Vendor Spotlight:

PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN EXTENDS USAGE OF MSC.Nastran

MSC.Software Corp., a leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) products including simulation software and services, announced that the second largest European car maker, France-based PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN, has extended the exclusive usage of MSC.Nastran for all its linear structural simulations and will purchase the new MSC.Nastran Implicit Nonlinear solution (Sol 600).

"In today's competitive automotive industry, the major OEMs are working hard to meet and exceed customer demand for performance and reliability and that requires increasing investments in virtual product development technologies and techniques," said Frank Perna, chairman and CEO, MSC.Software. "Within VPD, the simulation of structural stress and deformation is the cornerstone of the testing process and MSC.Nastran is the best product on the market for performing these types of simulations easily and effectively. The best way for automotive companies to develop new cars and make money in the process is to decrease costly physical testing and increase the use of simulation technology like MSC.Nastran."

In the past, engineers performing simulations of structures that involve contact, large displacement or material nonlinearity had to work with programs outside of MSC.Nastran to solve nonlinear problems. This creates an inefficient engineering process that requires manual reworking and conversion of a model into another format suitable for nonlinear simulation. By integrating the MSC.Marc nonlinear technology into MSC.Nastran, engineers can now run nonlinear simulations without leaving the MSC.Nastran environment. Simulating models containing 3D contact or deformable-deformable and rigid- deformable structures with basic nonlinear materials using MSC.Nastran inputs and outputs increases engineering efficiency by using a single model format and eliminating time and cost-intensive model recreation.

In addition to the functionality of MSC.Nastran and Sol 600, the increasing number of MSC.Software solutions embedded in or interfaced with other PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN software suppliers, including Dassault Systemes CATIA, are also of interest to PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN.

About MSC.Nastran

MSC.Nastran is the simulation solution of choice in virtually every industry, including automotive, aerospace, medical, heavy machinery, electronic devices, and consumer products. Engineers around the globe rely on its powerful tools to simulate the performance of products and structures.

MSC.Nastran's capabilities include:

• Linear and nonlinear static analysis
• Linear and nonlinear dynamic transient response
• Steady state and transient thermal analysis
• Linear and nonlinear buckling
• Acoustic Analysis
• Aeroelasticity
• Design Optimization

For more information on MSC.Nastran and other MSC.Software products, please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com/products/.

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software is the leading global provider of simulation software, with related services, that helps companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software, services and systems. MSC.Software employs more than 1400 people in 22 countries. For additional information about MSC.Software's products and services, please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com.