Presentation will discuss a new approach that reduces system integration risks for the automotive industry.

Stamford, CT - February 2, 2009 - Collaborative Product Development Associates (CPDA), a provider of critical analyses for PLM decisions, announces that Dr. Walden C. Rhines, Chairman and CEO of Mentor Graphics will make a keynote address at its annual PLM Road Map™ conference, to be held at The Inn at St. John's, outside of Detroit, Michigan on September 22nd and 23rd.

In his presentation, The Paradigm Shift for Vehicle EE Design with Model-Driven Development, Dr. Rhines will talk about a new model-driven development (MDD) methodology that supports today’s emerging design requirements. Incorporating an MDD process into the development life cycle lays the groundwork for an integrated design flow. Such processes directly address systems integration, thereby solving issues faced by automotive and commercial vehicle OEMs and suppliers today.

The growth in electronics and software content in modern vehicles has reached critical mass, and the quality of the electronics, software, and interconnect technologies now dictates the quality of the product. Many vehicles can be considered configurable mobile computing platforms that comprise a complex network of interconnected devices. Escalating electronic complexity calls for a paradigm shift with the adoption of a systems approach to designing, verifying, and integrating electronic and software components in a networked multi-domain environment...all focused on the goal of ensuring high-performance designs while keeping costs and schedules under control.

Now in its 16th year, PLM Road Map™ 2009 is a strategic conference focused on the critical tradeoffs that shape product development. PLM Road Map™ 2009 will enable attendees to explore first hand the progress, opportunities, and roadblocks leading-edge end-users are confronting.

More information and updates on PLM Road Map™ 2009 may be found at http://www.cpd-associates.com/index.cfm?content=include_conference09.cfm.

About Dr. Walden C. Rhines

Walden C. Rhines is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mentor Graphics, a leader in worldwide electronic design automation with revenue of about $850 million in the last 12 months. During his tenure at Mentor Graphics, revenue has more than doubled, the growth rate since 1999 has been number one among the “Big 3” EDA companies and Mentor has grown the industry’s number one market share solutions in physical verification, design concept-through-functional verification and printed circuit board design.

Prior to joining Mentor Graphics, Rhines was Executive Vice President of Texas Instruments’ Semiconductor Group, sharing responsibility for TI’s Components Sector, and having direct responsibility for the entire semiconductor business with more than $5 billion of revenue and over 30,000 people.

During his 21 years at TI, Rhines managed TI’s thrust into digital signal processing and supervised that business from inception with the TMS 320 family of DSP’s through growth to become the cornerstone of TI’s semiconductor technology. He was also responsible for development of the first TI speech synthesis devices (used in “Speak & Spell”) and is co-inventor of the GaN blue-violet light emitting diode (now important for DVD players). He was President of TI’s Data Systems Group and held numerous other semiconductor executive management positions.

Rhines is currently in his fourth term as Chairman of the Electronic Design Automation Consortium. He is also a board member of the Semiconductor Research Corporation, the Global Semiconductor Alliance, Lewis and Clark College, and the Portland Classic Wines Auction. He has previously served as chairman of the Semiconductor Technical Advisory Committee of the Department of Commerce, as an executive committee member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Open Systems and as a board member of the Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers' Association (CBEMA), SEMI-Sematech/SISA, Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDAC), University of Michigan National Advisory Council, and Sematech.

Dr. Rhines holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, a master of business administration from Southern Methodist University and an Honorary Doctor of Technology degree from Nottingham Trent University.

About CPDA

Collaborative Product Development Associates (CPDA) is a provider of critical analyses for PLM decisions. CPDA offers the latest in-depth, objective information for assessing technology and business goals. Coordinated by a group of experienced analysts, its cohesive suite of collaborative research programs leverages the efforts of top software designers and leading-edge users. CPDA's differentiation is its specific, deep, and pragmatic approach to the market, and a hands-on understanding of the technology required to drive successful implementations. CPDA’s collaborative research programs include Design Creation and Validation, Design/Simulation Council, PLM-Integration/Product Definition, and Product Value Management.


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Cheryl Peck
CPD Associates
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