Dr. Martin Hardwick, President and CEO, Appointed Leader of STEP Manufacturing Team

Dr. Dave Loffredo, Vice President of Product Development steps up as new deputy lead of STEP Implementation Methods

Troy, New York—March 5, 2001 — STEP Tools, Inc., the forerunner in developing STEP-integration software toolsets for the global marketplace, announced today Dr. Martin Hardwick, president and CEO of STEP Tools, has been appointed as the leader of the STEP Manufacturing Team during the ISO STEP meeting held in Funchal, Portugal in late February 2001. The STEP Manufacturing team is comprised of highly technical industry professionals who deliberate top implementation issues such as the harmonization of AP-224 (Mechanical Product Definition for Process Planning using machining features) with STEP-NC. The international STEP (Standard for Product Data Exchange) standard is being maintained and advanced by an international team of more than 200 data structure experts who meet three times per year to design extensions and fold in new technologies.

Also during the ISO STEP meeting, Dr. David Loffredo, Vice President of Product Development at STEP Tools, was appointed as the new deputy leader of the working group responsible for STEP Implementation Methods. Loffredo replaces Mr. David Price of IBM, who is moving on after many years of excellent service. STEP Tools is the leading software developer for the ISO STEP community with over 300 customer worldwide including leading Software Developers, Fortune 500/1000 companies, and major universities.

STEP Tools pilots the high profile Model Driven Intelligent Control of Manufacturing program, otherwise known as the "Super Model" Project. The Super Model initiative is the driving force behind the development of software and databases for an integrated STEP-NC design-to-manufacturing system that enables numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools to be controlled by product design data. The Super Model Project is supported by an Advanced Technology Program (ATP) Award issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration. STEP Tools meets with its Industrial Review Board every six months to show the newest developments of STEP-NC and discuss plans for upcoming deliverables.

About STEP Tools, Inc.

STEP Tools, Inc. is a leading international supplier of professional STEP software toolsets (based on ISO standards) for application software developers, design firms and manufacturing companies in diverse industries. The STEP Tools product line is used by the world's foremost firms to leverage STEP technology to facilitate the sharing of engineering product information. Over one million end users utilize product data applications built with ST-Developer, the company's flagship product. The company offers ten software solutions in several languages that provide four key benefits: 1) the flexibility of EXPRESS information modeling language, 2) integration with existing tools and database systems, 3) cross-platform portability, and 4) ease-of-use for streamlined development. For late-breaking information, contact STEP Tools, Inc. by calling (518) 687-2848, email: info@steptools.com or visit STEP Tools Web Site: www.steptools.com.

View other press releases.