MSC.Software Corp. announced a multi- phase, enterprise consulting services engagement with Chery Automobile Company Ltd. (Chery). As one of the fastest growing automotive OEMs in China, Chery is currently building an automotive engineering research institute (AERI) as the first phase of a long-term program for product line expansion. The services being provided by MSC.Software are linked to detailed planning and requirements for the new technical facilities. "MSC.Software is now being invited to compete for business against the world's largest services companies and we are winning these engagements based upon our decades of engineering experience in the automotive industry," said Frank Perna, Chairman and CEO of MSC.Software. "Chery found that MSC.Software is much more than a software company. Our ability to deliver scaleable consulting services that help customers develop high quality products and deploy more cost-effective product development processes was key to our selection as a strategic partner." "We chose MSC.Software because of its superior global consulting team and their in-depth knowledge of the industry's best practices. Strategic planning, key suppliers/partnership strategy, vehicle development processes and VPD, project management and human resource planning are all vital to our future success. MSC.Software brought these to the table, along with great local technical support," said Dr. Min Xu, Vice President of Chery Automobile. "MSC.Software has shown a great commitment to the success of this project; both from its top management and from the project team. They made an impressive proposal, which included a detailed execution plan, practical deliverables and aggressive schedule. By executing this project, I believe we will be able to meet our ambitious business and technical goals, and achieve greater confidence in our vehicle development process and the success of our future products." The 3-phase project with Chery began in 2003 with a process audit that included analysis of the AERI development strategies and goals and assessment of the current vehicle designs, development processes and supporting infrastructure. The results of the audit provide a basis for recommending organization structure and project management processes, identifying key business partners and suppliers, determining infrastructure, facilities and equipment needs, optimizing IT systems for virtual product development (VPD), and specifying human resources requirements and infrastructure. As a result of this, Chery will be able to establish and control investment performance, reduce investment risk, improve vehicle design process, optimize their organization and project management, and apply VPD to their vehicle development processes.