Wisne Signs $1.5 Million Contract for Autodesk Mechanical Design Software; Major "Big Three" Supplier Chooses Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop for 3D Design

Business Wire, Jan 16, 1997

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1997--In a move that reflects Autodesk's growing acceptance as a standard in the tier-one automotive supplier industry, Wisne Design today announced its selection of Mechanical Desktop software for advanced 2D and 3D design of complex machine tools and devices such as welding equipment and dies.

"Automobile manufacturers are responding to consumer demands to keep prices down by taking a hard look at costs and sticking with suppliers who will do the same," said James Todoroff, Wisne's process development manager. "High-function, aggressively priced 3D design tools like the Mechanical Desktop help us keep costs under control and deliver designs quickly and efficiently."

The Michigan-based company, a subsidiary of Progressive Tool, has purchased 45 Autodesk Mechanical Desktop software licenses and expects to install 20 to 30 additional copies during the first quarter of 1997.

"The Mechanical Desktop is our 3D CAD software of choice. It captures design intent and allows us to reuse our designs, shortening the design cycle the next go around. We expect a significant portion of our 855 AutoCAD users to begin using the Mechanical Desktop in the near future," Todoroff said.

Wisne is also taking advantage of Autodesk's Mechanical Applications Initiative (MAI) program, through which third-party software developers have created integrated applications that work seamlessly with Mechanical Desktop software to provide complete design-through-manufacturing solutions.

The company is working with MAI applications from ANSYS, for design analysis and validation, Open Mind Software Technologies, Inc for NC, and CIMLogic for design automation.

"We want to build on all the Mechanical Desktop features rather than creating everything from the ground up," Todoroff notes. "Before all these tools were available, our engineers were forced to develop software applications. But the Mechanical Desktop and its MAI applications free us to go the next step and create applications that meet our specific industry needs and add to our competitiveness."

Cost and training requirements were also major factors in Wisne's decision. Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop software was not the only tool available to do the job, but it represented the best value "by far," said Todoroff.

The Mechanical Desktop was also attractive because the AutoCAD user interface was familiar to most of the company's 1,000-plus engineers and designers, which meant training could be accomplished more quickly than with competitive software. When new employees are needed, AutoCAD-literate candidates are abundant.

"Going to the Mechanical Desktop is a no-brainer business decision," Todoroff said.

The English version of Mechanical Desktop Release 1.1 is available in the US at a suggested retail price of $6,250. Customers who have already purchased AutoCAD Release 13 can upgrade to the Mechanical Desktop for a suggested retail price of US $2,750. The Mechanical Desktop has a multi-platform license that includes Microsoft DOS, Windows NT, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.

Available since March of 1996, Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop software is a leading mechanical CAD solution that integrates today's latest 2D and 3D mechanical design tools including: feature-based parametric solid modeling, parametric assembly modeling, NURBS surface modeling, 2D design, and associative drafting.

The Mechanical Desktop, in combination with seamlessly integrated applications developed by fifteen industry-leading MAI partners in mechanical market niches such as design optimization, finite element analysis, plastic flow analysis, NC and manufacturing, sheet-metal design, and tolerance analysis, provides complete design-through- manufacturing solutions for the mechanical CAD market.

The matters discussed in this news release contain forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include the timely development and acceptance of the new products discussed, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in Autodesk's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q filed in October 1996.

Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC design software and PC multimedia tools. The company's 2D and 3D products, geographic information systems, and data management tools are used in many industries for mapping, architectural design, mechanical design, film and video production, video/game development and Web content development.

Its Kinetix division is the leader in PC-based 3D modeling and animation software, providing a full range of products for digital media and design professionals. The fourth largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has three million customers in over 140 countries. Autodesk products are sold through Autodesk Systems Centers, Dealers and Distributors worldwide.

For more information on Autodesk, please call 415/507-5000, type GO ADESK on CompuServe, or visit its World Wide Web site at http://www.autodesk.com . Kinetix can be reached by calling 800/879-4233 or through its World Wide Web site at http://www.ktx.com . Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ADSK. -0-