Dassault Systèmes, Walter Wilhelm Associates Partner to Deliver Industry-Specific PLM Solutions to Global Footwear and Apparel Companies

Apparel Industry Technology Leader ENOVIA MatrixOne and Industry Expert Walter Wilhelm Provide Single Source for “Innovation to Rack,” Reducing Costs and Speeding Time to Market




WESTFORD, Mass. USA, March 20, 2007 - Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) today announced a partnership between its ENOVIA MatrixOne brand and Walter Wilhelm Associates, the leading process technology consulting firm in the apparel and footwear industries. The two companies will work together to provide customers with PLM solutions that reduce costs and time to market by streamlining front-end product development processes.

This partnership teams two significant players in apparel technology and consulting. ENOVIA MatrixOne’s Accelerator for Apparel Design & Development™ is used widely to coordinate design, procurement and suppliers; standardize development procedures; and integrate product data, workflows and business processes into a cohesive information infrastructure. Walter Wilhelm provides decades of deep experience in apparel industry processes and technology. The firm specializes in helping companies reduce their product development time by synchronizing key design and merchandising processes. These complimentary strengths are already helping joint ENOVIA MatrixOne-Walter Wilhelm customers boost profitability through agile, responsive product development processes supported by PLM solutions tailored to their specific needs.

“Our previous engagements with ENOVIA MatrixOne have delivered excellent results for our clients,” said Derek Jones, managing director of WWA. “Formalizing our relationship enables us to provide the same gains in efficiency and profitability, but through unified efforts that make the process easier on our clients.”

Between them, ENOVIA MatrixOne and Walter Wilhelm count among their customers some of the biggest names in apparel and footwear, including Quiksilver, Guess? Inc., and Jerry Leigh. The two companies expect to grow their footprint in the apparel industry by expanding the services they can offer customers.

“When it comes to apparel industry processes and technology, Walter Wilhelm Associates has seen everything and done most of it,” said Mike Segal, senior vice president of sales, services and operations for ENOVIA Matrix One. “Their knowledge and experience touches every facet of front-end product development and dramatically extends our in-house knowledge. Between our technology leadership and their industry expertise, we offer apparel and footwear companies the industry’s best resource for improving profitability through more efficient front-end development processes.”