MSC.Software Corp. , the leading global provider of Virtual Product Development (VPD) solutions, including simulation software and services, today announced the 2006 Americas VPD Conference to be held in Detroit, Michigan, April 24 - 26, 2006 and is seeking presentation and paper submissions. This foremost industry event brings together hundreds of engineering professionals to share their knowledge, best practices and views concerning the future of design and simulation in the automotive, aerospace, defense, rail, shipbuilding, and other industrial manufacturing industries. Industry-leading business executives, engineering managers, and product development experts from more than a hundred companies will present during the multi-day event. With more than 700 engineering professionals expected to attend, the Americas VPD Conference will provide unsurpassed opportunities for networking with colleagues who face common product development challenges and share like-interests in engineering processes and technologies. "Our 2004 VPD Conference was very successful, with more than 700 customers, partners, press, and industry analysts attending and sharing best practices. We are looking forward to an information-packed schedule and even better attendance in 2006," said Rick Murphy, vice president, corporate marketing, MSC.Software. "The VPD conferences are valuable events where engineering and product development experts from every manufacturing sector can discover how their colleagues are saving time and money while improving product performance by utilizing VPD techniques." Abstracts are currently being accepted for presentations focused on managing product development practices, managing multi-discipline collaboration, leveraging enterprise collaboration methods, and improving efficiencies through knowledge capture and data management. Technical paper abstracts illustrating the implementation of VPD in various industries, its use in applications such as NVH, durability, and safety, and specific software applications such as MSC.Nastran, MSC.ADAMS, MSC.Marc, MSC.SimManager, and SimDesigner, are also being accepted. Conference highlights include keynote presentations, management and technical presentations, special interest groups, breakfast & learn seminars, technical workshops, and user forums, partner exhibits, social activities, and networking.