Southern California Edison Chooses Autodesk Utility Solution for Engineering, Planning and Design Workflows

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. today announced it will be providing Southern California Edison (SCE), California's largest electric utility, with a common set of design management applications for the utility's more than 1,000 designers, engineers and planners who oversee the utility's distribution, transmission and substation assets within SCE's Transmission & Distribution Business Unit (TDBU).

SCE chose the Autodesk applications following a rigorous Request for Proposal and product demonstration process. Over 50 SCE planners, designers, and engineers from Distribution, Transmission, and Substations exercised the applications and found the tools to be user friendly and intuitive.

"SCE selected Autodesk based on the product's ease of use and ability to automatically perform engineering calculations, order material, and size equipment," said Walt Johnston, SCE's vice president of power delivery.

The Autodesk software solution, which includes Autodesk Utility Design software, subscription and professional services, will streamline workflows where engineering and construction standards are linked to the design process. The Autodesk applications will help SCE meet the demands of future growth, and help expand and strengthen its electric system infrastructure to serve all of its customers.

"Smart design is fundamental for utilities to increase efficiency and manage costs," said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial. "Many utility companies use Autodesk solutions to streamline their engineering and planning in order to address the challenges they face unique to their industry, including aging infrastructure and workforce. We designed Autodesk utility solutions to help firms like Southern California Edison manage their physical assets effectively, starting with design through asset management and operations."

Built-In Intelligence Enhances Productivity

The Autodesk rules-based design software allows customers to configure it according to the utility's unique design and construction standards, ensuring accuracy and consistency across design, engineering, estimating and automated material ordering workflows. Since the system is AutoCad-based, customers can leverage the expertise of the large pool of AutoCAD-trained designers in the utilities field, reducing the learning curve for new employees and mitigating the impact of experienced worker retirements.

Using the system's pre-defined standards, SCE planners can perform engineering calculations such as voltage drop and pulling tension. Planners can seamlessly exchange data with other corporate systems, including SAP, in order to automatically generate construction work orders that include layouts, engineering data, bill of materials, design scenarios and estimated costs.

About Southern California Edison

Southern California Edison, an Edison International company, is the largest electric utility in California. SCE serves a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com/.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

(C) 2007 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO) Contact: Brett Smith (415) 547-2405 Email: brett.smith@autodesk.com Toni Cole (503) 471-6841 toni.cole@edelman.com