CATIA Version 5 Release 3 ready for Windows 2000.

Business/Technology Editors

CATIA Operators Exchange

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. and PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ: DASTY) and IBM(a) announced today the readiness of CATIA Solutions Version 5 Release 3(b) (V5R3) for Microsoft Windows 2000(c) operating platform. This confirms the strong commitment of Dassault Systemes and IBM to provide customers with the world's leading CAD/CAM/CAE Solutions for the digital enterprise on Microsoft Windows platforms. Furthermore, it provides new opportunities for users to leverage Internet technologies and increase their business collaboration.

In November 1999, CATIA V5R3 became generally available running natively on Windows NT(c) and UNIX(d). Today, IBM and Dassault Systemes deliver the new CATIA V5R3 Service Pack 5, which takes full advantage of all the features incorporated in Windows 2000.

CATIA V5R3 users will benefit from the robustness and security of Windows 2000, and from its new functions. Included among these are additional new peripherals, which enhance the intuitiveness of CATIA Solutions on Windows platforms, and the multiple monitor function, which provides scalability so that engineers can collaborate more closely when working on digital mockup visualizations. The unique user interface of CATIA Version 5, plus the ease-of-use and the inventive technologies accessible in Windows 2000, mean designers and engineers can achieve much higher levels of productivity.

Today's announcement was made at COE, the CATIA user group forum attended by more than 1,500 customers from the Americas. Steve Ballmer, president and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation was the COE keynote speaker. His attendance confirmed that these leading companies, in their respective fields, share the same vision and strategic goal: making the digital enterprise a today's reality for the users. Ballmer also reconfirmed the commitment of Dassault Systemes and Microsoft to the success of CATIA V5 on the Windows platform.

"Bringing CATIA Solutions to Windows 2000 is the next natural step in our strategy," said Bruno Latchague, executive-vice president, research and development, Dassault Systemes. "Now CATIA users can take advantage of the benefits of Windows 2000, and reinforce their use of CATIA manufacturing solutions in the Microsoft environment."

Cosme de Moucheron, IBM Engineering Solutions vice president of marketing, said "IBM and our Business Partners are committed to serving small, medium and large manufacturing customers with the highest level of CAD/CAM/CAE service and support regardless of their operating platform. We help many customers implement mixed-platform CATIA environments of every size and every mix of components, for example, enterprise servers, workstations and PCs working together in one system."

Rebecca Kaske, Microsoft Corporation, Director of Manufacturing, added: "CATIA V5R3 and Windows 2000 is a great combination for CATIA users. Now they can be assured of excellent integration with their other desktop and business applications. Furthermore, Windows 2000 makes it simple for customers to deploy and manage Internet-based engineering applications and services."

Dassault Systemes S.A. is the premier global software developer for the CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM II market, providing companies with e-business solutions to implement their digital enterprise, thus creating and simulating the entire product life cycle from initial concept to product in service. CATIA, ENOVIA and Deneb solutions support industry-specific business processes to help unleash creativity and innovation, reduce development cycle time, improve quality, competitiveness and shareholder value: CATIA supports the digital product definition and simulation, Deneb provides solutions to define and simulate digital manufacturing processes and ENOVIA delivers enterprise solutions that manage a comprehensive, collaborative and distributed model of the digital product, processes and resources. The combined integration creates the Digital Product Life Pipeline, supporting re-use of corporate knowledge. SolidWorks and Smart Solutions, as Dassault Systemes companies, offer respectively 3D design-centric and TeamPDM software solutions based on Windows.

IBM is the leader in creating, developing and manufacturing the world's most advanced e-business technologies, including computer systems, software, networking systems, storage devices and microelectronics. IBM translates these advanced technologies into value for its customers through its professional solutions and services businesses worldwide. IBM is the leader in helping manufacturers gain a competitive advantage by offering them consulting and e-business services and solutions. Customers use IBM solutions for such activities as computer aided design, manufacturing and engineering, product data management, virtual product development and Web based collaboration.

Information about Dassault Systemes is available at http://www.dsweb.com. Information about IBM is available at http://www.ibm.com. Information about CATIA is available at http://www.ibm.com/solutions/engineering.

(a) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corp. (b) CATIA is a registered trademark of Dassault Systemes SA. (c) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. (d) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of other companies or standards organizations