MSC.Software Corp., the leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) products including simulation software and services, today announced that Avio, one of the largest Italian aerospace companies and a world leader in mechanical transmissions, has invested in MSC.Software's MSC.MasterKey License System for the design and development of modules and components for military aircraft, commercial aircraft and helicopter propulsion systems. Under the MSC.MasterKey License System, Avio will expand their use of MSC.Software's SimOffice products by integrating new tools into their product development process including MSC.Patran, MSC.Nastran, MSC.Patran Thermal, MSC.Marc DMP, MSC.Robust Design, MSC.Enterprise MVision, MSC.ADAMS, MSC.GS Mesher and MSC.SimManager. "The growth in the CAE market will be driven in large part by those companies who are maturing their product development processes and making investments in technologies and Avio is an excellent example of that kind of company," says Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "The MSC.MasterKey licensing system is gaining real traction in the aerospace market and is an excellent way for suppliers to easily and cost-effectively incorporate new technologies into their product development processes. We are pleased that our long time relationship with Avio has resulted in this new contract and we look forward to working closely with Avio engineers in the future." "The MSC.Master.Key System was the answer to our software expansion problems. We have been using MSC.Software tools for a long time, but due to company standards never had the possibility to implement a more flexible solution," says Emilio Ferrari, responsible for advanced technology implementation at Avio. "Now, under the MSC.Masterkey System, we are able to easily access new VPD technologies and can be more competitive through a wider and more mature usage of VPD solutions. MSC.MasterKey leverages our development processes, and we expect to realize cost and time-savings in line with our product competitiveness needs. We have implemented a baseline for tokens and intend to grow the token pool in the near future. "