PTC Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Tongji University to Establish PTC Academy

Beijing, China - PTC, the Product Development Company®, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tongji University to establish a PTC® academy. The MOU further expands the partnership with the College of Automotive Engineering, College of Mechanical Engineering and College of Communications to incorporate product lifecycle management (PLM) into their teaching and research programs. This signifies another major effort by PTC to strengthen cooperation with Chinese educational institutions stemming from its partnership with China's Ministry of Education established in December 2007.

As part of the MOU, PTC provided Creo Elements/ProTM (formerly Pro/ENGINEER®), Windchill® and Mathcad® software to meet the increasing demands of Tongji faculties. By providing an increased number of advanced design and manufacturing technology platforms, PTC hopes that more students will develop experience with its product development software and will consequently be able to meet the demands of modern enterprises in China.

Professor Yu Zhuoping, assistant to the president and head of Tongji University's Automotive College, said: "Apart from providing support for the teaching and research of PLM technologies, PTC also offers internship opportunities to Tongji undergraduates. We believe that the leading PLM solutions from PTC will help the students from Tongji University to grow into talented product development professionals."

"China's manufacturing industry has made remarkable progress in its transition from 'Made in China' to ‘Created' in China. In order to support this growth, engineers with advanced design skills are needed," said John Stuart, PTC senior vice president of global education. "We are very pleased to partner with Tongji University to educate more innovative talent for the entire industry, worldwide."

Since 1995, PTC has supported more than 150 Chinese universities and vocational schools. Universities such as Tsinghua University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Nanjing University of Science & Technology, Harbin Engineering University, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Shanghai Jiaotong University and South China University of Technology all utilize PTC software for teaching and research activities. Since signing the original MOU with the Chinese Ministry of Education, PTC has already provided Creo Elements/Pro (formerly Pro/ENGINEER) training to over 2000 secondary schools in China. All of these efforts have contributed to the development of Chinese students' technological literacy and design skills, and the growth of industry talent in China.

John Stuart and Professor Yu Zhuoping, assistant to the president of Tongji University, signed the MOU on behalf of the two parties. Mr. Li Yongsheng, executive chancellor of Tongji University, witnessed the signing ceremony and made congratulatory remarks. In addition, he held a discussion with PTC representatives on further expanding cooperation and jointly nurturing engineering talents.