SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Jan 7, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), the world's leading design and digital content creation resource, today announced it has signed a US $3.8 million contract with United Utilities of the United Kingdom for the development of a GIS utility solution for its electricity distribution network division, formerly known as Norweb Distribution. In addition, United Utilities signed a three-year support contract that together with the solution contract constitutes Autodesk's largest global GIS sale of 2001. The solution is being implemented by Autodesk's Worldwide Consulting Services Group, and the additional three-year support contract will be delivered by Autodesk's Worldwide Support Services organization.

United Utilities incorporates businesses involved in licensed multi-utility operations, asset management services, customer management outsourcing, and telecommunications. United Utilities Service Delivery provides an approximately 35,000 mile (58,000 kilometer) electricity network for 2.1 million customers in northwest England. Within its licensed multi-utility operations, United Utilities also provides water and wastewater services to almost 3 million customers. The water business was formerly known as North West Water, an existing, long-term Autodesk customer using an Autodesk(R) GIS solution to manage its water network assets. Implementing GIS across all areas of the business is one part of an overall five-year strategy by United Utility to build on the synergies of the multi-utility and to deliver (pound)450m (approximately US $650 million) in cost savings over five years.

The deployment will leverage the enterprise and web integration and distribution capabilities of the Autodesk(R) GIS Design Server and Autodesk MapGuide(R), and the powerful mapping capabilities of Autodesk Map(TM). The solution will allow United Utilities to update and maintain its electricity utility asset records, while also providing access to this information to business and technical users via a web browser. Functionality includes electricity network tracing, gazetteering, rules, and workflow-based data update, along with integration with United Utilities Water Utility asset information. Autodesk is also partnering with one of its resellers, Cad Capture, for work associated with the data conversion aspect of the project.

Paul Wadsworth, GIS project manager at United Utilities says: "The Autodesk solution will allow us to set tighter standards within the business. This new technology will not only enable United Utilities to deal with problems faster, it will give us the capability to manage the business more efficiently through access to better data. In turn we will pass on benefits to our customers such as a speedier service and cost reductions."

Wadsworth concludes, "We spoke to other utility companies that were using bespoke Autodesk solutions. They were all very impressed by the services and support received from Autodesk. Our first impression is that the functionality is very rich and that we have purchased a flexible toolset -- we are now in the process of raising the IT skills of our staff to move forward with the new solution."

    About Autodesk

Founded in 1982, Autodesk 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. Autodesk is one of the largest global software companies, with annual revenues of $936 million. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com.

    About United Utilities

United Utilities currently has the equivalent 14,000 full-time employees and annual revenue of (pound)1.7 billion (approximately US $2.45 billion), making it one of the United Kingdom's top 100 companies. Its businesses include Vertex, a business process outsourcing company specializing in customer management, and Your Communications, which provides voice, mobile, and Internet services to business and specialist sectors.

Note to Editors: Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk MapGuide, and Autodesk Map are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the United States and/or certain other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks are used solely for the purpose of identification and belong to their respective holders.

CONTACT:          Autodesk, Inc.
                  Eric Sutphin, 415/507-6658
                  eric.sutphin@autodesk.com

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