Recent Software Shipments from Manufacturing Industry Leaders Expand Leading Position of UGS PLM Solutions’ Parasolid® Geometric Modeling Kernel in Global Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Market

Parasolid software provides the geometric modeling foundation for many of the world’s leading computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering analysis (CAD /CAM/CAE) applications. UGS PLM Solutions develops Parasolid, uses it throughout its product development applications and licenses it to independent software vendors (ISVs) and end-user organizations on a “level playing field” policy that ensures all licensees have equal access to Parasolid updates and enhancements.

Recent shipments of new Parasolid-based software products from manufacturing industry leaders -- including one of the world’s largest machine tool supplier’s and one of the world’s fastest growing CAM software developers -- further enhance interoperability between manufacturing and product design. In addition to its leading position in the CAM market, Parasolid’s extensive use throughout product development has created an environment enabling the seamless sharing of product geometry models between manufacturers and their suppliers worldwide, with 100 percent compatibility and data accuracy.

“Robust functionality and unmatched quality have always been the focus of Parasolid development,” said Chuck Grindstaff, president, UGS PLM Solutions Products. “As a result, the ISVs licensing Parasolid can build powerful, high value applications that seamless share geometry data with all other Parasolid -based solutions.”

De Facto Standard For CAM

An analysis of the leading CAM software vendors listed in the May 2003 version of the NC Software and Related Services Market Assessment, developed by CIMdata, a respected PLM industry research and analysis firm, yields the following statistics:

• Eight of the top 10 vendors (based on 2002 install base) are Parasolid licensees and seven of the top 10 use Parasolid exclusively for solid modeling.

• Parasolid is selected for modeling capabilities by a margin of 6:1 over its closest rival by the top 25 CAM vendors (based on 2002 install base.)

• The number one vendors in three different categories -- 2002 revenue (UGS PL M Solutions), 2002 install base (CNC Software) and 2003 projected growth (Vero International) -- all use Parasolid as their exclusive geometric modeling kernel.

• Parasolid is the modeling foundation for some of the best known brand names in the CAM software industry including Unigraphics NX (UGS PLM Solutions), Mastercam (CNC Software), GibbsCAM (Gibbs and Associates), EdgeCAM (Pathtrace), SURFCAM (Surfware), VISI-Series (Vero International) and ESPRIT (DP Technology).

“Parasolid is clearly the geometric modeling kernel of choice for the vast majority of CAM software suppliers that offer 3D machining,” said Alan Christman, vice president and senior manufacturing industry analyst for CIMdata.  Parasolid is establishing itself as the de facto standard for CAM software vendors that choose to base their applications on an open, commercially available kernel.”

New Parasolid-based Solutions

The most recent additions to the family of Parasolid-based CAM solutions come from two of the manufacturing industry’s most respected suppliers.

• VEGA Milling Edition (VEGA-ME) from DTL Mori Seiki, the software development subsidiary of one of Japan’s largest machine tool manufacturers, is a new 3D enabled CAM product designed to significantly reduce programming time by providing automatic shape recognition and programming of machining centers. In addition, VEGA Mill Turn (VEGA-MT) will be introduced in the first half of 2004 to si mplify the programming of multi-processing lathes with advanced milling capabilities.

• GibbsCAM 2.5D Solids from Gibbs and Associates introduces solids-based 2.5D machining capability at an entry level price point, while complementing GibbsCAM SolidSurfacer’s high-end 3D capability, in response to the growing number of solids-based computer-aided design (CAD) systems.

CAM Software Suppliers Share Views On Parasolid

Parasolid serves as the geometry modeling foundation for the majority of the world’s most popular CAM software offerings from some of the best known and most highly respected suppliers.

• “The decision to base GibbsCAM’s full range of solids-based applic ations on Parasolid was an easy one,” said Bill Gibbs, founder and president of Gibbs and Associates. “Our development time was shorter because so much of the functionality our clients need has already been developed and tested in Parasolid, allowing us to add value by focusing on what we do best -- create the world’s finest manufacturing solutions.”

• “Parasolid is the world’s most advanced modeling kernel and its continuing industry-wide expansion has opened up new markets for our software, said Don Babbs, CEO, Vero International Software. “Vero was the first company to integrate Parasolid with surfaces and CAM in the PC market. The experience we gained from working with UGS PLM Solutions has been invaluable to the success of our VISI-Series suite of modeling and manufacturing software and we look forward to our continued success together.”

• “Parasolid is the logical choice for our software products because of its widespread use by our customers and its ability to add value to our solutions ,” said Dr. Jiancheng Liu, General Manager of DTL Mori Seiki, Inc. “With Parasolid as the foundation, our manufacturing solutions offer instant compatibility with our customers CAD systems thereby streamlining the design to manufacturing process. In addition, Parasolid’s built-in functionality enables us to develop new capabilities -- such as Automatic Feature Recognition in our VEGA-ME software -- much faster and easier, offering significant benefits to our customers. ”

• “DP Technology chose to base its ESPRIT Advanced Solid Modeling software on Parasolid because it is the ideal complement to our easy-to-use, accurate NC programming solutions our customers have come to expect,” said Daniel Frayssinet, President, DP Technology Corp. “Our entire line of ESPRIT CAM soft ware products can develop toolpaths directly from native solid geometry files created by any Parasolid-based CAD system. Because of the wide acceptance of Parasolid and the improved accuracy and quality achieved by machining directly from native geometry, solid-based machining is now a pre-requisite for most manufacturers, and that is exactly what ESPRIT delivers.”

• “The Parasolid kernel has been instrumental in allowing Pathtrace to develop EdgeCAM Solid Machinist into the industry standard for intelligent manufacturing of solid models,” said Raf Lobato, Technical Director, Pathtrace. EdgeCAM Solid Machinist has utilized Parasolid since 1996, and our relations hip with UGS PLM Solutions leverages the strength of both companies, giving our customers the ability to continuously reduce their manufacturing lead times.

Parasolid Standard Benefits Entire PLM Industry

In addition to its leading presence in the CAM software market, Parasolid’s rich functionality and open licensing policy has created a strong proliferation of Parasolid-based applications in the computer aided engineering (CAE) and CAD markets as well. The top three CAE vendors -- MSC.Software, Ansys and UGS PLM Solutions -- representing more than 30 percent of the global CAE market, all use Parasolid as their core modeling kernel and many of the world’s most well known CAD software products, including Unigraphics NX, Solid Edge, SolidWorks and Bentley® MicroStation®, are all Parasolid-based.

About UGS PLM Solutions

UGS PLM Solutions, a leader in product data management, collaboration and product design software and services with 41,000 clients and more than 2.6 million seats of technology operating in the market, is the product lifecycle management (PLM) subsidiary of EDS. The company works collaboratively with its clients to create solutions enabling them to transform their process of innovation and thus begin to capture the promise of PLM. The integration of the former operations of companies including Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC), Engineerin g Animation Inc. (EAI) and UGS, UGS PLM Solutions has created some of the leading design, collaboration and product data management technologies that ultimately formed the foundation of the PLM industry. Today, the company is a family of one, building on three decades of leadership in continuing to be a pioneer in PLM . For more information on UGS PLM Solutions products and services, visit www.ugsplmsolutions.com o r www.eds.com.

About EDS

EDS, the world’s most experienced outsourcing services company, delivers superior returns to clients through its cost-effective, high-value services model. EDS’ core portfolio comprises information-technology and business process outsourcing services, as well as information-technology transformation services. EDS’ two complementary, subsidiary businesses are A.T. Kearney, one of the world’s leading high-value management consultancies, and UGS PLM Solutions , a leader in product data management, collaboration and product design software . With 2002 revenue of $21.5 billion, EDS is ranked 80th on the Fortune 500. The company’s stock is traded on the New York (NYSE: EDS)and London stock exchanges.

Note: Parasolid is a registered trademark of UGS PLM Solutions or its subsidiar ies in the United States and in other countries. Bentley and MicroStation are re gistered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or Bentley Software, Inc.

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