discuss the latest issues and solutions in collaboration and interoperability with 3D product data.

Sim3 Engineering Consulting Partners with Dassault Systèmes to Offer SIMULIA Solutions

CHICAGO - Sim3 Engineering Consulting, a division of Graphics Systems Corp., announced today that it has partnered with Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, to provide the leading simulation software package from SIMULIA, to companies that need to simulate the real-world behaviors of their products, materials and processes. Simulation has become an important part of the product design and development process, as it helps organizations lower costs by reducing physical prototypes and improve product performance by identifying potential problems early in the development process.

“By partnering with Dassault Systèmes to provide SIMULIA solutions, Sim3 offers a complete solution for realistic simulation. In today’s competitive marketplace the ability to virtually test designs quickly and accurately, prior to committing to costly prototype development and physical testing, is more important than ever before. With SIMULIA solutions, we expand to further help companies create safer and more efficient products,” said Dave Kasinskas, president of Sim3 Engineering Consulting.

Designers, engineers, and researchers in a broad range of industries use SIMULIA’s scalable simulation solutions. The Abaqus product suite from SIMULIA offers companies unified Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and multiphysics solutions for insight into challenging engineering problems.

“The Sim3 team has a strong background in simulation and a passion for helping companies improve their products,” said Scott Berkey, CEO, SIMULIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Dassault Systèmes is excited to work closely with Sim3 to offer a simulation solution that lowers development costs and accelerates innovation for companies.”

Sim3 and Dassault Systèmes are showcasing SIMULIA solutions at the Design2Part Tradeshow in Schaumburg, IL April 27-28, 2010.

The Three Stages of Retail PLM Adoption - whitepaper released by Kurt Salmon Associates

NEW YORK - Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software offers quick wins, but has only scratched the surface of its real value, according to a whitepaper released by consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates.

Much bigger wins await retailers whose product development and sourcing departments use a PLM system to work in parallel and share the same, up-to-the minute information, according to the whitepaper, "The Three Stages of Retail PLM Adoption," available for download on Kurt Salmon's website.

The whitepaper, based on in-depth interviews with soft goods leaders, and results from Kurt Salmon's PLM consulting assignments, offers a snapshot of investment and benefits and a roadmap for future PLM opportunities. For organizations currently considering PLM, the whitepaper provides the blueprint for a successful phased implementation approach that includes designers, merchants and external suppliers.

The whitepaper's five retailing myths take on agents, the product development department, sourcing, factories and management itself.

Myth 1: My agent knows better than I do. This gives agents too much power. Most agents communicate between a retailer on one end and a supplier on the other. Warning: Don't assume your manufacturing agent knows more than you.

Myth 2: Our product development department is more trustworthy than our suppliers. Rather than keeping vendors away from setting specs, retailers should focus on communicating clearly what needs to be done, then capitalize on the skills of the vendors to do most of the technical work.

MYTH 3: Only sourcing can understand what suppliers are talking about. That thinking stands in the way of designers getting into direct dialogs with suppliers about ways to tweak product designs for more efficient manufacturing and distribution.

MYTH 4: Our factories won't want to share their supply chain. Retailers who show a factory the rewards of stronger collaboration will be able to create a competitive advantage.

MYTH 5: We can't change ourselves. Retailers who do not use PLM technology to revamp the way they develop products and work with suppliers will suffer higher costs and be late to market, and that's a recipe for shrinking market share.

The whitepaper outlines immediate steps retailers can take to get value from their PLM investments. And from those steps, retailers can significantly improve their organization's financial performance.

J. Walter Miller Company chooses ESI's casting simulation software to make a profound technological evolution

Paris : J. Walter Miller Company selected QuikCAST, ESI’s casting simulation software, to fully reconfigure its complex castings in a minimum period of time and at a minimum cost during its technological transition from manual green sand squeeze molding to fully automated molding machines.

J. Walter Miller Company (JWMC) produces brass and bronze castings for the fire protection, pumping and valve industries. Both leaded and non-leaded alloys are poured on a daily basis and give JWMC a unique mix of capabilities. Historically, JWMC has specialized in small castings but is growing into larger sizes with the recent acquisition of the DISA Match 130, a match plate molding machine. As a result, each squeezer pattern needs to be converted to run on the new equipment.

For a foundry producing non-leaded pump components, impellers are a main challenge because of the heavy and thin sections of the casting. Indeed, JWMC’s impeller castings exhibited shrink porosity and voids in the hub when machined at the customer’s facility; thus, the riser at the hub area required redesign.

The initial design, prior to the use of QuikCAST software, lead to the addition of a core in the hub, to reduce the amount of liquid metal required to feed the hub during solidification, showing no defect after boring. However, a new defect began to appear in the wear ring section of the casting.

At this time, JWMC decided to explore the use of ESI’s QuikCAST casting software, enabling the simulation of the entire casting process from filling to solidification including defects prediction, to determine the cause of this frustrating new defect. Thanks to QuikCAST, JWMC was able to find a new design configuration eliminating the shrink during machining. As a result, QuikCAST enabled JWMC to reduce the number of iterations required to reconfigure patterns, reduce porosity in finished castings and explore opportunities for yield improvement. JWMC’s customer also witnessed a dramatic reduction of scrap in the machining process, which contributed to large cost savings for both the customer and JWMC.

“This problem would have taken about 12 weeks and $6,000 in pattern changes plus countless hours of machine time to solve using conventional trial and error methods”, declared Dan Rudolph, Quality Engineer at J. Walter Miller Company. “With QuikCAST, we can easily solve similar problems in 2 weeks and produce a good pattern the first time. We have used simulation on about 20 parts to date and the simulation results are similar to what we see in the shop."

BonaDent Joins the SensAble Authorized Production Center Program

Offers Digital Design, Fabrication Services for Flexible and Cast Metal Partials to Dentists and Other Dental Labs Using the SensAble Dental Lab System.

WOBURN, Mass - SensAble Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of dental restoration design and fabrication solutions, haptic devices and 3D modeling software, announced that BonaDent Dental Laboratories of Seneca Falls, NY and West Melbourne, FL has joined the SensAble Authorized Production Center (SAPC) Program. SAPCs create fixed and removable dental restorations in both metal and flexible materials for their own dentists using the SensAble Dental Lab System, an award-winning dental CAD/CAM system, and are certified to provide design and/or fabrication services to other dental labs.

Because not every lab is ready for a full scan/design/fabricate system, SensAble Authorized Production Centers make it easier for dental labs of all sizes to take incremental steps toward digital technologies – and gain the increased productivity, accuracy and consistency that they allow. Labs can deploy the Scan/Design configuration of the SensAble Dental Lab System and then send the files electronically to BonaDent for printing a resin pattern. That pattern will be returned to the lab for investing and casting in metal, or flasking of a flexible material. Alternately, BonaDent can provide a finished chrome or flexible framework or coping to the lab, or a finished restoration to the dentist.

SensAble Authorized Production Centers ensure consistent, high-quality results by using only SensAble-approved fabrication methods and adhering to strict quality standards to remain “SensAble-certified.” These SensAble Authorized Production Centers gain marketing exposure from SensAble, and provide a valuable service to other dental labs whose business models support outsourcing digital design or production rather than investing in a complete system.

“We’re eager to begin marketing the exceptional quality and accuracy that we get in working with the SensAble system, especially in our flexible partials,” said Ron Philbrook, CDT, cast partials manager at BonaDent. “More patients and dentists are requesting flexible products because of the comfort and aesthetics, and we’re amazed at the added productivity we’ve obtained when creating them in SensAble’s system. Now, we can help other labs streamline the production of partials and C&B restorations as well.”

“Digital dentistry is transforming the industry, and whether dental labs bring CAD/CAM in-house or outsource, SensAble is committed to giving labs of all sizes a path to the digital future,” said Bob Steingart, president of SensAble Dental Products. “We’re delighted to work with leaders like BonaDent to offer a wider range of technology options so that labs can adopt whatever processes make the most sense for their business.”

Stratasys Revenue from Products and Services Increases 21%

MINNEAPOLIS - Stratasys, Inc today announced first quarter financial results. The company reported revenue of $23.0 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010, which includes a $5.0 million one-time non-cash charge against revenue. The charge against revenue represents the fair value of the warrant issued to HP (NYSE: HPQ) for 500,000 shares of Stratasys, Inc. common stock, in connection with the distribution agreement signed in January.

Non-GAAP revenue, which excludes the warrant charge, was $28.0 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010, a 21% increase over the $23.1 million reported for the same period in 2009. System shipments totaled 610 units for the first quarter of 2010, as compared with 591 for the same period last year.

The company reported a net loss of $443,000 for the first quarter, or $0.02 per share, compared to a net loss of $704,000, or $0.03 per share, for the same period last year.

Non-GAAP net income, which excludes the warrant charge, certain discrete items and stock-based compensation expense, was $2.9 million, or $0.14 per share, for the first quarter of 2010 compared to $5,000 for the same period last year.

Appropriate reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures are provided in a table at the end of this press release. The table provides itemized detail of the non-GAAP financial measures.

“Our first quarter results reflect the positive impact of the economic recovery and a subsequent improvement of business conditions within our core markets,” said Scott Crump, chairman and chief executive officer of Stratasys. “Compared to a very weak first quarter last year, we generated strong growth in our system sales, led by a 140% increase in Fortus 3D production system revenue.

“Excluding the warrant charge, gross margin expanded quarter-on-quarter and year-over-year, driven by the growth in total revenue as well as a favorable mix in product sales. Product mix continues to benefit from the relatively strong sales of our higher-priced Dimension and uPrint Plus 3D printers. In addition, operating margin percentage, excluding the warrant charge, reached the highest level since the third quarter of 2008, driven by the higher gross margin and our ongoing efforts to prudently manage operating expenses.

“During the final days of the first quarter, we began shipment of the new HP DesignJet 3D printer. These shipments were in anticipation of HP’s launch last week of the new product and its forthcoming availability in five European countries. We are excited about entering this stage of the agreement with HP and believe their expansion into the 3D printer market with Stratasys-manufactured products represents the beginning of a revolutionary new period for our company.

“Coinciding with the introduction of HP’s new DesignJet 3D printers, we recently launched an eco-friendly, automated support removal system for our uPrint line called WaveWash. The new product platform is office friendly and easy to use, and will improve upon the whole product experience for uPrint customers by providing a hands-free process to dissolve support material. HP’s strategic input was instrumental in our development of the new support removal system, which is also being sold by HP under their DesignJet brand.

“We are encouraged by the positive trends in our business during the first quarter and remain optimistic regarding the balance of 2010. Consumable revenue grew by 22% during the quarter, and could be a leading indicator of a sustainable growth trend. Although our optimism is growing, we remain cautious in our outlook and will continue to control our expenses accordingly. We maintain a healthy balance sheet, which is reflected in our growing cash balance, and we are well positioned to execute our growth plans going forward.

“Most importantly, we are excited to begin the distribution phase of our agreement with HP. We believe HP’s unmatched sales and distribution capabilities are the ideal complement to our current channel. Within our market, their brand awareness and marketing muscle has the potential of driving a significant expansion in our 3D printer sales,” Crump concluded.

Avatech Solutions Releases Avatech AutoOffset for Civil Engineers and Surveyors

BALTIMORE- - Avatech Solutions, Inc, an American professional services company for design and engineering technologies, announces the retail release of Avatech AutoOffset™. Designed to enhance the AutoCAD® Civil 3D® experience for users worldwide, this software application is the most recent commercially available product developed and distributed by Avatech Solutions.

“The development of Avatech AutoOffset demonstrates our continued ability to create products that add real value to our customers’ bottom lines, as well as that of the broader commercial marketplace,” says George Davis, CEO, Avatech Solutions. “In fact, our software development team has released ten innovative products in the last eight years in direct response to customers’ demands.”

“In just minutes, AutoOffset helps us complete work that previously took hours,” says Joe Kidd, CAD Coordinator with Orchard Hiltz McCliment Engineering. “With a single project containing hundreds and even thousands of points to annotate, AutoOffset is an indispensable timesaver for our firm. We originally used it exclusively for road design, but because it’s so flexible and easy to customize, we’re finding new and unexpected beneficial applications.”

“With many new municipal, state and federal projects coming online, Avatech recognized a market opportunity to provide civil engineering firms with a tool to enhance team productivity,” says Davis. “As a recognized leader in the customization of Autodesk software, we were able to design and develop the perfect complementary product to help our customers streamline their workload so they could take better advantage of new opportunities.”

Avatech AutoOffset enhances the productivity of civil engineers and surveyors working with AutoCAD Civil 3D by eliminating manual tasks and saving valuable time. Developed for those who create linear designs like roads, railways, and sewer lines, AutoOffset takes survey data and automates location calculations and the labelling of land features such as trees, buildings, and utility poles.

Availability and Pricing

Avatech AutoOffset retails for $395, but is available free of charge to companies with an active Autodesk Subscription through Avatech. The software can be downloaded directly from Avatech.

Siemens PLM Software Named China’s #1 PLM Solution Supplier by CIMdata, Inc

On the Heels of Its Recent #1 Global Ranking in cPDm and Digital Manufacturing, Siemens Claims Top Spot in China’s PLM Market According to New CIMdata Report.

PLANO, Texas - Siemens PLM Software today announced its ranking as the number one PLM solution supplier in China based on 2009 overall market presence, according to leading PLM management consulting and research firm CIMdata, Inc. This recognition, based on in-depth data and analysis of the PLM market in China, is detailed in just released CIMdata China PLM Report.

“Siemens PLM Software continues to demonstrate leadership in some of the industry’s most important sectors,” said Peter Bilello, CIMdata’s Vice President. “Last month we reported that the company was the market presence leader in collaborative Product Definition management (cPDm) and the direct revenue leader in Digital Manufacturing, two of the fastest growing segments of the global PLM market. With the addition of its position as the PLM market presence leader in China – the world’s fastest growing economy – Siemens PLM Software continues to distinguish itself as a major force in the PLM industry.”

CIMdata’s report provides detailed information and in-depth analysis on China’s “Mainstream PLM” market, which continues to outpace the growth of the global PLM market. CIMdata defines Mainstream PLM as the subsectors of the PLM market that have traditionally been addressed by the major PLM solution suppliers. Some of these subsectors include cPDm, mechanical CAD, engineering simulation and analysis, and digital manufacturing.

“We are delighted to be recognized by CIMdata as China’s number one PLM solution supplier in overall market presence,” said Eric Sterling, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Siemens PLM Software. “We consider this a strong affirmation of, not only our strategy of listening to customers and delivering the solutions they need to excel in their own industries, but also of the dedication of our Siemens PLM Solutions team in China and throughout the world who help make this happen every day.”

PTC Targets 35% to 40% license revenue growth in FY'10 on strength of Windchill PLM solution

NEEDHAM, Mass - PTC, The Product Development Company®, today reported results for its second fiscal quarter ended April 3, 2010.

The Q2 non-GAAP results exclude $12.3 million of stock-based compensation expense, $8.9 million of acquisition- related intangible asset amortization and $6.7 million of income tax adjustments. The Q2 results include a non-GAAP tax rate of 27% and a GAAP tax rate of 18%.

C. Richard Harrison, chairman and chief executive officer, commented, "Q2 was another solid quarter for PTC with total revenue up 7% year-over-year and license revenue up 54%. Adjusting for FX impact relative to guidance, our revenue performance was at the high-end of our expectations, driven primarily by continued strength of our PLM business." On a constant currency basis total Q2 revenue was up 3% and license revenue was up 48% compared to the year ago period.

"Our PLM license revenue in Q2 was $30 million, up 107% year-over-year, continuing to highlight our leadership position in a large and growing segment of the enterprise software market," continued Harrison. "Our pipeline for new business opportunities with new and existing customers remains strong. During the quarter we recognized revenue from leading organizations such as BAE Systems, EADS, Huawei Technologies, NASA, the United States Navy, and Vestas Wind Systems."

James Heppelmann, president and chief operating officer added, "We believe there is a lot of momentum in the PLM market and that PTC is gaining share and becoming recognized as the industry leader for both our technology and product development process expertise. We secured 2 additional strategically important ‘domino' account wins during Q2, bringing the total number of domino account wins to 13. We are also engaged in more than 200 other opportunities world-wide where companies are looking to replace their existing PLM solution to help improve their competitive position in their own markets."

"We are very optimistic about the long-term opportunity for PTC and are committed to achieve our goal of a 20% non-GAAP EPS CAGR over the next 5 years," continued Heppelmann. "In order to enable us to achieve this goal, we are investing to extend our technology leadership position and expand our high caliber, solutions oriented sales teams. We expect to add up to 30 more sales teams through the end of FY'10, which will significantly increase capacity as we enter FY'11. As of Q2'10, we are well positioned to achieve at least 20% non-GAAP EPS growth in FY'10."

Neil Moses, chief financial officer, commented, "Our strong license revenue and solid maintenance revenue performance was partly offset by a year-over-year decline in our services revenue as we continue to work through the impact of soft license sales in 2009. Our CAD and SMB businesses are showing signs of recovery, as both businesses delivered sequential license revenue growth. Our balance sheet remains solid with $223 million of cash. During Q2 we repurchased $40 million worth of stock and repaid $20 million of our outstanding debt; leaving a balance of $34 million outstanding on our revolving credit facility."

Outlook

"Looking forward to the remainder of FY'10, despite FX movements we are maintaining our full-year revenue target of $1,015 million and non-GAAP EPS target of $1.00," continued Moses. "We have lowered our currency assumption from $1.46 USD/EURO to $1.36 USD/EURO, which negatively impacts revenue by approximately $18 million for FY'10 and which makes achieving these full year targets more challenging. We are increasing our license revenue growth expectations to 35% to 40% year over year, with our maintenance and services businesses now expected to be down modestly on a year-over-year basis."

"We are maintaining our non-GAAP operating margin target of 16%," continued Moses, "as we intend to continue to invest in our business to leverage our technology leadership position and capitalize on our long-term growth opportunity. We expect to pay down the remaining $34 million on our revolving credit facility and repurchase an additional $15 million worth of our stock during the remainder of FY'10." For FY'10 the GAAP operating margin target is 7.5% and the GAAP EPS target is $0.50.

The FY'10 targets assume a non-GAAP tax rate of 25%, a GAAP tax rate of 17% and 120 million diluted shares outstanding. The FY'10 non-GAAP guidance excludes approximately $49 million of stock-based compensation expense, $34 million of acquisition-related intangible asset amortization and $27 million of related income tax effects.

"For Q3 we are initiating guidance of $235 to $245 million in revenue with non-GAAP EPS of $0.14 to $0.20," Moses added. "We are expecting approximately 30% year-over-year growth in our license revenue in Q3 and 7% year-over-year growth in total revenue." The Q3 GAAP EPS target is $0.02 - $0.07.

The Q3 guidance assumes a non-GAAP tax rate of 23%, a GAAP tax rate of 15% and 120 million diluted shares outstanding. The Q3 non-GAAP guidance excludes approximately $12 million of stock-based compensation expense, $9 million of acquisition-related intangible asset amortization expense and $6 million of related income tax effects.

Highlights

* Q2 Results: Revenue of $240.6 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.20; GAAP EPS of $0.08
o Non-GAAP operating margin of 13.6%; GAAP operating margin of 4.8%
o Relative to Q2 guidance, currency was unfavorable to revenue by $3.1 million and favorable to non-GAAP expenses by $1.6 million and to GAAP expenses by $1.9 million

* Q3 Guidance: Revenue of $235 to $245 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.14 to $0.20
o GAAP EPS of $0.02 to $0.07
o Assumes $1.36 USD / EURO, down from $1.46 assumption in previous guidance, a $7 million negative impact to revenue in Q3

* FY 2010 Targets: Maintaining revenue target of $1,015 million and non-GAAP EPS of $1.00
o GAAP EPS of $0.50
o Increasing license revenue growth target to 35% to 40% year-over-year growth, up from previous target of 30% growth
o Non-GAAP operating margin of 16%; GAAP operating margin of 7.5%
o Assumes $1.36 USD / EURO, down from $1.46 assumption in previous guidance, a $14 million negative impact to revenue in H2'10

PetroVietnam Marine Shipyard Company Selects Intergraph(R) SmartMarine(R) 3D

HUNTSVILLE, Ala — PetroVietnam Marine Shipyard Joint Stock Co. (PV Shipyard) has selected Intergraph® SmartMarine® 3D engineering and design software to increase productivity and accelerate the completion of offshore projects.

To enhance its competitiveness in a bid for an offshore jack-up rig, PV Shipyard needed next-generation technology to assist in the design, construction and production of its current and future complex platforms. PV Shipyard also wanted engineering software from a stable and proven vendor that could ensure quality, accuracy and automated processes in producing the deliverables required for a number of other offshore contracts. After an intensive evaluation, PV Shipyard selected Intergraph for its comprehensive solutions suite, advanced technology, commitment to customers, proven track record and local distributor support from Intergraph's partner in Vietnam, Credent Technology.

SmartMarine 3D is the only next-generation 3D system which provides all the capabilities needed to design and build offshore devices from design to fabrication to operations and maintenance – all in a single, integrated environment. It is a rule-driven, data-centric, solution for streamlining processes while making it more useable over the operation, maintenance and modification life cycle of the device.

"We at PV Shipyard have been exploring the market for a industry-leading partner and solution to assist us in our plans to establish design, procurement, construction and management capabilities for building offshore facilities," said Phan Tu Giang, managing director for PV Shipyard. "Given the strong track record of the solutions and the commitment from the Intergraph and Credent team, we are confident that the solutions will prove to be invaluable to us at PV Shipyard."

Gerhard Sallinger, Intergraph Process, Power and Marine president, said, "PV Shipyard selection of SmartMarine 3D further reinforces Intergraph's leadership in the offshore and marine sector. We have seen a steady adoption of SmartMarine 3D worldwide, as customers see the business gains they can achieve by using the first new technology in 20 years geared specifically for the offshore industry. Intergraph's solution will not only boost PV Shipyard productivity, but it will enable them to accelerate projects to better serve their customers."

The ARC Advisory Group, a leading industry analyst firm, ranked Intergraph the No. 1 overall engineering design 3D software and process engineering tools (PET) provider worldwide according to its PET Worldwide Outlook Market Analysis and Forecast through 2013.

PARTsolutions acquires five new Manufacturing customers

MILFORD, OH - PARTsolutions LLC, a provider of 3D part catalogs for manufacturers and enterprises, has announced it has acquired five new customers. Anderson Instrument Company, Milwaukee Cylinder, Milwaukee Valve, U.S. Tsubaki and RWM Casters are the latest in a growing number of manufacturers that are leveraging PARTsolutions' 3D part catalog technology to enable on-line product sales configuration and CAD-native download of products to enhance their brands.

"We are thrilled to have Anderson Instrument Company, Milwaukee Cylinder, Milwaukee Valve, U.S. Tsubaki and RWM Casters join our customer roster," said Rob Zesch, president of PARTsolutions. "We look forward to providing these five leading manufacturers with the industry's best solution for producing qualified sales leads and to helping them save significant resources, enhance sales and improve customer loyalty that will impact their bottom lines."

The newly signed manufacturers will be providing industry leading CAD native product data on their websites, with several of them adding embedded and custom sales configurators to improve their customers' experiences with their websites. Each company expects to dramatically increase qualified sales leads, improve customer retention, eliminate product configuration and ordering anomalies and reduce engineering resource requirements to support presales activities in their respective industries:

* Anderson Instrument Company designs and manufactures a broad line of sanitary process instrumentation for customers in fluid food & beverage, dairy, and the biopharmaceutical industries.
* RWM Casters manufactures casters and wheels.
* Milwaukee Cylinder produces hydraulic and pneumatic actuation products.
* Milwaukee Valve Company is one of the largest valve suppliers in the industry.
* U.S. Tsubaki manufactures and sells power transmission and motion control products including precision roller chains, engineering class chains, and sprockets.

PARTcatalog is the only solution that includes a standalone 3D catalog development environment that produces CAD-Native product data, allowing products to be configured and delivered in over 85 CAD and graphic formats and versions. As a result, CAD-native part catalogs will enable Milwaukee Valve, Milwaukee Cylinder, Anderson Instrument Company, U.S. Tsubaki and RWM Caster to deliver the same high quality CAD models to all of their potential customers, regardless of which CAD system they use for design. In addition, CAD-native product configuration helps avoid data loss and inconsistency attributed to translating data to different CAD formats.

In addition, the PARTcatalog platform offers:

* Sales Lead Dashboard: Product and marketing executives and managers can easily gather critical marketing information like top customers, top products, total downloads, and geographic distribution, along with individual statistics for each user who downloads your products.
* Single Source Master Catalog: The PARTcatalog single digital master can be reused to master paper catalogs, web product pages, or marketing CDs (or other digital media) of digital product catalogs. Catalogs are also included in PARTenterprise, which is in use behind customer firewalls at major corporations worldwide such as The Boeing Company, Airbus, KUKA, Volkswagen, and many more.
* Global Catalog Placement: PARTsolutions is the only provider that delivers global catalog placement of PARTcatalog to captive audiences around the world on CAD portals like Autodesk and Machine Design, and Engineering CAD Communities like Connect Press for all of the major CAD systems.
* Expert Catalog Development: PARTsolutions utilizes its in-house professional catalog development teams, providing dedicated project management and on-line quality assurance tools.
* Mobile Technology & Social Media: PARTsolutions recently introduced mobile search functions for mobile phone browsers, Quick Response (QR) Codes for quick links to specific products in social media applications and marketing promotional capabilities such as 3D parts control with Wii controller, augmented reality technology and 3D part displays (via 3D glasses) that help its supplier customers to create excitement at trade shows and for field sales operations.

Altair Smashes Full-Vehicle Crash Simulation Time Barrier: CAD-to-Results in Less Than 24 Hours

Global software developer and design consultancy proves nearly four weeks can be slashed from the normal crash analysis process.

TROY, Mich — In a breakthrough, for advanced manufacturing, that ranks with the efficiencies gained by shifting from drafting tables to CAD stations, Michigan-headquartered Altair Engineering has succeeded in compressing the time required to mesh, assemble and simulate a full-vehicle crash finite-element model – directly from OEM native CAD data – to just 24 hours. This milestone achievement represents a two-to-four-week reduction in turn-around time that is typically required for this type of analysis.

Never before has this level of automation been successfully demonstrated. The implications are enormous for all industries developing products that require complex virtual prototype testing to address and improve crashworthiness, consumer safety, reliability and quality.

Ford Motor Company, which has earned more five-star vehicle safety ratings than any other auto company, supported Altair's ambitious project by supplying representative CAD data for the proof-of-concept effort.

The record time follows on the heels of Altair's November 2009 announcement that RADIOSS, the solver in the Altair HyperWorks CAE software suite, was the first in the industry to solve a full-vehicle crash model in less than five minutes. The model contained more than 1 million elements and was successfully executed using the latest Intel® software tools and compilers to optimize communications schemes and extract the best performance using an Intel cluster.

This new milestone extends the five-minute analysis achievement to address the entire crash analysis process, from CAD importation to results post-processing. Altair leveraged the pre-processing power of its premier modeling tool, HyperMesh, along with the automotive-specific model setup capabilities of HyperCrash and tailored automations to dramatically cut the time required to get the run-ready model to RADIOSS for analysis. Altair's job management portal, PBS Catalyst, was then used with the computing resource management strength of PBS Professional to simplify and accelerate the analysis process. Upon job completion, automated results post-processing was performed using HyperView, yielding a custom auto report and Microsoft Office presentations ready for engineer review.

The accomplishment was executed at Altair Engineering's world headquarters in Troy, Mich., from 7 p.m. April 19 until 7 p.m. April 20. The simulation entailed the use of 64 CPUs in Altair's compute center. The "CAD2CRASH24" initiative was announced today during Altair's opening keynote address at the 2010 Americas HyperWorks Technology Conference taking place April 27-29 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich.

"With this kind of speed, engineers gain more time to carry out more investigative studies and explore more alternatives relating to weight, materials and performance, while still accelerating the time to market of the final product," said Dr. Uwe Schramm, chief technical officer for HyperWorks. "These types of turn-around times now provide the opportunity to perform statistical and stochastic studies in the crash domain to further improve for the performance and robustness of designs."

Altair's CAD2CRASH24 process can be customized and implemented for manufacturers globally, offering weeks of additional simulation time annually to meet program objectives and product safety requirements. The process extends to any industry that must ensure the soundness of its products, including the execution of drop tests of cell phones, bird strikes on airplanes or fatigue analysis of implantable medical devices.

Lattice Technology Releases XVL Web Master ver. 8.2

Update Enhances Automation of 3D Manufacturing Data into HTML.

San Francisco, CA.— Lattice Technology® Inc., the standard for digital mock up and technical documentation software in the manufacturing enterprise, today announced the release of XVL Web Master ver. 8.2 – the latest update to its ground-breaking application for automatically creating 3D manufacturing data in HTML. The updated application is available now to customers.

XVL Web Master allows the immediate and automated processing of 3D data with integrated mBOMs, sBOMs, process and work instructions, illustrations and animations. These are arranged onto pre-defined templates and delivered in HTML files that can be quickly used across an intra- or internet for use downstream. The application delivers a deceptively simple interface to a set of powerful automated tools that allow the display and use of the data to be quickly customized to specific requirements.

XVL Web Master ver. 8.2 now supports Windows 7 operating systems, and has been enhanced to support SVG illustrations using the Lattice3D SVG Viewer in the HTML display. These illustrations interact visually with the list data to show the part being studied, or the process being described, to increase clarity for the end-user.

XVL Web Master has improved options and controls to ensure that only valid processes are published from the process tree into the web pages. Illustration processing options have been expanded to allow automated creation of vectors and outlines into the HTML display, and for more automated removal of ‘noise’ from illustrations.

You can watch a video demonstration of creating 3D mBOMs/sBOMs in both Excel spreadsheets (using Lattice3D Reporter) and HTML using XVL Web Master at this link: http://www.lattice3d.com/solutions/work2_demo.html.

Autodesk in five-year agreement with Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to Help Educate K-12 Students

SAN RAFAEL, Calif — Autodesk, Inc announced it is entering into a five-year agreement with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs for K-12 schools, to provide Autodesk design software products for PLTW’s engineering curriculum.

PLTW’s curriculum engages hundreds of thousands of middle-school and high-school students through hands-on activities while providing a proven path to academic and professional success in STEM fields. Students can apply what they learn in math and science classes to real-world problems across multiple disciplines, including architectural design, civil and mechanical engineering, and animation. The organization’s project-based learning program emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and innovative reasoning, while fostering a love of learning. The program has been lauded for its innovative curriculum, teacher training and connection to college course credits.

“Our goal is to help integrate the same technology into school programs that is used in university classrooms and in the professional world. Autodesk tools are used throughout a wide array of diverse and thriving fields that run the gamut from Digital Entertainment Creation to sustainable design. Autodesk provides these tools to help students gain more from their academic experiences and better prepare them for successful careers after graduation,” said Joe Astroth, Ph.D., Autodesk chief education officer. “Autodesk and Project Lead the Way are committed to doing this through better education in the STEM fields. PLTW is the premier STEM education program available anywhere in the world, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on future initiatives that will benefit all students innovating toward a better tomorrow.”

As a part of the collaboration, Autodesk and PLTW agreed to lower the cost of the software by more than 20 percent for schools implementing a PLTW program. Since entering into a relationship with PLTW in 2006, Autodesk has provided more than $8.4 million in in-kind value of software to PLTW schools and the students they serve. The new arrangement dramatically increases this amount to an anticipated $16.2 million over the term of the agreement. Autodesk and PLTW deliver this value through significant discounts on software to participating PLTW schools.

“Autodesk is the industry leader in design software and the company’s investment in Project Lead the Way schools will continue to ignite the imagination of hundreds of thousands of students,” said John Lock, PLTW CEO. “We originally developed our STEM curriculum around Autodesk software because we believe it is at the center of design and innovation, from the development of video games and movies like ‘Avatar,’ to state-of-the-art Olympic arenas and world-class airplanes. The high-tech jobs of the 21st century require knowledge of Autodesk products and this partnership allows students to acquire that knowledge in high school so that they are college and career ready upon graduation from high school. Autodesk products are a gateway to innovation as approximately 70 percent of the design and engineering jobs in the United States require familiarity with this software. We are extremely grateful to Autodesk for providing PLTW students the opportunity to work with this technology in high school which gives them a tremendous advantage heading into college and careers in STEM fields.”

Project Lead the Way, Inc., is a national, non-profit organization that is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM education curricular programs used in K-12 schools. The PLTW comprehensive curriculum, which is collaboratively developed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators, emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. PLTW began in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of almost 3,400 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 350,000 students are enrolled in PLTW courses.

ECE Design to Conduct an Intergraph CADWorx(R) Plant Webinar on May 14 Discussing 2D Isometric Drawings and PLANTMO-CAD

HOUSTON, TX - Intergraph dealer ECE Design will conduct an Intergraph CADWorx Plant webinar on May 14, 2010, at 11:30 a.m. CDT, during which the leader will demonstrate how to produce 2D isometric drawings with CADWorx Plant and how to use the PLANTMO-CAD utility to produce 2D isometric drawings with standard attributed title blocks.

The webinar will cover how to renumber drawings automatically, how to set up a title block with attributes, how to generate isometric drawings using ISOGENOUT and ISOBATCH, and how to perform batch revision and title block updates from PLANTMO-CAD.

For information about the webinar and a link to the registration form, visit http://coade.typepad.com/coadeinsider/2010/03/cadworx-plant-webinar-series.html.

With the January 2010 acquisition of COADE, Inc., Intergraph has extended its offerings with plant design solutions for AutoCAD-based projects and design groups and for the broader engineering community.

The aims of the Intergraph CADWorx and Analysis Solutions group are that design and engineering share relevant information seamlessly, thereby maintaining accuracy and improving efficiency.

Proto Labs Receives The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade, 2010

Telford, UK : In recognition of its engineering innovation, investment in technology and its outstanding success in European markets, Shropshire based Proto Labs Ltd. has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade.

Proto Labs® is one of the UK’s most exciting and fastest growing manufacturing companies with local branch offices in Germany and France. Since it was founded just five years ago, the company has radically improved the economics and delivery times associated with the production of prototype and low-volume parts for manufacturers. Customers are world-leaders in many different industry sectors, including medical, aerospace, automotive and domestic appliances.

“We are absolutely delighted to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise,” says Proto Labs managing director, Mr. John Tumelty. “This is richly-deserved recognition for the hard work and the dedication of our teams based in the UK, and in our local branch offices in Europe.”

Proto Labs has achieved outstanding commercial success with sustainable year-on-year growth. The company’s innovative services are used by product designers and product development teams who need prototype or low-volume plastic parts delivered quickly and cost effectively.

“For a company working on a new or updated product, time-to-market is critical,” says Mr. Tumelty. “To test and develop a product to the point where it is ready for manufacturing means making working prototypes. The longer this process takes, the higher the development cost and the more likely a competitor will launch their product first. Our services allow design and development engineers, even those with very little or no experience of metal-cutting or plastic injection moulding, to order and receive precise, high-quality parts more simply and faster than ever before.”

Proto Labs offers two services: First Cut® delivers Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machined parts in small quantities of 1-10 units, and Protomold® delivers injection-moulded plastic parts in quantities of 10-10,000+.

“Many of our customers use our services sequentially. For example, they may develop a prototype requiring a few parts made by First Cut for initial testing, and iterative design improvements, then move to injection-moulded parts from a Protomold tool for marketing trials, final testing or production.”

What makes the Proto Labs process particularly innovative is the company’s super-computer cluster and powerful software, both of which are continuously developed in-house. A customer can upload a 3D CAD model of their part to the First Cut or Protomold websites and receive within hours a unique web-based quote, including a detailed manufacturability analysis and an accurate all-in production price. The customer can then place an order in much the same way as purchasing a book from an online retailer. Whichever service the customer uses, the company can ship orders in as little as one day from the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility based in Shropshire.

“In just a few years Proto Labs in Europe has helped thousands of companies,” says Mr. Tumelty. “Receiving this coveted Queen’s Award makes us all very proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time.”

Delcam PowerMILL's 64-bit version boosts programming and machining productivity

New options in PowerMILL 2010 reduce excessive head movement during five-axis machining.

Delcam has been further increased the levels of productivity that are possible with its PowerMILL CAM system with the launch of the first 64-bit version of this program for five-axis and high-speed machining. 64-bit technology removes the memory limitations of 32-bit computers so allowing more efficient toolpath generation, especially for companies machining large or complex parts.

A series of webinars and user meetings are planned to launch the new release. For a complete list of these events, please go to www.powermill.com/globalpreview/. PowerMILL 2010 will also be demonstrated at a number of exhibitions over the coming months, including MetalTech Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Die & Mould China in Shanghai, PDx/Amerimold in Cincinnati, EASTEC in Massachusetts, BIEMH in Bilbao, Spain, and MACH in Birmingham, UK.

The 2010 release also continues to improve user productivity by extending the use of the latest background-processing and multi-threading technologies available in recent hardware. The combination of these two developments is estimated to reduce calculation times by up to 25%, although this will depend on the size and complexity of the part.

In addition to the hardware-related performance improvements, PowerMILL 2010 includes more than 50 other major enhancements to give faster and easier programming, more efficient toolpaths and better surface quality in the finished parts. This is the largest number of improvements in a single release for over five years and reflects the continued high levels of investment in product development at Delcam.

The most obvious change for existing users will be an updating of all the toolpath-creation forms to a new and improved layout. The forms make it simpler for new users to find the commands they need, while also giving experienced operators more logical access to the more advanced options. In addition, there is a new toolbar for faster and easier creation and editing of workplanes.

A new series of strategies for the roughing and finishing of corners has been added. These give more efficient and smoother clearance of these areas, especially when a large tool has been used for roughing initially that has left a significant amount of material in the corner.

Rest roughing has been enhanced to give better control over the start points for each segment of the toolpath. This will give substantial savings in overall machining time by minimising any air cutting.

Offset roughing, a popular approach for high-speed machining, has been enhanced so thin slivers of material that may damage the cutter are not left for the final pass. PowerMILL will now identify these potential problems automatically and adjust the final stepover to give more even and, therefore, safer material thicknesses.

A number of improvements have been made to give smoother toolpaths for semi-finishing and finishing. These minimise the stresses put on the cutter and machine tool, and result in a better surface finish. They are related to Delcam’s patented Race-Line strategies for roughing and act in a similar way across the full extent of the toolpath. For example, sharp changes in direction in 3D-offset toolpaths are now automatically made much smoother as the tool approaches and leaves. This approach also gives a more accurate result than simply introducing an arc at the point of change.

In a related development, more options have been added to the collision avoidance functionality to give more control over the direction chosen by PowerMILL to avoid the problem. These are particularly useful in any areas where there might be a sudden change in direction. In addition, the ability to specify a look-ahead distance has been added to the collision avoidance capability in order to ensure a smooth transition when tool-axis changes are required. It is also now possible to specify a tolerance for the contact angle with five-axis machining, so reducing excessive movement of the machine head.

Constant-Z toolpaths have been enhanced to include the detection of flat areas and the automatic insertion of extra Z-levels to machine these exactly. In addition, a filter has been added to remove small enclosed segments from the toolpath as these can damage the cutter. The "Steep and Shallow” machining combination strategy uses these latest additions for the steep sections and a range of new options has been added for the shallow areas.

Finally, a new option has been added that specifies the safe profile of the toolholder for any group of toolpaths. This helps to identify a single toolholder shape that can be used for the complete program without any risk of causing a gouge or collision.

CIMdata Successfully Delivers its 2010 EMEA PLM Vendor Forum

ANN ARBOR, Michigan — CIMdata, a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) management consulting and research firm, presented its 2010 EMEA PLM Vendor Forum—the second in a series of global events. This forum was held in Stuttgart, Germany on April 15th 2010.

CIMdata’s PLM Vendor Forums are the world’s premiere gathering of technology and service suppliers focused specifically on the PLM market and issues concerning its development and growth. Participants gathered to hear CIMdata’s perspective on the state and trends of the current and future PLM market, and a detailed discussion of CIMdata’s research and perspective on 2009 PLM market results. These included CIMdata’s extensive analysis and forecasts regarding market growth across PLM domains, industries, and regions, and the performance (revenue and market share analysis) of leading PLM solution suppliers.

In CIMdata’s annual “State of PLM: Today’s Market and Leading Trends” address, Mr. Peter Bilello, CIMdata’s Vice President, stated that “In many ways 2009 was a positive year with regard to PLM in EMEA despite the impact of the global economy. While down from 2008, PLM’s adoption as a true ‘enterprise’ initiative continued in 2009, expanding its visibility in the extended enterprise.” In. his concluding remarks, he commented that the global economic downturn drove many companies to recognize and incorporate PLM as a critical component of their survival strategy and an enabler of business recovery. He went on to say, “In many cases, PLM is needed for the re-tooling of companies and perhaps even entire industries.”

Commenting on the PLM market in 2009, Mr. Ken Amann, CIMdata Director of Research, said, “All geographies experienced a downturn in PLM investments. The drop in EMEA occurred later than for the Americas and Asia-Pacific. However, EMEA is also returning to growth at a slower rate than the other geographies.” Recent statistics compiled by CIMdata show the overall Comprehensive PLM market experienced a 9.6% decline in growth in 2009 but the decline in EMEA was only 7.8%. Mr. Amann added, “While the first half of 2009 was definitely down, during the latter part of 2009 the PLM market began to return to positive growth.” The Central region of Europe (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) continues to be the largest in EMEA but also had the largest decline in PLM investments. Some regions had small increases in PLM, e.g., the Benelux and France. Many small- to medium-sized businesses had difficulty obtaining credit and that impacted their ability to invest in PLM.

Additionally, CIMdata provided the participants with practical insights and approaches that they can use to navigate the PLM market during the current economic recovery, and discussed two major trends impacting companies as well as the PLM industry—social networking and compliance/sustainability.

CCE to Showcase its PLM and Engineering Services Portfolio at PTC/USER World Event 2010

Solution Experts will be Available to Discuss Customer Problems.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – CCE, an engineering software and services provider will showcase its PLM and Engineering Services portfolio in booth #402 at PTC/USER World Event 2010 in June this year.

CCE solution experts will be available to assist customers on issues related to PLM implementation, customization and system integration. In particular, CCE will share its experience in developing strategies to migrate from Pro/INTRALINK to Windchill PDMLink systems.

CCE will showcase its Engineering Design services model which maximizes benefits from outsourcing engineering tasks, while mitigating risk. CCE helps companies increase their productivity and accelerate innovation by assisting them with Product Design Support tasks. These include modeling/drafting/detailing, ECO’s, reverse engineering for competitive benchmarking, and data migration among others. Outsourcing these tasks frees up the customer’s own design teams to focus on Core Product Development and getting products to market faster & cheaper.

CCE will demonstrate its proprietary Pro/ENGINEER integrated design automation software ConfigLink at the show. CCE services engineers leverage this technology on a daily basis to shave valuable time from design of highly configurable products.

MSC.Software Releases Marc 2010

SANTA ANA, CA - MSC.Software today announced that Marc 2010 is released and ready for download. This new release of Marc delivers significant advancements in performance and functionality.

Performance Improvements

New Parallel Solvers Deliver Better Performance for Nonlinear Problems

Users can now take full advantage of multi-core machines for parallelization. Significant benefits in performance are obtained at no additional software costs. The Marc multi-frontal solver now utilizes multi-threading on Windows and Linux based shared memory architectures. The Pardiso solver utilizes parallelism in a shared memory Windows and Linux environment and the MUMPS solver may be used in both a shared or distributed memory Windows and Linux environments. This provides cost effective solutions for large simulations.

"Using the Domain Decompositions Method (DDM) in combination with the new parallel solver capabilities, we have seen excellent scalability in a distributed multi-processor environment. A 300,000 DOF thermo-mechanical creep analysis of a ball grid array is analyzed 7.1 times faster with DDM on a 32-core system compared to a single CPU run, while 700,000 DOF model is run 13.6 times faster," said Sanjay Choudhry, VP Product & Release Management at MSC.Software. "This greatly improves throughput and allows an increase in the number of designs that can be evaluated."

Functionality Improvements

Contact Enhancements Improve Accuracy

A new procedure for contact based on segment-to-segment and surface-to-surface is now available. These methods provide efficiencies for assembly modeling and interference fit problems. Users can expect to see more accurate and smoother results especially near contact boundaries.

New Material Models Help You Simulate New Classes of Materials

Two new material models are added in this release to increase the accuracy of simulations. The exponential cap model may be used to model granular materials like powder metals, ceramics, and soils. The 5th order Mooney model may be used for rubber analysis. These models have applications in several industries including automotive, packaging, energy, biomedical industries, and civil engineering.

Large Deformation Enhancements Improve Convergence

Updated Lagrange analysis is improved to handle large shell and beam rotations more accurately and with improved convergence. This enhancement is beneficial for Marc users who deal with large deformation and large rotation problems.

Fracture Mechanics Enhancements Provide More Control

Enhancements have been made in the VCCT capabilities which may be used to predict both crack onset and crack propagation. Two user subroutines are also added to give users more control on simulating delamination in composite parts.

Global Adaptive Meshing Increases Efficiency

Global adaptive meshing now works with two additional features, global-local analysis and the Exclude option. Users can now make better use of global remeshing in complex contact situations. Another significant enhancement is support for DDM, giving users the ability to solve larger models that undergo large deformation and need remeshing for better results, like in 3-D seals and metal forming.

Wear Improvements Speed Solution

Users will now see more accurate calculation of wear especially for deformable-deformable contact. Benefits include a faster solution, more accurate results, and the ability to associate wear with contact bodies.

Multiphysics Enhancements for Evaluating More Designs

Marc has extended its multiphysics capabilities to solve coupled magnetostatic-thermal and magnetostatic-structural problems along with the ability to simulate electrical windings and thin laminations of thin magnetic sheets.

ESPRIT CAM by DP Technology Receives Autodesk Inventor 2011 Certification

Camarillo, Calif — DP Technology, a leader in the field of computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) and creator of ESPRIT®, is pleased to announce that ESPRIT CAM has been certified for Autodesk Inventor 2011 mechanical design and engineering software.

Digital Prototyping with Autodesk Inventor software enables manufacturers to digitally design, visualize and simulate how a product will work under real world conditions before it is built, which helps reduce cost and speed time to market.

“We have certified that ESPRIT, because of its interoperability and overall quality, meets the high standards established by Autodesk,” said Tim Gray, director of Inventor product management at Autodesk. “A benefit of the FX technology in ESPRIT is that it allows Autodesk Inventor users to see the Inventor history tree — giving them associativity between Inventor and ESPRIT.”

In ESPRIT, the ESPRIT FX™ feature tree supports multiple CAD models and assemblies. This associative technology is fully integrated into the ESPRIT FX feature tree, linking design features built inside the CAD system with manufacturing features built inside ESPRIT.

With ESPRIT, users are able to open native Autodesk Inventor files, thereby ensuring a high-quality, seamless transition from CAD to CAM software that’s built to maintain the integrity of any design. The ease of interoperability between ESPRIT and Autodesk Inventor paves the way for accurate design and engineering data transfers that ultimately translate to accuracy and ease in manufacturing.

Carlson Software & Transtronic AB Reach Mutual Development & Distribution Agreement for 3D GNSS Drilling Solutions

KÖPING, Sweden – Carlson Software Inc. and Transtronic AB recently reached an agreement for international distribution of Carlson’s Drill Grade 4.0 software with Transtronic’s hardware and sensor technology.

Working together, Carlson’s Drill Grade software and Transtronic AB hardware, which includes sensors for length, angle and azimuth measurement, provide a complete 3D Drill solution for all types of drill rigs for OEM considerations or retrofit.

In addition, the system is compatible with Carlson’s Fleet Manager office software providing real time monitoring and connectivity. Carlson Drill Grade utilizes the latest in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology and increases accuracy, efficiency and safety. Transtronic is a leader in providing systems and sensors for heavy equipment environments.

“Transtronic AB is an expert in all types of drilling applications, both developing and manufacturing angle indicators, hole length and hole deviation measurement instruments,” says Randy Noland, V.P. of Business Development for Carlson Positioning and Machine Control. “Our development and sales partnership will focus on powerful, yet easy-to-use 3D drilling systems for mining and construction drilling and blasting applications.”

All of Transtronic AB systems are designed to withstand rough handling such as shock, water and vibrations.

“In drilling today, quality is the goal,” says Mats Birkestål of Marketing and Design for Transtronic AB of Sweden. “Position and drilling to correct depth has always been a challenge. GPS positioning greatly assists with this issue. Many companies,” he adds, “are already using GPS on other machines so they are asking for a GPS drilling system. It is the obvious next step and we are excited to provide robust yet easy-to-use drilling solutions as a result of our partnership with Carlson Software.”

Transtronic AB was founded in 1972 and develops and manufactures angle indicators, hole length measurement instruments, hole deviation measurement systems, logging equipment systems, advanced measurement and control systems for heavy environments and canopen sensors.

Carlson Software produces technically advanced software solutions for the civil engineering, land surveying, machine control/positioning, solid waste landfill, mining, and law enforcement investigative industries. The independent company was founded in 1983.

ThreeDify Announces Performance Breakthrough in its FlowPit Open Pit Limit Optimizer

Canadian 3D software technology company ThreeDify announced the release of a new version of their FlowPit, pit limit optimization software that can compute a pit design solution many times faster than competing technology.

Open pit mines are typically designed with block models, which represent the material inside the pit using millions of "blocks" of a predefined volume. The computation required to determine the optimum pit boundary (basically the shape of an open pit mine when it reaches the end of its economic life) are typically time consuming. ThreeDify believes that the latest release of their software represents a genuine performance breakthrough for mine planning engineers.

"The advantage of our technology becomes obvious when handling very large orebodies," explained ThreeDify CEO Yaohong D. Jiang. "Typically, determining the optimal pit limit would take a long time – over 24 hours or even days for a block model of about 4 million blocks. With FlowPit, we can now arrive at the optimum solution in less than 2 hours on today's 64-bit commodity PCs (1 hour 45 minutes on a Gateway NV79 laptop running 64-bit Windows 7) – more than an order of magnitude faster."

This advance in computational speed makes FlowPit an effective tool not just for determining the optimal pit limit, but also for short or medium term planning of large open-pit mines where mine planners frequently need quick and reliable answers to "what if?" questions.

ThreeDify is a new 3D software company located in Ottawa, Ontario which creates a range of solutions including 3D tools for industry. They are primarily known for their more mainstream products, which include Office Designer, an add-in for Microsoft Office that allows users to add 3D content to ordinary documents.

Autodesk Launches AutoCAD Freestyle - Easy-to-Use, Low-Cost Drawing Software

SAN RAFAEL, Calif — Autodesk, Inc announced the availability of AutoCAD Freestyle software, a new, easy-to-use application for 2D drawing and sketching that specialty contractors and do-it-yourselfers can use to create professional-looking drawings, layouts and plans.

“Many people—from do-it-yourselfers to home contractors to landscape designers—still use pen and paper or software that does not enable accuracy and is hard to use,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business. “AutoCAD Freestyle has been created to meet the needs of these users and anybody else who needs to generate quick, accurate and professional-looking designs without the need for or learning curve of industrial-strength CAD software.”

Designed for any task that requires the creation of accurate plans, such as home renovations, gardening or landscape design, AutoCAD Freestyle is simple enough for use by home owners and do-it-yourselfers as well as specialty contractors such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters to create plans and construction documentation. AutoCAD Freestyle is also intended for non-CAD employees who work with architects and engineers, enabling markup and annotation of designs created in AutoCAD software that can be sent back for incorporation into the AutoCAD file with complete DWG compatibility, which helps reduce rework.

“As an electrical contractor, I’ve found AutoCAD Freestyle to be a useful tool for project layouts, markups of existing drawings, and revisions,” said James Ogonoski, Service Manager, Contract Service Enterprises, Inc. “The intuitive interface made it easy to get started and ramp up to productivity—and it plugs right into our workflow.”

Built on the AutoCAD platform, AutoCAD Freestyle is a simplified, low-cost application that makes it easier to create accurate, professional-looking drawings and sketches. The software makes design simple and intuitive with a toolset for creating standard shapes (lines, arcs, circles, rectangles), annotating drawings (dimension, text, fills), sketching, doodling and inserting images and symbols. The grid on the drawing surface helps users understand spatial dimensions, such as proportion and distance, so they can easily solve design challenges and create accurate sketches — like drawing on graph paper. A full library of predrawn, commonly used symbols — such as doors and windows — is also included to help save time. In addition, the product provides the ability to insert and trace over a photograph or one of the many sample drawings provided in the software or downloaded from the AutoCAD Freestyle community, simplifying the creation of precise drawings with real-world dimensions.

“My colleagues do most of the design work on my projects, so my main need is to review and mark up designs quickly and efficiently,” said Steve Nichols, President, Cat Cay Yachts International. “This product is a home run for peripheral users of AutoCAD.”

AutoCAD Freestyle is engineered to take full advantage of Windows 7 support for multitouch, including panning, zooming, rotation and flick functionality, an easier way to be productive away from the office.

“AutoCAD Freestyle is refreshingly simple to use—especially compared to other solutions,” said Chris Pugrud, Engineer, Radiance Technologies. “If you’re looking for a simple, low-cost 2D drawing and sketching application, you can’t go wrong with AutoCAD Freestyle.”

Availability

Previously available on Autodesk Labs as a technology preview known as Project Cooper, AutoCAD Freestyle is now available for download from the Autodesk eStore at www.autodesk.com/estore. AutoCAD Freestyle will soon be available from other leading online retailers. Visit the Autodesk eStore for pricing options and promotional offers.

Major Chinese companies gain substantial productivity improvements with WorkNC CAM software

Sescoi’s expansion in the Chinese market continues apace with the installation of WorkNC CAM software in a number of Chinese toolrooms. Two typical WorkNC users are Changzhou Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems and Shanghai Sharp Mold and Manufacturing System Co. Ltd. (SSMC).

Changzhou Xingyu specializes in the design, development and manufacture of automotive lighting, and has the capacity to produce 10 million units each year. Major automotive companies including FAW, DFAC, Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai GM all rely on supplies of parts from the Changzhou based company.

By contrast, SSMC, which is a joint venture between two Japanese companies, the Sharp Group and Tensho Electric Industries Co Ltd, designs and manufactures plastic injection tools for the automotive and domestic appliance industries. SSMC has around US$ 7.5 million of invested capital and, like Changzhou Xingyu, prides itself in the quality of its products delivered on time and at a competitive cost.

Both companies particularly value the automated CNC programming in WorkNC. Changzhou Xingyu uses the template capabilities of the software where a series of standard tool set-ups and machining operations can be automatically applied to similar parts. Using this methodology, programming takes a few seconds and the results are consistent, error free and reliable. Mr Zhu Zhenghua, Changzhou Xingyu’s CAD/CAM Manager, says, “ We often use the same machining strategies, tools and cutting parameters for similar parts. Before we had WorkNC, manual input of these repetitive operations could easily result in machining errors. Now, with the automation in WorkNC, when we program families of lamps parts these problems have become a thing of the past.”

Jie Han, Production Manager at SSMC declared, “ All our engineers agree that WorkNC’s automated toolpaths are simple to use and very reliable. It substantially reduces the amount of manual finishing required, and provides us with collision free and safe toolpaths for our high speed machining centers, which cannot be matched by any other software we have evaluated.”

Changzhou Xingyu has seen some major productivity improvements thanks to WorkNC CAM software. Mr Zhu Zhenghua comments, “ We particularly appreciate and have full confidence in the security and reliability of WorkNC. Its automatic functions are very efficient and we have achieved overall productivity gains of 20-30% while the preparation of roughing programs takes between a quarter and a fifth of the time it used to take with our old CAD/CAM system.”

For SSMC, WorkNC has proved to be invaluable in the face of intense competition in the domestic appliance market. Jie Han comments, “ The cycle time from design to production of a mold tool for a large LCD TV would normally be two months. WorkNC has enabled us to virtually halve production times, enabling us to achieve completion in 35 days. The quality and speed of delivery we can achieve with the software are, without doubt, critical factors in preserving our position as a leader in our industry .”

Technology within the machining algorithms in WorkNC CNC software contribute to its reliability and speed. Trochoidal toolpaths cope with excessive material in corners enabling cutting forces to be kept low and constant, avoiding damage to tooling and the machine itself. Feature recognition automatically finds and machines holes and pockets which are common features on mold tools, while Auto 5, WorkNC’s automated 5-axis CNC machining, enables organic shapes to be cut efficiently and without the complexity normally associated with 5-axis programming.

Both Changzhou Xingyu and SSMC need innovative solutions to keep them ahead of their competitors. The power of WorkNC, and the regular training programs provided by Sescoi’s engineers, give them a considerable advantage. Jie Han from SSMC concludes, “ The adoption of WorkNC plays a crucial role in shortening our production cycle times and we are delighted to have found a programming system that suits our requirements so well. By collaborating with Sescoi we will ensure that we remain leaders in our industry, thanks to the continuous productivity enhancements we get in each WorkNC upgrade.”

Geometric FY10 net increases 578% to INR 466.6 Mn

MUMBAI : Geometric Ltd today announced its Q4 and annual results for FY 2009-2010. The company recorded operating revenues of INR 1,271.71 Mn (USD 27.84 Mn) for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, compared to revenues of INR 1,268.75 Mn (USD 27.13 Mn) in Q3FY10. Revenues remained flat on a Q-o-Q basis in rupee terms on account of appreciation of the rupee; but increased by 2.6% Q-o-Q in dollar terms over the previous quarter. The profit after tax was INR 118.36 Mn for the quarter, compared to INR 162.41 Mn in the previous quarter. Offshore leverage (in revenues terms) was maintained at 65%, same as the previous quarter.

On a yearly basis, the company has registered significant improvements in operational efficiencies with offshore leverage (in revenue terms) increasing from 56.3% in FY09 to 64.6% in FY10; and increased utilization from 87.2% in FY09 to 90.3% in FY10. The company had total employee strength of 2956 employees as of March 31, 2010, including its subsidiaries.

On declaring the results, Mr. Ravishankar G., Managing Director & CEO said, “During the last one year, we’ve focused on streamlining the operations of the company, consolidating businesses, exiting non-profitable projects, driving operational efficiencies through increased offshore leverage and higher utilization, and creating a leaner, more customer oriented organization, resulting in an improved bottom-line for the company. I believe we are now well placed to leverage opportunities that are expected to open up in the market, over the next two years.”

Business Highlights for financial year ended March 31, 2010
FY10 EPS of Rs.7.51 against Rs. 0.55 in FY09
Recommended dividend of 55% (including a special dividend @ 15% to mark of 15 years of incorporation), by the board of directors
Debt free position on a consolidated basis FY10 net profits increased exponentially by 578% to INR 466.61 Mn from INR 68.83 Mn in FY09
FY10 operating profits increased 11.9% to INR 586.17 Mn from INR 524.04 Mn in FY09
FY10 revenues declined 14.5% to INR 5115.62 Mn (USD 108.12 Mn) from INR 5980.79 Mn (USD 129.47 Mn) in FY09

Key Wins and additional business highlights for Q4 FY10

The Company added 7 new customers during Q4, and 37 new customers during the year; taking the total number of active customers to 100. Some of the significant wins in this quarter are: A multi-million dollar engagement with a global agricultural and equipment major for a new business offering in engineering services A multi-million dollar deal with a global auto OEM for product data management A multi-million dollar project with a global Tier 1 auto OEM for product design and analysis services An engagement with a global oil & gas equipment manufacturer, for a PLM application upgrade A deal with a global aerospace systems manufacturer for PLM application maintenance and support An engagement with a European aerospace systems manufacturer for upgrading their PLM applications An engagement with a global agricultural and equipment manufacturer for providing services in the area of supplier collaboration A project with a global industrial major for product design services.

Other important business highlights for the quarter include: NASSCOM IT Innovators 2009 recognition for our orthodontics solution; received this accolade for the third consecutive year DFMPro recognized as a top innovation at Innovations 2010 CAMWorks®, our intuitive CAM product was recognized for increasing productivity and speeding up milling operations at Magnus Hi-Tech Release of DFMPro version 2.1 for SolidWorks and Pro/Engineer, CAMWorks 2010, NestLib® 2010 R1, and eDrawings Professional version 7.1

Intergraph PV Elite Webinar Scheduled for Modeling Fixed Tubesheet Heat Exchangers

HOUSTON, TX - Intergraph will conduct a webinar on April 27, 2010, at 12:00 noon CDT, to demonstrate how to model fixed tubesheet heat exchangers using Intergraph PV Elite pressure vessel and exchanger analysis and design software. Webinar leader Mandeep Singh, senior engineer and software developer for Intergraph CADWorx® and Analysis Solutions, will build the model then discuss how to interpret results and provide tips for more efficient design.

For information about the webinar and a link to the registration form, visit http://coade.typepad.com/coadeinsider/2010/03/pv-elite-webinar-april-20.html. For more information about Intergraph CADWorx and Analysis Solutions, visit www.coade.com.

With the January 2010 acquisition of COADE, Inc., Intergraph has extended its offerings with plant design solutions for AutoCAD-based projects and design groups and for the broader engineering community. The aims of the Intergraph CADWorx and Analysis Solutions group are that design and engineering share relevant information seamlessly, thereby maintaining accuracy and improving efficiency. These products continue to conform to those goals and include: CADWorx Plant Design Suite for intelligent plant design modeling, process schematics and automatic production of plant design deliverables; CAESAR II, the world's most widely used pipe stress analysis software; PV Elite for pressure vessel and heat exchanger design and analysis; and TANK for the design and analysis of oil storage tanks.

Siemens PLM Software Receives Automotive News Pace Award for Information Technology and Services Category

Teamcenter In-Vehicle Software Management System Manages Growing Complexity, Allows OEMs to Provide Innovative Features.

DETROIT & PLANO, Texas — Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced it received an Automotive News PACE Award for its Teamcenter® software In-Vehicle Software (IVS) Management System at the 2010 Premier Automotive Suppliers Contributions to Excellence (PACE) Awards program.

“Receiving a PACE Award in the Information Technology category, which recognizes game-changing innovations in design and implementation of information systems solutions, is an honor for the Siemens PLM Software team,” said Dave Taylor, senior global director, Automotive and Machinery Industry Marketing, Siemens PLM Software. “This technology represents Siemens PLM Software’s continued commitment to advancing the automotive industry through thought leadership and innovation.”

In being awarded the 2010 Automotive News PACE Award, a judge stated: the current number of lines of code is about 10 million in a typical vehicle. By 2015, 100 million lines of code will be within connected vehicles. This technology permits the automakers to monitor every vehicle variation on a global basis down to the vehicle identification number. It also extends the lifetime control an original equipment manager has of its global fleet by leveraging existing software management process that also maintain security protocols for firewalls between competing suppliers.

As OEMs look to differentiate vehicles through intelligent features, the number of embedded software systems supporting these features, which currently make up 70-90 percent of all automotive innovations, are predicted to increase another 30-40 percent in the next three years. The dramatic increase in software feature content consequently increases complexity, rendering traditional methods of managing the software artifacts, such as spreadsheets and simple databases, as well as the software lifecycle, limited and insufficient. Siemens PLM Software’s Teamcenter replaces these traditional methods and provides OEMs with the ability to manage this complexity and enable greater product design flexibility and control. As a result, OEMs can quickly react to individual requests allowing consumers to personalize their vehicles.

“The Teamcenter IVS Management System allows OEMs to turn complexity into a competitive advantage,” said Taylor. “By enabling complete traceability of the lifecycles and artifacts associated with embedded systems, OEMs now have unprecedented insight into and control over their design. This not only enables them to manage software-based innovation while controlling the challenges of design, manufacturing and warranty costs, but also provides a competitive advantage in delivering the ever increasing innovative features consumers want.”

First commercialized in 2004, Teamcenter IVS Management System is a software management solution that accurately manages, allocates, tracks and validates binary software data files being developed and released in vehicles. It is the foundation of PLM, providing companies with a single source of multi-domain knowledge, and has proven results through the many benefits it provides to an OEM, including:

* reduced product development and warranty costs;
* improved collaboration and synchronization among teams and suppliers;
* improved resource utilization through the reuse of intellectual property and the elimination of repetitive development tasks; and,
* improved management of design complexities driven by global product variations, through the accurate representation of the bill-of-material, including software and electronics, for all product configurations.

TÜV SÜD certifies Nemetschek Allplan`s graphic quantity takeoff for the fourth time

Munich - Nemetschek Allplan is the only company in the industry to receive the coveted certificate from TÜV SÜD for functionality and software quality for the fourth time running. Graphic quantity takeoff with Allplan enables architects and engineers to deliver well-founded cost analyses and reliable budget statements.

For the certificate, TÜV SÜD carefully examined selected components for Allplan, including reinforced concrete walls, wall and dry wall, floor slabs, columns, windows, doors and finishing surfaces. Furthermore, important components that are part of Allplan IBD 2009 were also tested. Allplan IBD is a database consisting of CAD libraries and alphanumerical elements that store services and prices. Together with the CAD and AVA software from Nemetschek Allplan GmbH quantities are calculated based on the building model down to item level and made available for the cost determination or tender.

"Both the selected components and Allplan IBD 2009 meet the requirements in terms of functionality and software quality for graphic quantity takeoff with the current version", says Wolf Heidemann, product specialist at TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH. The experts from TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH thoroughly tested the performance of the graphic quantity takeoff from Nemetschek Allplan from January to March. A firmly defined inspection catalog that is based on standards like ISO IEC 25051 for software functionality and the German Construction Contract Procedures (VOB) served as the basis for the tests.

"Graphic quantity takeoff with Allplan enables architects and engineers to make well-founded cost analyses and reliable budget statements. This certification is therefore proof that we offer new possibilities for planning and design with cost reliability using Allplan and Design2Cost ? not least since we are the only company to be certified for the fourth time already", explains Michael Kießling, Senior Business Manager at Nemetschek Allplan.

SGI Top Executives to Speak at Eighth Annual SGI User Group Conference

Key Customer Presentations, SGI Open House, ICE Cube™ and NASA Tours Will Be Featured.

FREMONT, Calif. — SGI , a global leader in HPC and data center solutions, today announced that it will sponsor and participate in the 8th Annual SGI User Group (SGIUG) Conference to be held in Fremont, California, May 10-12, 2010. Top SGI executives, including Mark J. Barrenechea, SGI CEO, and Dr. Eng Lim Goh, SGI CTO, will be present at the conference. This year’s event will feature tutorials, technical presentations and workshops. The SGIUG Conference is open to all SGI customers and partners.

“The SGIUG Conference is a unique event that brings together industry experts to provide valuable information about high-end modeling, simulation and data mining, and to share best practices, tips, techniques and ideas on high performance computing technologies with SGIUG members,” said Chuck Niggley, SGIUG president. “We are pleased that SGI works closely with the user group to help ensure its success.”

Conference highlights will include a technology presentation by Dr. Goh, as well as customer presentations by the Institute of Cancer Research and NASA Ames Research Center. A tour of the NASA Ames Research Center, home to the Pleiades Supercomputer, the largest SGI® Altix® ICE cluster – currently No. 6 on the TOP500 List, is also included. SGI will host an open house and reception at its corporate headquarters and conduct tours of its ICE Cube modular data center. Early bird registration is available until April 30.

“The SGIUG is an important organization that facilitates direct communication between SGI and our valued customers and partners,” said George Skaff, chief marketing officer at SGI. “We look forward to hearing their feedback and welcoming members to SGI headquarters for demos of our products, including the ICE Cube modular data center.”

SGI speaking sessions include (see program for full listing):

SGI Keynote: SGI Directions
Presented by: Mark J. Barrenechea, SGI CEO
Date: Monday, May 10
Time: 1:00 p.m. PDT

Technology Keynote: SGI Technology Trends
Presented by: Dr. Eng Lim Goh, SGI CTO
Date: Monday, May 10
Time: 11:00 a.m. PDT

Session: SGI Product Overview
Presented by: Rick Chapek, senior vice president of hardware engineering
Date: Monday, May 10
Time: 2:00 p.m. PDT