An Important Message from the Editors of COE

Bob Tolleson, may he rest in peace

This notice is for all of the readers who knew Bob Tolleson. Bob passed away suddenly on 23 November 2003 in his sleep leaving his wife Sherri and his two sons Tyler and Clark. 'Big Bob' was one of the 'Beech Boys' who were among the founders of COE. He was known and respected throughout the aerospace industry and by all who knew him. He was known for his expertise and objectivity. Bob was always in a good frame of mind and always had a good word for his fellow person. He was a personal friend of mine … a man who I had come to love over so many years. My deepest sympathies go out to Sherri, Tyler and Clark. Good bye Bob, I will always love you. I pray that Bob’s eternal soul will rest in peace in his rightful place in heaven.

If you would like to have more information about a trust fund that has been set up for Tyler and Clark, please contact me at:

Bill Abramson
863-420-2371
Abramson@attglobal.net

COE Your Way: 2004 Annual Conference & TechniFair

The main event of COE Your Way: 2004 kicks off with the COE Annual Conference & TechniFair on April 25 - 28, 2004 in beautiful Miami Beach, Florida. Registration is now live for this cornerstone annual event. Register before February 28, 2004 to save $300!

The Annual Conference & TechniFair is the premier place for broad-based education and hands-on training in all Dassault Systemes software products that now only takes place once per year. Not only will you have the opportunity to voice your opinion and requests on current and future Dassault Systemes and IBM products but you will be able to get a first look at new products and services in the TechniFair. Along with hearing keynote presentations from top industry experts and key IBM and Dassault Systemes executives, the Annual Conference & TechniFair offers unmatched networking opportunities over four days.

Stay tuned to www.coe.org and the upcoming events page for the latest Annual Conference information including schedules, speaker names, abstracts, and more. www.coe.org is also your place for the information about COE's fall workshop series, this year focusing on Aerospace and Automotive, and COE's eLearning "Ask the Expert" opportunities.

Insta-Poll Results and Next Topic

We want your feedback. Every month we will be asking you a different question on topics concerning your Dassault Systemes software installation, your experiences, or to help us improve COE member benefits. Next month we'll provide the results to our November/December question and introduce a new question.

Results of the October online poll:

Do you plan to attend a COE 2004 Industry Workshop?

COE Membership Renewals Underway

For 20 years, COE has been the premier international, user-run community uniting and supporting users of Dassault Systemes' family of software, including CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, and SMARTEAM. COE provides one-stop access to experience-based design and product best practices, interactive training, and product influence.

COE is celebrating its 20^th anniversary with an exciting new mix of face-to-face events and online learning and advocacy opportunities to make your participation even more valuable. This is COE Your Way 2004!

• the opportunity to learn and share information with more than a thousand CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, and SMARTEAM users, developers, and vendors at the COE 2004 Annual Conference & TechniFair (April 25-28 in Miami Beach)
• discounted registration to COE's 2004 Industry Workshops featuring interactive, low-cost, targeted training (Aerospace, September 27-28 in Wichita, Kansas and Automotive, October 4-5 in Dearborn, Michigan)
• discounted registration for COE's Ask the Expert teleconferences and Web casts.
• free subscription to COE NewsNet, a monthly electronic newsletter filled with informative articles, tips and techniques, and industry outlooks
• direct line to Dassault Systemes and IBM executives and developers through the Development Planning Councils (DPCs) to voice your product development needs – more COE enhancement requests are incorporated into every release – and new for 2004, you will be able to submit enhancement requests online at your convenience at www.coe.org!
• access to a virtual TechniFair, and members-only pages providing online conference proceedings and a shareware library through the COE Web site, www.coe.org
• COE's Installation Data Guide, an annual report of the CATIA installation demographics of member organizations and a helpful tool for your networking and problem solving
• access to COE's online discussion forums where thousands participate in problem solving and idea sharing

Your COE membership will expire as of December 31, 2003.

To ensure that you do not lose the benefits described above, you must act now. Watch your mailbox for a renewal invoice from COE Headquarters, your current installation profile, and a description of COE's membership structure. Please take a few moments to return it with payment and we will renew your membership for 2004. Please return it with full payment by the date on the invoice or your COE membership benefits will be terminated. By renewing your membership, you'll strengthen the user groups' ranks, thereby assuring that COE has even more influence with our suppliers, Dassault Systemes and IBM.

To ensure that you do not lose the benefits described above, you must act now. Watch your mailbox for a renewal invoice from COE Headquarters, your current installation profile, and a description of COE's membership structure. Please take a few moments to return it with payment and we will renew your membership for 2004. Please return it with full payment by the date on the invoice or your COE membership benefits will be terminated. By renewing your membership, you'll strengthen the user groups' ranks, thereby assuring that COE has even more influence with our suppliers, Dassault Systemes and IBM.

COE "Ask the Expert" Teleconference

Mark your calendars to attend the latest COE "Ask the Expert" Teleconference presented by Phil Harrison. Harrison will present CATBench Hardware Evaluation on January 22, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time.

Many factors need to be taken into consideration when selecting workstations for a CATIA Version 5 installation. This presentation will discuss factors such as:

• existing infrastructure
• the need to connect to PDM systems
• the various components and sub-systems that effect workstation performance

Results will be discussed from recent benchmarks. The objective is to enable you to create the best workstation value by selecting system components to build a balanced system.

Phil Harrison is Principal of LionHeart Solutions Inc, a consultancy specializing in the implementation of Dassault Systemes software. He has 13 years of experience with CATIA in the automotive industry including managing the design and tooling department at Standard Motor Products for 10 years. Phil has been working with CATIA Version 5 since December 1997 and has experience with CATIA from Mainframe, UNIX and Intel workstations. He is the author of CATbench, the independent CATIA Version 5 workstation benchmark now in its 5th year of publication.

This "Ask the Expert" Teleconference is open to both COE members for $49 and non-members for $69. To attend, all you need is a telephone! Program material and the 800 number for this teleconference will be provided prior to the program. Registration will be available shortly so visit www.coe.org regularly for the latest information.