INDUSTRY

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Register today for the 2003 North American VPD Conference, hosted by MSC.Software (NYSE:MNS) , scheduled for October 13-15, 2003 in Dearborn, Michigan. The event will bring 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. Chris P. Theodore, Vice President, Advanced Product Division, Ford Motor Company and Dale Karolak, Vice President of Product Development, Intier Automotive, have recently committed to present how their companies are using Virtual Product Development to accelerate innovation and streamline product delivery. They are joining other influential executives speaking at the conference including: Dennis Wend, Executive Director, National Automotive Center, US Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command; Phil Martens, Vice President, North America Product Creation, Ford Motor Company; Dr. Ahmed Noor, Director, Advanced Engineering Environments, NASA; and Kevin Fowler, Director of Process Integration, 7E7 Program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. A unique highlight of the conference will be the "40 Years of Innovation" exhibit featuring revolutionary products, such as the Ford GT, developed with MSC.Software tools. Companies featured include; Cooper Tire, Ford Motor Company, John Deere, Indian Motorcycle, Solo Golf, Whirlpool, VSK8, and others. Attendees will have the chance to win products and collectibles from these successful companies. During the Customer Recognition Dinner on Tuesday night, MSC.Software will honor individuals who have been customers for 20 years or more. Conference sponsors include industry-leading partners, IBM, Dassault Systemes, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, SGI, Intel, and Microsoft. Additional MSC.Software technical partners will also exhibit in the Technology Showcase. Senior engineering managers from Cooper Tire, Eaton Aerospace, International Truck, Mayflower, and TI Automotive will share their strategies for accelerating innovation by using Virtual Product Development, process automation tools, cluster computing, engineering data management, and other state-of-the art methods. The technical track will feature engineering experts from Arvin Meritor, Daimler Chrysler, Draper Labs, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Robert Bosch, Visteon, and more than 40 other companies, presenting real-life simulation applications including acoustics, durability, hydraulics and controls, multi-body dynamics, noise and vibration, safety, structural analysis, and more. Additionally, MSC.Software managers and professional development staff will provide details on development strategies for VPD software tools such as MSC.Nastran 2004, MSC.ADAMS, MSC.Patran, MSC.Dytran MSC.EASY5, and MSC.Marc among others. For more information regarding agendas, registration or exhibiting , please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com/events/vpd2003/na/ .