Inventor 3D Modeling Capabilities Provide a Competitive Advantage by Reducing Time Required to Create Customized Product Lines

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that Flo Healthcare -- a leading developer of comprehensive clinical workstation solutions for the healthcare industry -- is using Autodesk Inventor 11 software to quickly and efficiently create made-to-order workstations for healthcare providers nationwide. This responsiveness to customer needs gives Flo Healthcare a competitive edge within the healthcare industry and has helped fuel the company's impressive year-over-year revenue growth.

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Since 1997, Flo Healthcare has designed integrated mobile workstations that provide doctors and nurses with patient information to help them deliver better care. For example, Flo Healthcare's mobile clinical workstations allow clinicians to easily access a patient's electronic medical record right from the patient's bedside, and capture patient data such as pulse, temperature and ECG in real time at the point of care.

In recent years, demand for Flo Healthcare's mobile workstation solutions has surged -- but since no two hospitals have the same requirements, nearly 70% of Flo Healthcare's customer orders require custom designs. "A recent customer wanted a biometric login device added to the top of their workstation to protect patient data," explained Darin Janoschka, director of product development for Flo Healthcare. "In that case, we needed to extend the length of the display extrusion; we shifted the location for the power supply gauge; and we added a new device mount to satisfy the exact needs of their nursing staff."

With Autodesk Inventor, the world's best-selling 3D mechanical design software, Flo Healthcare is able to rapidly produce highly customized versions of its product line that match the specific needs of its customers. The powerful Inventor 3D modeling capabilities allow Flo Healthcare to test each individual component of the integrated workstation -- from monitors and wheels, to cables and power supplies -- and know that the customizations are viable before any time and money is spent on prototyping.

"Autodesk Inventor helps us check the product quality of a new design before it ever hits the manufacturing floor," said Janoschka. "As a result, we're able to bring products to market much faster than our competitors can."

This speed and adaptability gives Flo Healthcare a significant advantage in the marketplace, a fact that is further reflected in the company's sales numbers: nearly three quarters of revenue in 2005 was attributable to custom design work.

"The benefits of Autodesk Inventor extend to manufacturers in every vertical, and Flo Healthcare's use of Autodesk Inventor marks them as innovators in the healthcare field," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "Flo Healthcare is a great example of how 3D design can be leveraged to help a company respond to the needs of the marketplace -- and thrive in the process."

About Flo Healthcare

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, Flo Healthcare designs comprehensive wireless and mobile clinical workstation solutions specifically for the healthcare industry. Flo Healthcare is part of Emerson Storage Solutions' InterMetro (Metro) division. Like Emerson, which is focused on making people's lives better through its products, systems and solutions, Flo Healthcare's top priority is improving patient care and safety. By delivering a better connection to information, clinicians stay better connected with patients.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 company, wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the manufacturing, infrastructure, building, media and entertainment, 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, become more productive, streamline project efficiency and maximize profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/ .

NOTE: Autodesk, Autodesk Inventor, and Inventor are 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.

Contact: Carly Herrig 312.233.1356 Andrew Favreau 312.297.7587
Email: carly.herrig@edelman.com andrew.favreau@edelman.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc. 10/17/2006

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2496 10/17/2006 16:30 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com