Toyota Selects SDRC's Metaphase Enterprise PDM Solution

24 February 1999

Toyota Selects SDRC's Metaphase Enterprise PDM Solution

    CINCINNATI--Feb. 23, 1999--SDRC , a leading provider of enterprise product development solutions worldwide, today announced that it has reached an agreement in principle on a global pricing arrangement with Toyota Motor Corporation in which Toyota intends to implement SDRC's market-leading Metaphase(R) Enterprise(TM) product data management (PDM) software. The agreement calls for the software to be deployed over several years as part of Toyota's electronic document interchange system. The value of this agreement is expected to exceed $15 million.
    Toyota, the world's third-largest vehicle manufacturer, will use Metaphase to share product definition data globally, speeding product development time and improving product quality. Toyota's initial order for Metaphase software was placed through Information Services International-Dentsu (ISI-D), Ltd., SDRC's authorized distributor in the Asia-Pacific region.
    "Toyota is always implementing proven production ready technologies to improve our efficiencies and shorten the time to market," said Toshihisa Sasano, general manager of Information Systems Development, Department 1. "Metaphase is a `bridging' system to integrate our various application systems and improve our vehicle development process. By sharing information in a virtual development environment, we will reduce our development cycle time while maintaining or improving our world's best vehicle quality standards."
    Based on a successful six-month pilot linking Metaphase to proprietary Toyota computer-aided design (CAD), bill-of-materials, and requirements/specifications applications, Toyota will now expand and deploy Metaphase for its main electronic data interchange (EDI) system. Metaphase Enterprise is a key technology in Toyota's enterprise vision for the 21st century, leveraging one tightly linked, cross-functional product development system.
    "Toyota is aggressively pursuing reduced vehicle development time and increased responsiveness to consumer trends," said Robert Nierman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of SDRC. "Their selection of Metaphase to achieve these goals further extends our progress toward becoming the PDM standard for the automobile industry."
    Established in 1937 and based in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation is the world's third largest vehicle manufacturer ranging from small automobiles and trucks to the luxurious "Lexus" vehicles.
    SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation) is one of the world's leading providers of enterprise product development solutions with its suite of mechanical design automation software and product data management software. The Company's products, coupled with value added services, help manufacturers optimize product development early in the design process, enabling them to reduce cost and cycle time while significantly improving quality and time to market. SDRC provides the award-winning I-DEAS(TM) product suite of integrated CAD/CAM/CAE software, and the market-leading PDM software, Metaphase Enterprise, which is developed, marketed and supported by SDRC's Metaphase Technology Division. SDRC employs more than 2,400 people worldwide, with 75 offices in 17 countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.

http://www.toyota.com http://www.metaphasetech.com/ http://www.sdrc.com/

Note to Editors: SDRC and Metaphase are registered trademarks and I-DEAS and Metaphase Enterprise are trademarks of Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. All other trademarks belong to their respective holders.