Cambridge, UK and Laramie, Wyoming, USA, 2 December 2003

IDES and Granta Design Form Strategic Partnership to Deliver World Class Polymer Selector

IDES and Granta Design have announced a strategic partnership to create IT solutions based on the combination of IDES's vast plastics datasheet database and Granta's comprehensive software for materials IT.

IDES is the technology and market leader in plastics data management services and has compiled a database of more than 49,000 material property datasheets. It is acknowledged as the most comprehensive and up to date collection available.

Granta Design's CES4 software family is described as the first and only comprehensive system for materials IT. CES4 encompasses everything in materials IT from lab test data management, material selection, web-based publishing, reference databases, and online handbooks.

"Through this important partnership with IDES, we are able to provide our customers with access to the world's largest database of plastic materials," said Granta Design Chief Operating Officer Patrick Coulter. "The data integration into our CES Software allows users to thoroughly analyze the vast amount of plastics available worldwide and lower product costs by quickly locating materials that best fit their design applications."

"With Granta Design, IDES is able to extend our market reach to other industry segments including colleges and universities where students first learn the characteristics of product design and material selection," said IDES President Mike Kmetz. "This is of benefit to us by having students become familiar with our plastics data services early in their design career."

Data from IDES will be available through the Granta Design CES Software sometime during the first quarter of 2004.

About Granta

Granta Design is the leading software provider for materials IT, supplying the world's only comprehensive materials IT system, CES4. Granta has a cornerstone partnership with ASM International, the world's largest professional society for materials engineering, and is the software supplier to the Materials Data Management Consortium, a consortium of leading US aerospace interests. Founded in 1994.

About IDES

IDES is the worldwide leader in plastics data management services for buyers and suppliers of resin. IDES builds and delivers resin selectors on demand via its web services platform. IDES Prospector services access a database of over 49,000 plastic datasheets provided directly from 400 global resin suppliers, offering value to any company that buys or sells plastics. Founded in 1986. (www.ides.com).

Further Information:

IDES: Nathan Potter, Tel: 307-742-9227 x246; e-mail: pottern@ides.com

Granta Design: Edmund Rose, Tel: (800) 241-1546 (North America) or +44 1223 518342 (International); e-mail: edmund.rose@grantadesign.com