PLANO, Texas and SHANGHAI, China -- EDS PLM Solutions today announced a significant grant of product lifecycle management (PLM) software for the Automotive School at Shanghai Tongji University (STJU). With an estimated commercial value of US$96 million, the grant is designed to enable the university to support automotive engineering education initiatives and establish a state-of-the-art automotive development center. "On behalf of Shanghai Tongji University, I want to express sincere appreciation to EDS PLM Solutions for making this industry-leading software available to the school," said Dr. Gang Wan, Chancellor of Tongji University. "It will enable our students to make significant contributions to the Chinese manufacturing industry upon graduation and has enabled us to establish the new Tongji-EDS Automobile Virtual Development Center, a place where students, faculty and our industry partners can benefit from the latest digital design and manufacturing technologies and research." EDS PLM Solutions is supplying STJU with a variety of PLM software including: -- Unigraphics(R) NX, I-deas(R) NX Series and Solid Edge(R) for product design and development; -- E-factory for digital manufacturing; and -- Visualization solutions to enable the sharing of product data and dynamic images on inexpensive workstations outside of the engineering department. EDS PLM Solutions is also providing STJU with software training, courseware and technical support. "We are proud to establish this relationship with STJU -- a top caliber university whose engineering programs are highly regarded throughout China," said Hans-Kurt Luebberstedt, president of Asia Pacific for EDS PLM Solutions, in a keynote speech delivered at the STJU grant presentation ceremony. "As the world's leading supplier of PLM software and services we look forward to working with STJU and helping enhance its value to Chinese industry." STJU will incorporate EDS PLM Solutions software into its current and new curricula to help students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels develop a wide range of skills in automotive product development. Students will gain experience with the same PLM software used by leading companies worldwide to create products and manage product lifecycles from initial concept through design, analysis, testing, manufacturing, service and retirement. EDS PLM Solutions President Tony Affuso also attended the grant ceremony, where he officially opened the Tongji-EDS Automobile Virtual Development Center and spoke to students and faculty of the School of Automotive Engineering. "In Asia, China is a prime driver of growth in manufacturing, and automotive production is accelerating particularly fast," Affuso said. "High quality talent will be needed to fuel that growth, and STJU is in an ideal position to provide the talent. EDS PLM Solutions has a strong client base of automotive OEMs and suppliers in China and as the leading provider of PLM software and services in the automotive industry worldwide, we are especially pleased to be a part of this team that is contributing to growth in the industry. "By increasing collaboration between all members of a product team, PLM fosters innovative product design and development and helps companies bring their products to market faster," Affuso said. "As a result, students trained in current PLM technology have improved employment opportunities in the manufacturing industry."