SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design and engineering software, announced that the Autodesk Plant Solutions global network has expanded to more than 50 partners worldwide, including Hagerman & Company, one of the largest Autodesk VARs in the United States. In three years, the Autodesk Plant Solutions group has identified and signed agreements with existing and new partners in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The program is comprised of partners that have demonstrated an ability to master Autodesk solutions for plant design and engineering and have developed effective business plans for selling those solutions to the plant design and engineering community.

"As part of our growth strategy, we are continually looking at new product and service offerings for CAD customers, and Autodesk Plant Solutions is a good fit for us," said Dennis A. Hagerman, president and CEO of Hagerman & Company, Inc. "New offerings are even more important during a recession when existing revenue streams are under pressure. New products such as AutoCAD P&ID now and AutoCAD Plant 3D in the future, and the services we offer to support these products, can help to fill the gap."

From Success with AutoCAD P&ID to the Future with AutoCAD Plant 3D

Beginning with the AutoCAD P&ID software release in 2006, Autodesk Plant Solutions has helped to extensively prepare its selected partners by providing product training, market analysis, go-to-market planning, and marketing materials.

"Our partners can provide excellent local service and technical expertise to their plant design and engineering customers," said Abel Smit, senior director, sales & business development, Plant Solutions, AEC, Autodesk. "The worldwide success of AutoCAD P&ID, and potentially of the upcoming AutoCAD Plant 3D, software solutions is in part due to our partners' commitment to customers and investment in Autodesk Plant Solutions."

Partners Deliver Value to Autodesk Plant Solutions and Plant Industry Customers

Autodesk Plant Solutions Partners can be trusted sources of local support for technology specific to the plant design and engineering industry. They adopt best practices in customer service and support and offer their insights into customers' business needs and use of technology, which helps identify promising areas for product research and development.

"We started CADTEAM to focus exclusively on Autodesk Plant Solutions," said Aries Krahmer, director and owner of CADTEAM, a dedicated Autodesk Plant Solutions VAR in Northern Europe. "We've worked very closely with the Autodesk Plant Solutions group from the beginning: our technical team, with its extensive experience in the process, electrical, instrumentation, and mechanical plant industry, worked with Autodesk's product development team to improve AutoCAD P&ID, and we wrote the AutoCAD P&ID Autodesk Official Training Courseware. Our customers, who are owners, operators, or technical advisors in the Plant arena such as Sonneborn, a global leader in the refining and manufacture of high-purity specialty hydrocarbons, choose to work with us because we understand their engineering and business issues. Our expertise in Plant and partnership with Autodesk Plant Solutions gives our customers the opportunity to test and influence products in development and immediate access to the plant-specific solutions they need."

"There is a large installed base of AutoCAD software users in the plant industry, so when Autodesk told us of their plans for Plant Solutions and released AutoCAD P&ID, our plant customers, large and small, were excited about the news," said Allan Murphy, director of Aceri Distribution, the first Autodesk Plant Solutions Partner and current Value Added Distributor (VAD) for Northern Europe. "By being an Autodesk Plant Solutions Partner, we together with the Reseller Channel were able to engage with customers such as GEA Process Technologies to discuss their specific business requirements, which were to increase overall productivity; allow larger teams to work on single projects; centrally share project information and data; enable faster project cycles; and deliver more information to their customers. As a Plant partner, we were able to present AutoCAD P&ID, AutoCAD Electrical software, and Autodesk Navisworks Manage software, which together addressed these requirements in full and all from a single supplier. Our customers know that Autodesk, Aceri and the reseller channel are committed to Plant and understand their needs."

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and engineering, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD and Navisworks are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

(C) 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Contact:     Brett Smith, Autodesk, (415) 547-2405
    Email:       brett.smith@autodesk.com

    Contact:     Carey Godbee, B3 Communications, (760) 758-4406
    Email:       cgodbee@b3communications.com

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