Release Details

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2004-- Aspen Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AZPN), today announced that an innovative software portfolio for Enterprise Operations Management (EOM) in the polymers industry will be revealed at AspenWorld 2004, October 10-15, 2004, in Orlando, Florida. This new offering addresses the key business areas in the polymers industry - including engineering and innovation, plant operations, and supply chain management - and supports the industry's drive to achieve operational excellence.

AspenWorld 2004 features a comprehensive program focused on process industry issues and challenges. The polymers track features presentations from industry leaders including Yinquan Zhu, Director of Sinopec Yanshan; Jerry Laird, Vice President of Phillip Townsend Associates; Dieter Hollman, Managing Director and Karl-Heinz Walter, Plant Manager of SABIC; and Kawin Vanijdee, Technical Engineer of Thai Polyetheylene.

The polymers plenary session focuses on the theme "Key Issues and Future Directions in Polymers", and is chaired by Jan Versteeg, IT Project Leader of SABIC. The plenary will be followed by four sessions that explore key business and operational issues in the polymers industry including reliability, first-pass prime quality, grade change transition execution and repeatability, plant capacity maximization, inventory levels and customer service levels:

• Achieving Operational Excellence -- discussing the technologies, work processes and procedures that can enable plants to achieve reliable, repeatable execution, as well as predictable, consistent first-pass prime quality
• New Developments in Polymer Modeling and Control -- highlighting important innovations in polymer modeling and control looking at both empirical and first-principle techniques
• Case Studies in Polymers -- reviewing the results achieved by major polymer manufacturers from the implementation of operational excellence strategies
• Polymer Process Modeling -- presenting recent developments in the ability to model, predict and control the non-linear process behaviors in polymer plants.

"The polymers industry presents a unique set of operational challenges," said David McQuillin, President and CEO, AspenTech. "Producers need to optimize plant performance while at the same time delivering excellent customer service and maintaining low inventories. AspenWorld 2004 will provide managers with an ideal opportunity to see how the latest technologies and business processes can help them to improve profitability by balancing these often conflicting objectives more successfully."

The polymers industry track is part of an AspenWorld 2004 (www.aspenworld2004.com) program which includes nearly 300 presentations from companies such as Atofina, Borealis, BP, ChevronPhillips, Dow Chemical, EQUATE, Equistar, Exxon Mobil, LG Caltex, SABIC, Sinopec and Thai Polyetheylene; a showcase of AspenTech's solutions for Enterprise Operations Management (EOM); and a conference agenda that offers opportunities for valuable discussions, learning experiences, and mixing with industry peers. To view the AspenWorld 2004 program and build your own agenda, visit www.aspenworld.2004.com/myagenda/.

About AspenTech

Aspen Technology, Inc. provides industry-leading software and implementation services that enable process companies to increase efficiency and profitability. AspenTech's engineering product line is used to design and improve plants and processes, maximizing returns throughout an asset's operating life. Its manufacturing/supply chain product line allows companies to increase margins in their plants and supply chains, by managing customer demand, optimizing production, and streamlining the delivery of finished products. These two offerings are combined to create solutions for enterprise operations management (EOM), integrated enterprise-wide systems that provide process manufacturers with the capability to dramatically improve their operating performance. Over 1,500 leading companies already rely on AspenTech's software, including Aventis, Bayer, BASF, BP, ChevronTexaco, Dow Chemical, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Fluor, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, and Total. For more information, visit www.aspentech.com.

AspenTech and the aspen leaf logo are trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

CONTACT:
For Media:
Aspen Technology, Inc.
Robin Swanger, 281-504 3256
robin.swanger@aspentech.com

For Investors:
Aspen Technology, Inc.
Joshua Young, 617-949-1274
joshua.young@aspentech.com