SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Apr 11, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Allied Systems Upgrades to Autodesk's Innovative 3D Design Software to Accelerate New Product Development

Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced that Allied Systems Company, a worldwide leader in material-handling equipment, has migrated from AutoCAD Release 14 to Autodesk Inventor software, harnessing its solid modeling capabilities to accelerate new product development and shorten time to market. After evaluating other 3D packages, including SolidEdge and Pro/ENGINEER, Allied Systems selected Autodesk Inventor software for its valuable visualization benefits, extensive sheet metal capabilities, and Design Tracking, Autodesk Inventor software's intuitive Windows Explorer-based file management system.

"With the advanced sheet metal capabilities in Autodesk Inventor, we are able to cut design time and eliminate production errors by creating accurate drawings and flat patterns," said Jeff Thompson, mechanical designer and drafter at Allied Systems. "The ability to simulate the mechanical part motion within Autodesk Inventor, so errors and interferences can be corrected immediately, allows us to go straight to manufacture. It also eliminates our need to build physical prototypes. This means we can get products into customers' hands faster."

Autodesk Inventor software provides Allied Systems with the ability to solve 3D constraints within subassemblies instead of treating the subassembly as a rigid body. By providing full access to part-level constraints deep inside the assembly structure, Autodesk Inventor offers Allied Systems' designers unmatched visualization benefits for complex mechanistic systems where moving parts sit at different levels in the hierarchy of the assembly structure. Extending the value of Autodesk Inventor software, Allied Systems is able to move the digital data they create downstream in the manufacturing process, by integrating the 3D package with MSC Nastran software for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of derived parts.

According to Thompson, the iParts feature is also a valuable component of Autodesk Inventor. Allied Systems has designed about two dozen parts specific to its company that will help standardize its equipment and streamline design creation.

"Cutting costs and accelerating time to market are key competitive advantages for manufacturers," said Robert Kross, vice president of the Manufacturing Division at Autodesk. "With Autodesk Inventor, Allied Systems is equipped with the right 3D design solution to help them achieve these business goals."

Allied Systems Company, based in Sherwood, Oregon, is made up of five divisions that design and manufacturer all types of complex material-handling equipment, including highly specialized hydraulic cranes for various military, petroleum, oceanographic, and shipping industries; mobile equipment for power utilities and the timber, pulp, and steel industries; lumberjacks for the timber industry; and chip and coal carriers for the pulp and coal industries.

    IMAGINiT West Provides Ongoing Consulting Services

Autodesk channel partner IMAGINiT West, formerly Ketiv Technology, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, worked closely with Allied Systems to perform product demonstrations of Autodesk Inventor software's solid modeling and sheet metal capabilities. They also demonstrated the dramatic difference in ease of use between the Design Tracking file manager in Autodesk Inventor versus the more difficult file managers offered by SolidEdge and Pro/ENGINEER. IMAGINiT provided training for Allied Systems and will continue to provide support as their implementation grows.

"Autodesk Inventor is well recognized for its ease of use. Allied Systems quickly gained expertise on the software and became productive almost immediately," said Ray Fagan, mechanical sales manager at IMAGINiT West.

IMAGINiT West is a top Autodesk Authorized Dealer and Autodesk Authorized Training Center that provides solution-oriented services and products to architectural and mechanical engineering clients. IMAGINiT West is part of IMAGINiT Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of RAND Worldwide.

    About Autodesk

Founded in 1982, Autodesk, Inc., is the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. The company serves a diverse portfolio of markets, including building design, geographic information systems, manufacturing, digital media, and wireless data services. By delivering tools that foster innovation and creativity, Autodesk helps customers throughout the value chain leverage digital design data to work better, faster, and smarter. With annual revenues of $936 million, Autodesk is one of the largest global software companies. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

Note to Editors: Autodesk, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Inventor are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Autodesk
                  Cindi Goodsell, 415/507-8452
                  Email: cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com

URL:              http://www.businesswire.com
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.

Copyright (C) 2002 Business Wire.  All rights reserved.