AVEVA LAUNCHES XMPLANT INTELLIGENT 3D CAD TRANSLATION.

AVEVA (LSE:AVV), Cambridge, England, the engineering IT solutions and services provider formerly known as Cadcentre, has announced a milestone achievement in the development of the XMpLant intelligent 3D CAD translation solution. Following over three years of research and development, the first major 3D plant model in Intergraph's PDS format has been brought into AVEVA's Plant Design Management System (PDMS) with full intelligence via a predictable and repeatable process. Two leading EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) companies have adopted the technology in pilot projects.

AVEVA's PDMS and Intergraph's PDS have traditionally been the two most popular formats for intelligent 3D design. PDMS has always adopted a purely data-centric approach while PDS is based upon Bentley's Microstation 3D drawing application. The implication for the process and power plant industries has been that valuable legacy data in one format is of little use to an Owner Operator or EPC contractor who wants to work in the other format for future projects.

The XMpLant technology, developed in conjunction with Noumenon Consulting Limited, will allow the translation of 3D PDS models into AVEVA's VANTAGE PDMS environment complete with their intelligent data. It uses neutral and accessible XML language which, according to widespread opinion, holds the future of data access and management. This announcement will be of particular interest to those wishing to invest in AVEVA's integrated engineering approach and its unique Global technology for managed, low-risk, worldwide work distribution using low bandwidth network technology. Additionally, companies with legacy PDS models will continue to realise their value as Intergraph moves towards the data-centric approach.

Bob Aldridge, principal industry consultant commented: "This is a huge milestone for the industry. We have opened a valuable future of lower-cost engineering to a wider customer community. Obviously, no two translations are the same in either content or required result, so we are delighted that we now have control and understanding of what goes in, what comes out and the tracking of all the information on so large a model. A 99% successful audit of the process would not be good enough for our customers."

About AVEVA Group plc

AVEVA Group plc is one of the world's leading engineering IT solutions and services providers to the oil and gas, pulp and paper, power, chemical, pharmaceutical and shipbuilding industries. Formerly known as Cadcentre, the group has a history of groundbreaking innovation that spans five decades. It is one of the world's fastest growing solutions providers and the founder of most of today's empirical lifecycle engineering IT practices.

AVEVA Group plc operates globally through three divisions: AVEVA Consulting, AVEVA Managed Services and AVEVA Engineering IT. A fourth division, AVEVA Solutions, is responsible for product development. The group's technology has been integral to the engineering process of industrial plants with a value in excess of US$500 billion for more than 800 clients across the globe, including leading plant owner/operators and engineering contractors such as 3M, Aker Kvaerner, ALSTOM Power, AMEC, BASF, DSME, DuPont, Engineers India Limited, Electricite de France, Foster Wheeler, Framatome, Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, KBR, Merck, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Petronas Carigali, Samsung Heavy Industries, Shell, Technip and Uhde.

Headquartered in Cambridge, England, AVEVA Group plc and its operating subsidiaries currently employ 350 staff in 25 offices worldwide, maintaining the consistency of their operation across six continents.

About VANTAGE

VANTAGE, the collective name for AVEVA's four-family plant lifecycle product suite, offers proven and versatile solutions for sustainable IT development. Well known for its Plant Design Management System (PDMS), it also addresses data management, project management, engineering design, visualization, third party software integration, procurement and connecting the business enterprise on a common foundation. VANTAGE represents AVEVA's commitment to harnessing the best of technology to answer the needs of good engineering. It is developed upon a proven and evolving technology foundation that has been deployed on major global projects for over 25 years.

About PDMS

VANTAGE Plant Design Management System (PDMS) is a data centric, multi-disciplinary solution for 3D process plant design featuring applications and reference data for every engineering discipline. It differs from the conventional 3D design approach in not requiring a drawing engine, but producing graphics from a single, coherent data model of the entire plant. First launched in 1976, PDMS's architecture was designed to evolve. It has been delivered on many leading operating systems - the current release represents the very latest open database, design and business technology. The system offers compatibility with all previous versions and many other leading industry systems.

For more information, visit http://www.aveva.com or call 713/977-1225.