Latecoere Prepares For Take-Off As Knowledge-Based Organization With KTI.

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1998--

Knowledge Technologies International (KTI) Signs Second Major Agreement In As Many Weeks With French Airplane-Component Supplier

Knowledge Technologies International (KTI), first launched on June 11th, today announced the latest order for its software, the ICAD(R) System (ICAD), from French airplane component supplier Latecoere. This sets Latecoere on course to become a Knowledge Based Organization (KBO), in common with leading airplane suppliers Airbus and Boeing.

Under the terms of the deal, KTI will supply Latecoere with its KBO-enabling software, as well as support and consulting services for generating applications to automate the definition of plane-structure components. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.

Latecoere reported that it had decided to purchase KTI's software technology because it has become the benchmark across the aerospace industry, as well as to better align its technology with that of its key customers, notably Aerospatiale and Airbus Industrie. Several members of the Airbus European consortium have recently achieved significant successes thanks to KTI technologies.

Initially implemented three months ago at Latecoere, KTI's ICAD system already allows Latecoere to automate and optimize the sizing of plane cells such as panels, warps and frames. This will allow Latecoere to appreciably reduce design times and costs. Additionally, other significant benefits are expected in the area of component weight reduction.

Latecoere deputy design manager Bernard Guiomar explained, "In every modern plane family there are size variations. Each size variation requires millions of repetitive calculations, each one requiring specialist expert knowledge. We have now automated this with ICAD. An example is fuselage panels and stringers, where we can save hundreds of man-hours on every iteration, thanks to ICAD."

KTI CEO Garreth Evans said, "This latest deal shows that our technology is beginning to enjoy the benefits of the `domino effect'. It has been proven at the OEM level, and has now become essential technology for subcontracting companies throughout the supply chain. It is the only KBO-enabling technology that has a proven return on investment, and that fact is becoming common knowledge, particularly within the aerospace and automotive markets. I salute the visionary managers and engineers of Latecoere." About The ICAD(R) System

KTI's ICAD is an advanced KBO software tool that enables an organization to harness geometric definitions along with the knowledge base of its experts; product rules; performance data; legislative and safety codes; and design and manufacturing best-practices. It automates product development from concept to production. ICAD's KBO technology has been proven in countless design-automation applications for world-leading companies in automotive, aerospace and manufacturing industries. It fills the unautomated void of concept design and regularly provides productivity gains in excess of 50% and returns on investment of over 100%. About KTI

KTI is the leading provider of engineering software solutions empowering the Knowledge-Based Organization (KBO). Using KTI's software, market-leading companies in the aerospace, automotive and manufacturing industries are creating customer-driven product designs the right way first time, every time. Registered in Luxembourg, the company operates from offices across the United States, Europe and Asia. KTI's world-wide client base includes Airbus Industrie, AP Parts, Benetton Formula 1, Boeing, British Aerospace, Daelim, Delphi, Fiat, Ford, GM, IPTN, Jaguar Cars, Lotus Cars, Pratt & Whitney, Ricardo, Shorts, Sikorsky, Tata, Trico, and many others. For more details see: www.KTIworld.com. KTI initiated and is prime sponsor of the annual KBO Conference, the second of which was held in San Diego on May 11-13th of this year. Sponsors included Sun, Hewlett-Packard, Silicon Graphics and Dana Commercial Credit. For details on this and next year's Conferences, see www.kboworld.com. About Latecoere

Latecoere, a French company with headquarters in Toulouse, designs and manufactures airframe subassemblies and electronic equipment. Latecoere also designs and manufactures structural sub-assemblies for satellites, onboard, and on-ground equipment for the space industry. Finally, Latecoere designs and manufactures electrical wiring systems, training and medical research centrifuges and electronic vision equipment. Their customers include Aerospatiale, Dassault Aviation, Hispano Suiza, Rohr, Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, CNES, Alcatel Espace, Matra-Espace, SEP and BAE.