Coventry, UK. 14 January, 2011. – ACT, a member of the UK-based Envisage Group which provides turnkey product design and manufacturing services and software solutions to manufacturing companies globally, has announced that Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D PLM (product lifecycle management) software solutions, has appointed it the exclusive value-added reseller in Northern Europe and English-speaking Africa of the CATIA ICEM Shape software solutions portfolio.

 Under the terms of the agreement, ACT will immediately begin selling and providing training and technical support services for the ICEM Surf Class-A surface modelling software suite, as well as the V5 and V6-based CATIA ICEM Shape Design freeform modelling software suites in the UK, Ireland and the Benelux countries as well as South Africa and all other English-speaking African states. It is expected that, in the near future, ACT will also be appointed by Dassault Systèmes to provide expertise in additional territories, such as some of the Mediterranean countries, China and India.

New beginnings

According to Phil Botley, chief operating officer of ACT, the company’s appointment as a strategic business partner of Dassault Systèmes marks an important landmark in the history of the CATIA ICEM Shape software portfolio, which has been the subject of considerable activity by Dassault Systèmes’ software development and marketing teams in the recent past.

 “Our appointment is a reflection of the robust market engagement model that Dassault Systèmes is now adopting for its ICEM Surf and CATIA ICEM brand 3D modelling software, globally,” stated Botley. “With our close ties to their software development team and our own in-depth knowledge of the CATIA ICEM Shape software portfolio and its market, garnered over many years, we are positioned to deliver best-in-class software and services to the ICEM brand software user community in the automotive vehicles and other transportation equipment manufacturing industries around the world”, he said.

World-class facilities

With new $7 million offices in the heartland of the UK’s automotive and associated manufacturing industry providing ACT customers with dedicated training rooms as well as advanced digital design review facilities, including a 7 metre Powerwall for virtual reality-based reviews, the company is currently engaged in an ambitious expansion programme. This will see new offices opening in other parts of the world during the course of this year.

 Steve Cobert, director, Geodigm, which provides Class-A and concept design and modelling services to the automotive industry, stated, “With this appointment, Dassault Systèmes has confirmed its commitment to the ICEM Surf software portfolio, which is still regarded as the best-in-class surface modelling tool on the market. An increasing user base means that a dedicated value-added reseller and customer support organisation is an important development. So I’m looking forward to the forthcoming release of the latest version of the software, as it will enable us to deliver the high quality surface models that our customers need in an even more timely and efficient manner.”

About ICEM Surf

Part of the Dassault Systèmes CATIA family of 3D product design, engineering, manufacturing and lifecycle management software products, ICEM Surf has been the leading Class-A surface modelling, surface quality analysis and surfaces visualisation software suite for the past 20 years. ICEM Surf has become a de-facto industry-standard automotive Class-A surfacing software tool. In the final stages of a vehicle or other product design, ICEM Surf is used to clarify and to fully resolve the customer-visible surfaces of a product before tool and die fabrication starts. Designers can also use ICEM Surf to create extremely accurate 3D design visualisations through static and dynamic renderings as well as 3D virtual reality views using stereo mode.

About ACT

Based in Coventry in the UK, ACT is a member of a consortium of companies owned by Envisage Group Limited. Envisage provides turnkey design, engineering and manufacturing services and software solutions to manufacturing companies globally. As part of the Group, ACT specialises in providing advanced 3D product design software solutions, software consulting and customer training and software support services to automotive vehicle and other transportation equipment OEMs and their supply chains.

ENDS

 Editors: for further information contact:

Phil Botley, Tel: +44 (0)7808 766824, e-mail: Email Contact

or

Neil McLeod, Tel: +44 (0)1666 504293, e-mail: Email Contact