Autodesk's Electrical Controls Design Software Enables 75% Times Savings and Smarter Inventory Management

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that R.A. Jones & Co, Inc., a subsidiary of IWKA, a leading worldwide provider of high performance packaging equipment and services, has deployed AutoCAD Electrical, the leading application for fast and accurate design of industrial control systems.

Founded in 1905, R.A. Jones has continued to achieve packaging milestones and innovations, always with the goal of increasing production efficiencies for its customers. Jones machines and packaging lines have set the standard for line speed and flexibility, as well as for return on investment. Its machines are sold all around the world, enabling companies to package billions of cans of beer per year to millions of boxes of cereal and pharmaceutical products. The company used AutoCAD for many years but was looking to extend its competitive advantage by reducing its product development time in half. Jones selected AutoCAD Electrical after determining it was the right tool for the job, delivering an easy-to-learn application with full AutoCAD compatibility so the company can leverage its vast library of parts.

"Typically it took us three to four weeks to get a set of drawings out to the assembly floor using AutoCAD, but with AutoCAD Electrical we've gone down to one week -- nearly 75% reduction," said Darren Elliott, Chief Engineer, Electrical Controls, R. A. Jones & Co. "AutoCAD Electrical features automated documentation tools that greatly benefit our company, such as point-to-point cable charts and bill of materials verification, enabling us to eliminate error-prone manual processes."

AutoCAD Electrical is a 2D design application created for electrical control designers. Built on the AutoCAD software platform, it automates the tedious tasks of creating ladder drawings and point-to-point style electrical drawings, tracks all wire numbers and component tags, and cross references coil and contact information for increased drafting productivity. AutoCAD Electrical generates a wide range of automated reports, including bill-of- materials and from-to wire lists, to minimize the errors that can occur with manual reports. It also saves time by linking cable and harness information for customers who also use Autodesk Inventor software, the world's best selling 3D mechanical design software and best choice for 3D design. AutoCAD Electrical helps customers create better designs, reduce errors, and save time by enabling them to focus on design and engineering tasks rather than on repetitive drafting functions.

"AutoCAD Electrical remains the preferred solution for electrical control designers looking to reduce cycle time on product development," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, vice president for Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "Many companies such as R.A. Jones continue to reap tremendous value from AutoCAD Electrical, dramatically reducing errors and rework in getting new products to market."

About R. A. Jones

R.A. Jones & Co. Inc. is a subsidiary of IWKA, a leading worldwide provider of high performance packaging equipment and services. With over 100 years of experience designing and manufacturing packaging machinery, Jones offers a comprehensive range of value-added engineering and total packaging line services. As part of the IWKA family, Jones offers access to worldwide sales and service facilities that can efficiently service global packaging project while providing on-site responsiveness and dependability. More information about the company is available on the web at www.rajones.com.

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 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.

Autodesk, AutoCAD and Autodesk 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.

(C) 2006 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact: Jeannie Hornung, 415-318-4118

Email: hornungj@fleishman.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.