MSC.Software Named #1 IBM Product Lifecycle Management Business Partner for 2001 in the Americas

Business Wire, March 7, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2002

Manufacturers' Demand for PLM Solutions Pushed

Global Provider to Leadership Position

MSC.Software Corp. (NYSE: MNS), the leading global provider of simulation software, services and systems, today announced that it was ranked the #1 IBM Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Business Partner in the Americas based on sales in fiscal year 2001. IBM (NYSE: IBM), Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) and MSC.Software have been working together for the past four years to provide manufacturers with a complete suite of PLM products, services and systems. The three companies collaborate closely to bring innovative differential solutions to automotive, aerospace and other manufacturing industries.

"We are very excited to be the #1 business partner in 2001 and have our success recognized by our partners IBM and Dassault Systemes," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "Our customers in the Americas, Europe and Asia are seeing an extraordinary amount of value from deploying PLM applications and we look forward to continuing our success in 2002 and beyond."

As an IBM Business Partner, MSC.Software distributes and supports the entire hardware portfolio developed by IBM and 3D PLM software portfolio developed by Dassault Systemes, including CATIA design and analysis applications, ENOVIA and SmarTeam collaborative Product Data Management (PDM) software, as well as process re-engineering tools. MSC.Software supports customers spanning the entire IBM/Dassault Systemes PLM environment, including computer and network systems, implementation services and supercomputing, design and analysis services, and process re-engineering and integration services. As an experienced provider of simulation technology, MSC.Software brings unparalleled depth of expertise to the IBM/Dassault Systemes PLM offering in the mid market.

Kim Stuckey, worldwide channel business manager, IBM Product Lifecycle Management, said, "Selling is about winning, and therefore IBM is delighted to work with a partner like MSC.Software, who makes winning a habit. A focus on creating customer value through their knowledge of industries, processes and products has brought MSC.Software this deserved award. We salute their achievement."

"MSC.Software has already demonstrated a very strong track record in helping customers implement and realize the benefits of our 3d PLM solutions. We are very pleased with MSC.Software's number one position for 2001 and we count on their strength and expertise across our entire product portfolio to have a strong 2002," added Philippe Forestier, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Dassault Systemes. "Our solutions become a compelling choice for customers to create a sustainable competitive advantage."

About IBM

IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM Sales & Distribution, which supports more than a dozen key industries worldwide, works with companies of all sizes around the world to deploy the full range of IBM technologies. The fastest way to get more information about IBM is through the IBM home page at http://www.ibm.com.

About Dassault Systemes

Dassault Systemes (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) is the premier global software developer in the PLM market, providing companies with e-business solutions to implement their digital enterprise, thus creating and simulating the entire product life cycle from initial concept to product in service. The CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA Solutions support industry-specific business processes to help unleash creativity and innovation, reduce development cycle time, improve quality, competitiveness and shareholder value: CATIA supports the digital product definition and simulation, DELMIA provides solutions to define and simulate lean digital manufacturing processes and ENOVIA delivers enterprise solutions that manage a comprehensive, collaborative and distributed model of the digital product, processes and resources. The combined integration creates the Digital Product life cycle Pipeline, supporting reuse of corporate knowledge. SolidWorks and SmarTeam, as Dassault Systemes companies, offer respectively 3D design-centric and collaborative PDM software solutions based on Windows and the Internet. Spatial, also part of the Dassault Systemes family, is a market-leading provider of world-class 3D software components and services (for 3D modeling, visualization, and interoperability) to meet the requirements of 3D in Internet-based e-commerce and B2B applications.

Information about Dassault Systemes is available at http://www.dsweb.com.

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software (NYSE: MNS) is the leading global provider of simulation software, with related services and systems, that help companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software, services and systems. MSC.Software employs more than 1,200 people in 22 countries. For additional information about MSC.Software's products and services, please visit www.mscsoftware.com.