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SOUTHPOINTE, Pa. -- For the second consecutive year, ANSYS, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANSS) , a global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, today announced it has been named in Business 2.0's B2 100, the magazine's ranking of the fastest-growing technology companies. ANSYS ranked 81 on the list, climbing five places from last year. The list of 100 was winnowed down from an original group of 2,000 publicly traded tech firms. To make the B2 100, companies had to meet rigorous financial requirements. Criteria for making the final list included at least three years of trading on a major U.S. stock exchange, at least $50 million in annual revenue, and positive cash flow over the most recently reported 12 months. Business 2.0 editors then ranked the companies with the help of Zacks Investment Research of Chicago, using a combination of four financial criteria: growth in revenue, profit, and operating cash flow during the past three years, and the 12-month stock return. Cash flow growth counted for 40 percent of a company's ranking; each of the other criteria counted for 20 percent. In announcing this year's list, Business 2.0 editor Josh Quittner observed that "companies on the 2003 B2 100 have shown remarkable results in a most challenging business environment. But what the list shows is who to watch, who to watch out for, and what we can learn from the leaders. Technology is alive and well, as proven by the performance of these companies." "Manufacturing continues to be an extremely competitive field where time and cost are both crucial factors that can make or break a product. ANSYS is providing technology that helps manufacturers compete more effectively, by accelerating product introduction, and driving product innovation," said Jim Cashman, president and CEO at ANSYS, Inc. "Our simulation and virtual prototyping tools let you measure design performance directly on the desktop at any stage in the product lifecycle. We've succeeded because our technology works and because we can easily demonstrate its benefits to the bottom line." The B2 100 is featured in the October 2003 issue of the magazine, on newsstands September 22.