Release Details

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2003--

Integrated Plantelligence solution to be deployed in global manufacturing sites to support operational excellence initiatives

Aspen Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AZPN) today announced that DSM, a leading global specialty chemicals manufacturer, is implementing its integrated manufacturing execution solution, Plantelligence(TM). The solution will be applied in DSM's life science, performance materials, and industrial chemicals plants and will support the company's operational excellence initiatives.

The new initiative builds on a seven-year alliance relationship in which AspenTech is DSM's preferred supplier of manufacturing software. The deployment of the Plantelligence solution will accelerate the adoption of AspenTech's software, which is already used by over 30 of DSM's global manufacturing facilities.

"Achieving manufacturing excellence throughout our operations is a key part of our strategy, and this latest implementation represents an important step in that process," said Sjef Arets, Corporate Manufacturing Manager, DSM. "Adopting AspenTech's integrated manufacturing solutions further strengthens our alliance together, and extends the standardization of its technology across our businesses."

The Plantelligence solution provides an integrated system that will enable DSM to manage its plant operations more effectively, and to ensure that it achieves regulatory compliance with the appropriate industry standards, like 21 CFR part 11 for electronic records and electronic signatures. The solution includes tools for defining production recipes, managing work orders, procedures and documentation, plus applications for information management and data analysis. Close integration with DSM's business systems can be achieved through connection to the company's SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

"This initiative reflects AspenTech's commitment to support DSM's new focus on the life science and performance materials market," said David McQuillin, President and CEO of AspenTech. "Our Plantelligence solution for manufacturing will enable DSM to further improve the efficiency and quality of its operations, while ensuring compliance with the latest industry regulations."

Plantelligence is an important element of AspenTech's solution for Enterprise Operations Management in the specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. These integrated, enterprise-wide solutions combine engineering and manufacturing/supply chain technologies to help companies optimize the way they engineer and run their manufacturing and supply chain operations.

About DSM

DSM is active worldwide in life science products, performance materials and industrial chemicals. The group has annual sales of close to EUR 6 billion and employs about 18.500 people at more than 200 sites across the world. DSM ranks among the global leaders in many of its fields. The company's strategic aim is to grow its sales - partly through acquisitions - to a level of approximately EUR 10 billion by 2005. By that time, at least 80% of sales should be generated by specialties, (i.e. advanced chemical and biotechnological products for the life science industry and performance materials). This strategy represents an acceleration of the company's ongoing transformation and concentration on global leadership positions in high-added-value activities, characterized by high growth and more stable profit levels.

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, Foster Wheeler, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, and TotalFinaElf. For more information, visit www.aspentech.com.

Certain paragraphs of this press release contain forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statement using the term "will," "should," "could," "anticipates," "believes" or a comparable term is a forward-looking statement. Actual results may vary significantly from AspenTech's expectations based on a number of risks and uncertainties, including: AspenTech's lengthy sales cycle which makes it difficult to predict quarterly operating results; fluctuations in AspenTech's quarterly operating results; AspenTech's dependence on customers in cyclical industries; adverse global economic conditions; AspenTech's ability to raise additional capital as required; the FTC's investigation of the Hyprotech acquisition; the outcome of AspenTech's restructuring plans; intense competition; AspenTech's need to develop and market products successfully; and other risk factors described from time to time in AspenTech's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AspenTech cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Moreover, neither AspenTech nor anyone else assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any forward-looking statements. AspenTech undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

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

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