Six of Top 10 U.S. Homebuilders Use Buzzsaw to Reduce Costs and Save Time

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that Pulte Homes, Lennar Homes, Centex Homes, Beazer Homes, Fulton Homes, Hacienda Builders and other leading U.S. homebuilders have deployed the industry-leading Autodesk Buzzsaw project collaboration service to facilitate and manage the bidding process with subcontractors and external supply chains. Buzzsaw enables building companies to quickly and easily solicit, track and administer bids needed to construct new homes on time and on budget. By optimizing the coordination of information with 24x7 electronic access to bid packages and related documentation, Buzzsaw provides control in the bidding process, enabling homebuilders to save time and thousands of dollars, while keeping pace with a booming real estate market.

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Leading National and Regional Homebuilders Choose Autodesk Buzzsaw

Buzzsaw enables six of the nation's top 10 homebuilders and thousands of users to capitalize on explosive growth in residential construction by automating construction management processes and centralizing all design and project documents online. Using Buzzsaw, homebuilders can manage and share design content, and take advantage of notification and tracking features to gain insight into bid status. Integrated with industry-standard design applications, such as AutoCAD software, and increasingly popular technologies, such as Autodesk DWF, Buzzsaw also enables homebuilders to make up-to-date design documents available online, reducing copying and shipping costs.

Home construction has experienced tremendous growth in the Southwest, where premier homebuilders such as Centex, Hacienda Builders and Fulton Homes manage projects with Buzzsaw. Centex is one of the world's leading homebuilders and one of the largest in the United States. The firm standardized on the Autodesk Buzzsaw service to enhance collaboration among regional offices, which develop community master plans, and divisional offices, which produce working drawings. With more than 500 registered users connected to their Buzzsaw site, Centex teams complete their designs faster and are up to date on the latest corporate design standards and processes.

Using Buzzsaw, Hacienda Builders has completely automated its subcontract bidding process, from invitation to submission to notification of contract awards, and Fulton Homes has been able to expand the number of vendors with whom it works. "Using Autodesk Buzzsaw, we've reduced the time spent managing the process of soliciting vendors by more than 70 percent, which has been especially important as we increased production in 2004," said Ken Donahoo, Fulton Homes Project Development Manager.

Other leading homebuilders that manage their bidding process with Autodesk Buzzsaw include Beazer Homes, John Laing Homes, Lennar Homes, Monterey Homes, Nicholas Homes and Young Homes.

"More than 100,000 users are doing more business at less expense, because Autodesk Buzzsaw is creating a paradigm shift in construction by improving coordination, so that accurate information is always available, and supporting greater accountability," said Amar Hanspal, vice president, Autodesk Collaboration Services. "As they specify, outsource and manage every aspect of thousands of homes' construction, homebuilders depend on Autodesk Buzzsaw to manage the project team's work and an incredible amount of data, saving time and money."

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With six 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, Buzzsaw and DWF 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.

CONTACT: Jennifer Giles of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-547-2458, or jennifer.giles@autodesk.com.

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
05/31/2005
CONTACT: Jennifer Giles of Autodesk, Inc., +1-415-547-2458, or jennifer.giles@autodesk.com
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