Acquisition Complements Autodesk's Data Management Strategy, Strengthens
Position in Product Lifecycle Management Market
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced an agreement to acquire all assets of COMPASS
systems GmbH, a European-based developer of the COMPASS family of data
management solutions, for 13 million Euros. COMPASS is a leader in the
European data management market, and COMPASS customers include more than
20,000 users in 1,800 manufacturing companies.
Autodesk plans to continue offering the COMPASS solution in key European
markets and supporting COMPASS customers, while leveraging COMPASS systems'
experience in its continuing development of Autodesk's data management
solution, featuring Autodesk Productstream(TM).
Through the combination of Autodesk and COMPASS expertise, technology and
partners, Autodesk will better enable customers to accelerate information
exchange and more efficiently create, manage and share design data. Customers
will benefit from a comprehensive data management solution that makes the
production and delivery of products more timely and cost efficient.
The acquisition, which is expected to close in March of 2005, will allow
Autodesk to more quickly expand its data management solution, and deliver on
its commitment to provide a comprehensive data management solution for
small- and medium-size manufacturers.
"This is a clear indicator of our commitment to be a major player in the
Product Lifecycle Management market," said Robert Kross, vice president of
Autodesk's Manufacturing Solutions Division. "By combining our collective
experience in the data management market with our strength in product design,
we are extremely well positioned to extend the value of design information
across the manufacturing organization and supply chain."
Karl Weber, president of COMPASS systems, added "We are very pleased to
join forces with a market leader like Autodesk. Our focus on engineering-
driven data management and the clear synergies between our channels and
products make this acquisition logical for our companies as well as beneficial
to our customers."
Data Management: A Practical Approach
The Autodesk data management solution is built to extend the value driven
by Autodesk's design software, including Autodesk Inventor(R) Series, the
world's best-selling 3D design software. Autodesk's data management solution
allows customers to speed design cycles and maintain control of crucial design
data as it moves through the product lifecycle. Unlike traditional Product
Lifecycle Management (PLM) installations that demand extensive, costly
customization and process re-engineering, the Autodesk data management
solution allows manufacturers to quickly and cost effectively reap many of the
same benefits of PLM. With Autodesk, manufacturers have the flexibility to add
components incrementally, at a pace that matches their needs and budget. The
Autodesk data management solution includes Autodesk Vault, Autodesk
Productstream, Autodesk Streamline(R), and the Autodesk DWF(TM) file format.
Autodesk's Comprehensive Portfolio of Manufacturing Solutions
Delivering on its strategy to help customers create, manage, and share
their digital design data, Autodesk offers the most comprehensive portfolio of
integrated 2D and 3D design and data management solutions available -- helping
customers design better quality products, accelerate time to market, and
achieve maximum project visibility and collaboration. Unlike other offerings
on the market today, these solutions are easy to deploy and use, and help
companies easily transition from 2D to 3D design at their own pace, helping to
make Autodesk a leader in manufacturing segments such as industrial machinery,
building and plant equipment, transportation and consumer products. Autodesk's
manufacturing solutions include Autodesk Inventor Series, Autodesk Inventor(R)
Professional, AutoCAD(R) Mechanical, AutoCAD(R) Electrical software, and the
Autodesk(R) DWF(TM) file format functionality. All manufacturing design
applications come with Autodesk Vault data management capabilities built in
and work seamlessly with the Autodesk Streamline(R) collaboration service. In
addition, customers can take advantage of widely available third-party
applications purpose-built for Autodesk software.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned
into reality. With 6 million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software
and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital
media, and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers
create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a
result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more
productive, streamlining project efficiency, and maximizing profits.
Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For
additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.
NOTE: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Streamline, DWF, and
Productstream are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk,
Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names,
or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right
to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and
is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in
this document.
During the course of this communication, we may make forward-looking
statements regarding future events and the future performance of the Company.
These forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions, risks and
uncertainties, which are discussed in documents we file from time to time with
the SEC and specifically in our Annual Report and 10-K filed for the year
ended January 31, 2004. These documents contain and identify important factors
that may cause the actual results to differ from those contained in our
forward-looking statements.
Additionally, we may make statements regarding planned or future
development efforts for our existing or new products and services. These
statements are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of
products, services or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may
change. Purchasing decisions should not be made based upon reliance on these
statements.
The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking
statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist or change
after the date on which they were made.
SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
02/18/2005
CONTACT: Sarah Singleton of Fleishman Hillard, singlets@fleishman.com,
or +1-415-318-4160, for Autodesk, Inc.
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
