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Grant County Public Utility District Selects Autodesk Utility Software

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 February 2009, 07:00 CST

Pacific Northwest Utility to Use Autodesk Software to Design and Manage Electric Distribution and Telecommunications Networks

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that Grant County Public Utility District (Grant PUD) has selected integrated Autodesk utility solutions to design and manage the utility's electric distribution and fiber telecommunications networks. Using Autodesk software will help Grant PUD to design their networks more quickly, help reduce operating costs to maintain the networks, and provide the utility with a strong foundation for future growth.

A publicly owned utility in the Pacific Northwest, Grant PUD serves 44,000 retail electric customers, generating over 80% of electricity from hydropower, and nearly 4,400 fiber optic network subscribers. Like many other utilities its size, Grant PUD is experiencing increased workloads due to growth and requirements to refurbish its aging infrastructure, such as installing over 50 miles of feeder rebuild. After a thorough evaluation process, Grant PUD chose Autodesk utility solutions -- including Autodesk Utility Design (AUD) for its design work and Autodesk Topobase software for its infrastructure model management.

"We chose Autodesk because their commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) utility solutions are ideal in helping us meet our long-term business needs," said Tony Webb, Director of Customer Service at Grant County. "We are long time users of Autodesk software -- we started using AutoCAD in 1985 -- and it was a natural progression for us to migrate to Autodesk utility solutions. Our familiarity with AutoCAD, and the fact that many consultants and contractors we work with use Autodesk design software, means we can get up to speed quickly and take advantage of future enhancements more easily. The open, flexible solutions Autodesk provides will also break down information silos and integrate our network database with our existing business systems."

Previously, Grant PUD's design processes relied on a variety of systems that made it difficult to leverage engineering design information across GIS, work management and material ordering systems. With Autodesk software, Grant PUD employees across all departments will be able to access and query an intelligent infrastructure model for information about their network. Once implemented, the new system will help the utility to increase control and interactivity among key operations, including customer service, engineering, right-of-way, warehouse and dispatch. The software will also provide interoperability with Grant PUD's new financial and work order systems.

"Public utilities like Grant PUD have selected our infrastructure modeling solutions because we understand utility design and how to make use of valuable design information across the network lifecycle," said Bill Goodson, vice president, Autodesk Government. "With Autodesk utility software, Grant PUD will add more intelligence to their work processes to create, refurbish, and maintain their network assets. This will help reduce their operating costs and improve their customer service levels."

About Grant County

Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942. Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity - enough to supply a city the size of Seattle. A leader in science based technology, Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.

About Autodesk Government

Autodesk Government is a dedicated organization within Autodesk that has served the needs of federal and state/local government agencies for more than 20 years. Autodesk Government delivers software solutions that integrate geospatial, manufacturing, design and engineering data with other critical information to reduce the time it takes to make informed decisions. In roles that include emergency response management, physical infrastructure design and protection, mission rehearsal, simulation and training, and asset tracking, Autodesk Government is a trusted partner to help agencies ensure mission success.

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 www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk AutoCAD and Topobase 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) 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contact: Brett Smith (415) 547-2405 Email: brett.smith@autodesk.com

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050415/SFF034LOGO)

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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