Virtual Services, Cadpo Announce Strategic Partnership to Offer Cost-Effective, Productivity-Enhancing Automotive MCAD/PLM Training

Virtual Services, Inc. and Cadpo announced a strategic partnership to provide automotive MCAD/PLM (mechanical computer-aided design/product lifecycle management) training to OEMs and suppliers in Michigan. The companies’ combined programs will impact the automotive industry with lower cost e-learning and blended learning offerings, as well as productivity-enhancing best practice training.

Virtual Services provides engineering solutions and support services to suppliers of BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota. Cadpo provides engineering knowledge through i.get.it® – the only multi-application e-learning system in the MCAD/PLM market.

Virtual Services has adopted Cadpo’s i.get.it Knowledge Management system as its strategic platform for delivering engineering knowledge to its clients both in the classroom and over the web for self-paced learning. Virtual Services and Cadpo are currently collaborating on content to offer the i.get.it CATIA V5 Automotive Edition, which will be available March 1, 2005.

The companies said that providing automotive curriculum and learning content for CATIA, Unigraphics and Teamcenter gives OEMs and suppliers more flexible and cost-effective training that can be delivered on-demand as needed.

"Virtual Services and Cadpo are able to provide an unprecedented level of support to the automotive industry in many geographies around the world,” said D. Mark Ratliff, president and CEO, Virtual Services. “Combining our automotive expertise with the knowledge management and delivery strength of Cadpo’s i.get.it program will enable us to serve our customers in a whole new way."

"This is a very important partnership,” said Kevin Noe, president, Cadpo. “Virtual Services’ depth of automotive knowledge adds tremendous strength to the i.get.it Engineering Knowledge system. In addition, our companies share similar cultures and together can provide the highest level of customer satisfaction in the automotive industry."

About Virtual Services
Headquartered in Madison Heights, Mich., Virtual Services, Inc. implements process improvements and new technologies that accelerate the product development process, increase engineering efficiency, improve product quality and reduce cost. The company provides engineering solutions and support services to auto suppliers of BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota. Virtual Services specializes in the automotive industry and offers automotive OEMs and their supply base a comprehensive total service solution including CAD and PDM technology, on-site implementation services, consulting, system administration services, technical training and continuous support. The company is an authorized business partner of IBM, Dassault Systemes, UGS, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Microsoft Corp. For more information, visit www.virtualautomotive.com.

About Cadpo
CAD Potential, Inc. (“Cadpo”) empowers people through engineering knowledge with e-learning, training, and services offering expertise in CATIA, NX/Unigraphics, SolidWorks, Teamcenter Engineering, and others. Cadpo’s i.get.it® is the only multi-application e-learning system in the MCAD/PLM industry. Established in 1988, Cadpo is a privately owned company, headquartered in Westminster, Colorado with international offices in Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.cadpo.com.

All trademarks, trade names and service marks referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

HP at COE Spring 2005

HP will once again have a significant presence at the COE 2005 Annual PLM Conference and TechniFair, showing off its latest technology tools that help CATIA users work more productively and establish a competitive advantage in the industry.

HP is also setting up exclusive one-on-one meetings to discuss how HP workstations and printers can be the cornerstone of a superior CATIA solution. To take maximum advantage of your time at COE 2005 and also ensure that you can take advantage of this one-on-one opportunity offered by HP, you can schedule a meeting in advance. To do so, just email Aimee Doyne at aimee.doyne@nextmarketing.com

You can also stop by the HP booth to see special demonstrations of leading HP technology products. This year, HP will feature the HP c8000 Workstation, its industry-leading UNIX workstation, the HP Tablet PC and the Designjet 4000 series printers. HP will also demonstrate its exclusive productivity-enhancing tools, HP Remote Graphics Software and HP Performance Tuning Framework. These tools make it a snap to work remotely, configure your workstation, simplify driver updates and management and much more.

Please, visit the HP booth and find out why HP and CATIA together create a superior PLM solution.