AREVA Chooses PLM Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systèmes for Development of its Industrial Equipment

AREVA selects CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM

Paris, France – October 13, 2004 – IBM and Dassault Systèmes (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) announced today that AREVA, through Framatome ANP, its joint subsidiary with Siemens, has selected their Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Solutions for all of its units, in France and abroad.

With its digital model modules, CATIA V5 can be used to design every step in the development and lifecycle of a nuclear facility, from design, manufacturing, assembly, maintenance and upgrading, right through to decommissioning.

SMARTEAM ensures information consistency and traceability in a context of integrated engineering business lines and extended collaborative work, involving multiple users, such as designers, manufacturers, subcontractors, safety authorities, and customers; multiple sites, such as France, Germany, and the United States; and multiple views, such as differentiated access to digital model data according to each person’s accreditations.

The Framatome ANP plant in Chalon St Marcel, specializing in the manufacturing of nuclear equipment — including steam generators and reactor vessel heads — was chosen as the pilot site in 2002.

“After two years of operation, IBM and Dassault Systèmes’ PLM solutions have demonstrated their ability to meet the industrial expectations of our production site,” said Leon Dunand-Roux, the plant’s technical manager.

For the company, the implementation of this PLM strategy will be an essential contribution to the design of its current and future products.

“Over the last two years, Framatome ANP has carried out a pilot project that proved the business benefit of IBM's PLM Solutions,” said Hervé Rolland, vice president and sales director of IBM Product Lifecycle Management. “These solutions are powerful enough to handle complex product development and to reduce costs through optimized product development and manufacturing operations.”

“Reuse of the digital model, end-to-end coverage of development processes, and collaborative workspaces that connect development teams and suppliers – these are just some of the advantages that CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM will bring to Framatome ANP,” adds Denis Senpéré, vice president, PLM Europe, Dassault Systèmes. “The end result will be increased product innovation, shorter development cycles, reduced costs, and greater competitiveness.”

As part of the contract, the implementation, training, and consulting services were entrusted to an IBM subsidiary, MDTVision.

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