CONCORD, Mass., Nov. 15, 2006 – SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT), a breakthrough capability that puts expert-level 3D CAD techniques in the hands of every user, has been named a winner in IndustryWeek magazine’s 14th annual Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing Awards Program. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in technology.

The editors of the leading manufacturing management magazine have selected SolidWorks Corporation’s SWIFT™ software tools as one of only five Technologies of the Year for 2006. A complete list of the winners and profiles of each winning technology area will be featured in IndustryWeek ’s December 2006 issue and at www.industryweek.com.

SWIFT is the latest SolidWorks Corporation breakthrough aimed at helping teams design better products. SWIFT technology delivers exponential increases in design efficiency while simplifying use of CAD software. For example, 3D CAD applications have traditionally forced design teams to consume precious time determining the order in which they create part features. SWIFT changes all that, automatically creating new features in the proper order as the designer intended. This allows designers to spend more time on the task at hand – designing great products. Other SWIFT tools in SolidWorks 2007 include expert tools for sketching and mating.

“SWIFT technology exemplifies what we look for in a Technology of the Year winner,” said David Blanchard, IndustryWeek editor-in-chief. “It shows great potential for creating new growth in the manufacturing world and expanding business opportunities for SolidWorks and its partners.”

To select the winners, IndustryWeek editors solicit reader nominations for a judging process designed to recognize outstanding achievement in technology, explains Blanchard. To be eligible, candidate technologies must relate in a significant way to accomplishments and achievements in the current year.

Winners of IndustryWeek's Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing Awards span the entire range of science and engineering. Represented among the winners are software and hardware solutions for manufacturing, new computer-aided systems for management decision making, R&D developments with the potential for creating new industries, and commercial products that represent bellwethers for fundamental change.

“This award affirms what SolidWorks customers have been experiencing first hand, that SWIFT is making a big difference in the way users work and their ability to design better products,” said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks Corporation’s vice president of worldwide marketing. “This is just the beginning. SWIFT will grow within and throughout our entire product line. We have a lot of plans for SWIFT in years to come.”

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