Viking Range Chooses PDM Solution From IBM, Dassault Systemes and RAND
 

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2006--IBM, Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ:DASTY - News; PARIS:DSY - News), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and RAND North America, a joint venture of Dassault Systemes and RAND Worldwide® (TSX:RND - News), announced today that Viking Range Corporation, a manufacturer of ultra-premium professional kitchen appliances for the home based in Greenwood, Mississippi, has chosen to deploy their ENOVIA SmarTeam solution to streamline their product design and data management processes, thus improving enterprise wide collaboration with their various locations and accelerating time-to-market.

To extend their already impressive market position, Viking worked with RAND North America's PLM experts to benchmark the productivity gains that a full PLM solution could provide. The result of that benchmarking exercise was a long-term PLM implementation plan. The first step in that plan was the choice of ENOVIA SmarTeam, a leading 3D product data management software developed by Dassault Systemes and belonging to the IBM portfolio of PLM solutions, as well as training, best practice development and implementation services by RAND North America. ENOVIA SmarTeam will help Viking share engineering data across the enterprise and further reduce time to market.

"We've created a market leading company with a variety of practices and solutions," said Brian Waldrop, CFO, Viking Range Corporation. "Now it is time to take it to the next level with a synchronized, single platform for streamlined product development."

"The key here was V5, Dassault Systemes' industry-leading architecture. The incumbent solution at Viking was built on an older architecture that meant difficulties with administration and customization," said Brian Semkiw, CEO, RAND North America. "Not only will V5 allow better integration with their existing business systems, but with ENOVIA SmarTeam, Viking will more easily collaborate between their various locations, laying the groundwork for additional steps in their PLM implementation."

Upon initial examination of several competitive solutions, Viking found V5's newer architecture and longer-range benefits very compelling. The ability to modify, adjust and administrate the software in-house, without requiring a specialized resource, was a key differentiator. A sophisticated design process and complex product lines, such as Viking produces, generate enormous quantities of design, engineering and other types of data from a variety of business applications. ENOVIA SmarTeam's ability to manage design and engineering data of various types was a compelling reason behind Viking's decision.

"Viking takes a long-term strategic view in these situations. We looked at RAND North America and DS, at their longevity, vision and success in the market, and knew they were the solution we needed," said Viking's Waldrop.

"When it comes to the professional kitchen appliance market, Viking is a great reference account to have," added Mr. Semkiw. "This is an important win for us."

About Viking Range Corporation

Viking is a privately held company which manufactures and markets the industry's finest professional kitchen appliances for the home. Viking is the originator of the "Professional" segment of major appliances in the USA, introducing the first commercial type range for home use in 1987. The company now offers two distinctive, complete lines of ultra-premium appliances, including cooking, ventilation, kitchen clean-up and refrigeration, as well as outdoor products to extend the Viking Kitchen to the pool or patio. For more information, please visit www.vikingrange.com.