SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Sep 18, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK), the world's leading design software and digital content company, today announced that Chinese state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of China's largest and best-selling automotive firms, has purchased several hundred more licenses of Autodesk Inventor(R) Series software, bringing their total number of Autodesk(R) 2D and 3D design solutions at SAIC and its subsidiaries to more than 1,000 licenses. The software has already helped SAIC reach productivity gains of 25 percent and increase the corporation's design and manufacturing capabilities and competitiveness in the industry. This represents the initial phase of a larger Autodesk Inventor Series software standardization plan expected in the SAIC Group this year.

In 2002, SAIC sold 610,000 units of various types of vehicles with an income of 120 billion Yuan ($14 billion) to become the enterprise with the biggest domestic automotive sales volume. After evaluating different software options, the easy-to-learn and easy-to-use Autodesk Inventor Series software was chosen by SAIC for its rich functionality and superior performance, making it an ideal tool for the automotive manufacturing enterprise.

Use of Autodesk Inventor to be expanded within SAIC

The decision by SAIC to invest further in Autodesk Inventor Series stemmed from a positive past experience with Autodesk and its comprehensive offering. Autodesk provided the latest design technology applications that met SAIC's needs and included professional services and support.

"Having an advanced design tool is critical to improving productivity," said Zhang Chuan Hong, the Deputy General Manager of SAIC Information Technology Center. "With Autodesk, we are acquiring the latest design technology coupled with support and services with a faster return on our investment than with alternate offerings. This translates into greater competitiveness for SAIC and therefore we will continue to expand the use of Autodesk software to other parts of the organization."

"The automotive industry around the world is turning to Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions more than ever as they realize the immediate productivity benefits that they are able to achieve," said Jack Gao, Autodesk vice-president for Corporate Strategy and Business Development in China and the Regional Director of the Greater China Region. "In particular, this implementation with SAIC is giving the push for leading-edge IT in China's manufacturing industry a real boost."

Shanghai Automotive worked with Autodesk distributor DaHeng on the Autodesk Inventor Series software implementation. In addition to training and support, DaHeng performs services such as developing small, user-specific applications for customers.

About Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation produces passenger vehicles, passenger trains, tractors, motorcycles, trucks, and automotive components and parts. SAIC is among the top three automotive manufacturers in China employing more than 60,000 workers. SAIC is also among the top 500 companies in China. There are more than 70 subsidiaries in the group including 58 joint venture companies with the leading automotive companies from Germany, the United States, Japan, England, France, and Italy.

Autodesk Manufacturing's Design and Data Management Solutions

Autodesk Manufacturing offers companies the most complete selection of 2D and 3D design and data management solutions to help customers solve critical business challenges by giving them the tools to innovate, increase productivity, optimize processes, and bring higher quality products to market faster for less cost. Unlike other offerings on the market today, Autodesk's design and data management solutions solve problems for small and medium-sized manufacturers, especially those that cannot tolerate large-scale product lifecycle management installations. Autodesk's design and data management solutions are easy to install and use, providing rapid results without complex, costly installations. These solutions include AutoCAD and AutoCAD(R) Mechanical software, the Autodesk Inventor(R) Professional and Autodesk Inventor(R) Series 3D mechanical design packages that feature the new Autodesk(R) Vault functionality, and the Autodesk Streamline(R) collaboration service. In addition, customers can take advantage of widely available third-party applications purpose-built for Autodesk software and they can utilize Autodesk(R) Professional Services to garner greater value from their software.

The Autodesk(R) Subscription Program is the most efficient way for Autodesk customers to stay current with the latest design technology and to benefit from simplified software management and easy budgeting. For products like Autodesk Inventor software with a history of rapid development, the program provides a timely cycle of new releases with rich new content as soon as it becomes available.

About Autodesk

Autodesk is the world's leading design software and digital content company, offering customers progressive business solutions through powerful technology products and services. Autodesk helps customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media, and wireless data services fields increase the value of their digital design data and improve efficiencies across their entire project lifecycle management processes. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, and Autodesk Streamline are registered 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.

SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk U.S.
Cindi Goodsell, 415-507-8452
cindi.goodsell@autodesk.com
or
Autodesk China
Sherry Ma, +86-106-505-6848
sherry.ma@autodesk.com

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