MTS Systems and Mechanical Dynamics Make Agreement
2 December 1998
MTS Systems and Mechanical Dynamics Agree to Integrate Physical Testing and System Simulation in New Test Solution
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., and ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 1 --
MTS Systems Corporation and Mechanical Dynamics, Inc.
today announced a joint development agreement to integrate
physical test equipment and system simulation software in a new virtual test
solution aimed at dramatically reducing product development time and cost.
MTS Systems and Mechanical Dynamics, both worldwide leaders in their
respective industries, will be the first companies to link physical test
systems with virtual prototyping software.
The two companies have agreed to jointly develop software tools for
virtual test machines, in which the real-world performance of product designs,
such as automotive and aerospace systems, can be simulated, tested, and
refined earlier in the design process than ever before. The new tools will
complement and enhance the process of physical testing, with significant
implications for the product development process as a whole.
Dr. Sidney W. Emery, MTS Systems' president and chief executive officer,
said, "Tying together the work of test lab and design engineering
organizations previously separated by differing methods, processes, and
cultures will optimize product design and validation processes to provide
higher-quality, better-performing products while reducing development costs
and accelerating time-to-market cycles."
Dr. Robert R. Ryan, president and chief operating officer of Mechanical
Dynamics, said, "We're looking forward to a long-term partnership with MTS
Systems, resulting in the creation of virtual test modules that combine the
power of our ADAMS virtual prototyping software with MTS' testing equipment
and automotive test track simulations. As a result, test engineers will be
able to significantly reduce test set-up time and then evaluate -- virtually
and physically -- an unprecedented number of design permutations in less
time than ever before."
Two new software products will be developed through the agreement:
MTS/Test, targeted to test engineers, and MTS/Simulation for designers and
analysts. MTS/Test, to be marketed by MTS Systems, will enable test engineers
to link virtual ADAMS models with virtual MTS test rigs, and will complement
MTS' physical test equipment. In a later release, Mechanical Dynamics will
offer MTS/Simulation, which will allow designers and analysts to proactively
design for established physical test criteria. MTS/Test is expected to be
available in the third quarter of 1999; MTS/Simulation will follow in the
first half of 2000.
"The MTS/Simulation tool will not only expand our specialized automotive
simulation suite, ADAMS/Car," Ryan said, "but we believe it will also provide
significant value to aircraft and aerospace manufacturers, who must perform
extensive physical testing in their product development process."
MTS' Emery added that "the success and growth of testing and validation in
virtual environments will directly fuel demand for continued refinements in
physical test technology, new classes of test equipment, and ever-improving
physical test methodologies that reduce development costs and speed time-to-
market."
MTS Systems Corp., with annual revenues of approximately $325 million and
2,200 employees in more than 25 countries worldwide, manufactures computer-
based testing and simulation systems used to determine the mechanical behavior
and performance of materials, products, and structures. MTS also develops and
markets measurement and control instrumentation products for automating
manufacturing processes. MTS customers include the world's industrial
companies, as well as government and university laboratories.
Mechanical Dynamics pioneered the field of mechanical system simulation
and has remained focused on the expansion of this technology since its
founding in 1977. Engineering teams in nearly every manufacturing industry
use the company's ADAMS software to build and test virtual prototypes,
realistically simulating the full-motion behavior of complex mechanical system
designs. Mechanical Dynamics offers stand-alone ADAMS software as well as
fully embedded ADAMS capabilities for use in the leading computer-aided design
and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software environments.
Note: Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made
under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ.
Certain factors that may cause such results to differ are identified on page
27 of the MTS 1997 Annual Report to Shareholders, and in "Risk Factors" of the
Mechanical Dynamics' prospectus dated May 14, 1996.
Additional information on MTS and Mechanical Dynamics can be found on the
World Wide Web at http://www.mts.com and http://www.adams.com respectively.
ADAMS and the Mechanical Dynamics logo are registered trademarks of
Mechanical Dynamics, Inc. All other company, brand, or product names are or
may be trademarks of their respective holders.