BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - March 6, 2008) - The traditional value proposition of simulation has been about the ability to reduce the costs of product development by cutting rounds of physical prototypes from the testing phase. While Aberdeen Group's (a Harte-Hanks Company) (NYSE: HHS) research has consistently validated this concept, more recent findings have uncovered a new approach leading companies are adopting when it comes to assessing product form, fit, and function. The results of Aberdeen's February 2008 "Complementary Digital and Physical Prototyping Strategies: Avoiding the Product Development Crunch" study not only reinforce the cost and time benefits digital prototyping solutions have to offer the conceptual, detailed design and testing phases of product development, but also show that top performing manufacturers are leveraging them along with physical testing solutions in innovate ways.

"Using simulation to replace physical testing does not show as a particularly high priority for these companies. Instead, it tends to correlate with Industry Average performance," observes Chad Jackson, Research and Service Director of Aberdeen's Product Innovation and Engineering Group. "When it comes to assessing a product's form, fit, and function, they are not only using digital models and simulation assessments; they are using 3D scanning and printing technology to complement and corroborate the virtual work. What may be most important is that these industry leaders are finding ways to use this combination of virtual and physical tests in ways that specifically address the needs of key phases of product development."

Aberdeen found that these companies are seeing significant performance benefits as a result of how they leverage virtual and physical prototypes, meeting product launch targets and development cost targets as much as twice as often as their competitors. In addition to an analysis of the Best-in-Class, Aberdeen identifies the next steps companies should take to adopt a similar approach, including:

--  In the detailed design phase use CAD and CAE applications to digitally
    assess and 3D Printers to physically assess the product's form, fit and
    function
--  In the testing phase, use CAE applications to determine
    instrumentation setup and CAT applications to digitally review testing
    results
    

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Autodesk and PTC. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4642.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Chad Jackson Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (610) 565-6302 chad.jackson@aberdeen.com