UGS Provides Over 7000 Solid Edge Seats to UK Schools

UGS, a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, and AESSEAL, a global engineering company, have combined to provide an in-kind grant of computer-aided design (CAD) software to schools and colleges in South Yorkshire in a bid to support the development of the next generation of engineers.

The initiative, called “Back To Grass Roots,” currently provides more than 7,000 seats of UGS’ Solid Edge® computer-aided 3D design software to more than 36 schools, colleges and universities from Rotherham, Sheffield and Doncaster. The teachers and pupils also receive free training on how to use the software.

The scheme has been so successful that a number of pupils who have benefited from the software and training have won design awards including Fern Brown, a Year 7 student at Ridgewood, Doncaster, who won the 2004 Regional ICSYS CAD/CAM challenge .

Steve Manley, Ridgewood’s Design and Technology teacher, has driven the use of the CAD software at the school. “Pupils have been enthused by the generation of 3D CAD models of their work. It has also been nice for them to see the link with industry through AESSEAL plc and to experience how design software is used in the creation of their mechanical seals,” said Manley. “We believe the use of Solid Edge and guidance from AESSEAL has played a major part in our success in these awards.”

The “Back to Grass Roots” campaign was inaugurated after AESSEAL plc learned that educational institutions had found it almost impossible to finance and maintain the latest 3D design software. Students and graduates were leaving without the essential skills to enable them to obtain a rewarding career in design and engineering.

Jonathon Woodhead, marketing manager of AESSEAL plc, which employees 250 people at its two sites in Rotherham said, “As an employer of British engineering talent we feel it is important to help nurture young people and encourage them to enter the industry. The Back to Grass Roots initiative is our way of doing this.”

Netta Sjodin, head of UK Marketing at UGS, said, “We felt this project was a great way for UGS to help support the future success of engineering in a part of the UK where historically engineering has been very important for UK industry.”

Solid Edge

Solid Edge from UGS is powerful 3D CAD software that allows manufacturing companies to Design with Insight and achieve competitive advantage through cost reduction, while increasing top line revenues. The exclusive Solid Edge Insight technology embeds design management capabilities directly within CAD, providing insight into design intent to the entire organization and enhancing collaboration. Insight, complemented by Solid Edge's superior core modeling and process workflows, greatly eases the design of increasingly complex products required to meet continually changing market demands. The extensive Solid Edge user community is comprised of designers at thousands of companies worldwide, including Alcoa, NEC Engineering, and Volvo. The Solid Edge Voyager Program includes 200 integrated engineering software applications and computer hardware solutions.

About UGS

UGS is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with nearly 4 million licensed seats and 42,000 clients worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company promotes openness and standardization and works collaboratively with its clients in creating enterprise solutions enabling them to transform their process of innovation and thus begin to capture the value of PLM.

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