W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG Selects MatrixOne to Speed Product Design and Development; MatrixOne Furthers its Leadership in the Automotive Industry

    WESTFORD, Mass.--Oct. 30, 2001--MatrixOne, Inc. , a leading provider of product collaboration solutions for the value chain(TM), today announced that Germany's W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG, a leading manufacturer of seat heating systems and conductive components for the automotive industry, has chosen MatrixOne to supply product collaboration solutions that will allow global product collaboration between W.E.T.'s subsidiaries in Germany, Canada, USA, Mexico, Hungary and Malta. MatrixOne's eMatrix(TM) and Value Chain Portfolio(TM) will enable W.E.T. to accelerate more innovative products to market, providing global access to product and project information, and will allow for common processes for all of W.E.T.'s global subsidiaries and their suppliers.
    This is another significant win in the automotive industry for MatrixOne and strengthens its position as the leading product collaboration vendor to the automotive industry. W.E.T. is a partner to tier one automotive suppliers and nearly all worldwide automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
    MatrixOne's eMatrix product collaboration platform, an open, scalable, secure framework for deploying, integrating and developing product collaboration solutions across the value chain, will enable W.E.T. to improve processes in its geographically distributed company, enabling its subsidiaries in various countries to become fully functional businesses capable of performing customer specific product developments with local partners. The sharing of information and processes through eMatrix will ensure adherence to W.E.T.'s product and process standards through common product structures, revision and change management processes, and it will also support W.E.T.'s quality standards.
    By providing unified product information and processes for all of the company's subsidiaries, W.E.T. will also be able to integrate partners and suppliers into their systems and guarantee the implementation of quality-assurance processes and guidelines. W.E.T. will reduce time for document searches and shorten storage times with consequent reduction of overall development cycles. In the first project phase eMatrix will be implemented in the company's customer centers in Odelzhausen, Germany and Windsor, Canada with a phased rollout to W.E.T.'s global subsidiaries.
    "To anticipate future challenges in the global automotive supplier market, W.E.T. Automotive is proactively adjusting the corporate structure, and making no compromises on improving quality and productivity," said Dr.-Ing. Robert Sto(beta)er, director of business integration for W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG. "The ongoing global industrial networking - both of our customers and our suppliers - demands that the company maintains a presence at an international level. We are meeting this demand by instituting new ways for our employees to collaborate with our customers, suppliers and partners. By globally managing our product development processes with eMatrix we will be able to substantially improve product quality and consequently enhance time-to-market."
    "W.E.T. Automotive is in a continual process of improving products as they adapt to market conditions, and using eMatrix will enable them to drive improved efficiency, speed, and innovation to the way they bring products to market," said Hans Ruigrok, global vice president of sales for MatrixOne. "MatrixOne is the leader in partnering with top automotive companies in the world to reduce costs, compete globally, shrink time-to-market cycles, and deliver customer-specific vehicles. MatrixOne accomplishes this by enabling companies to solve business problems across an automotive product's lifecycle - concept, design, development, sourcing, and delivery."

    About MatrixOne

    MatrixOne, Inc. is changing the way the world brings products to market(TM). The Company's eMatrix(TM) product collaboration platform and out-of-the-box Value Chain Portfolio(TM) applications enable online collaboration across global value chains and secure access to independent trading communities in private and public marketplaces. A trusted partner to innovative companies, MatrixOne helps customers accelerate the right products to market. MatrixOne's more than 575 global customers represent the aerospace/defense, apparel, automotive, consumer packaged goods, general machinery, high-technology, and medical equipment industries, including GE, Procter & Gamble, Nokia, Siemens, JDS Uniphase, and Honda. Headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, MatrixOne (www.matrixone.com) also maintains offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, with additional distributors in Latin America and Australia.

    MatrixOne and Adaplet are registered trademarks, and eMatrix, Changing the Way the World Brings Products to Market, Leading Provider of Product Collaboration for the Value Chain, and Value Chain Portfolio are trademarks of MatrixOne, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

    Forward-looking statements in this release are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such statements may relate, among other things, to our plans, objectives and expected financial and operating results. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty assimilating future acquisitions, difficulty managing rapid growth, and increased competition. For a more about the risks and uncertainties of our business, see our periodic and other S.E.C. filings.