Mechdyne and SGI to Provide Second Visualization Solution for John Deere

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (October 9, 2002) --Mechdyne Corporation, of Marshalltown, Iowa--in alliance with SGI (NYSE: SGI), of Mountain View, California--has won a contract to build an immersive visualization system for John Deere (Deere & Company, NYSE: DE). As the second Mechdyne and SGI® visualization solution for Deere, the system will be used primarily for design analysis and virtual prototyping applications.

A unique design developed and marketed by Mechdyne as an MD Flex^TM, the system will consist of three large vertical screens and a central floor surface. One person can easily reconfigure the system as one giant flat screen, an interactive theater with angled side panels, or a "U-shaped" immersive room. The system will feature several of Mechdyne's exclusive technological advancements, including a low-maintenance DuraFloor^TM projection surface and industry-leading Seamless Corners^TM for optimal image fidelity.

The system will be powered by an SGI® Onyx® 3000 series supercomputer with InfiniteReality3^TM graphics technology. Additional system features will include a multi-channel audio system and a tracking device to adjust projected images to correspond with a user's movement and point of view.

"We have seen success using the Mechdyne system at the Technology Center, as well as other virtual reality equipment in Waterloo, in our engineering and manufacturing departments," said Mike Ryken, Lead Engineer for Virtual Reality. "The Mechdyne system being installed at the Product Engineering Center will provide fast, efficient design-sharing between engineering and manufacturing."

"We are pleased to offer the many benefits of industry-leading immersive visualization to the world's leading producer of agricultural equipment," said John Bethel, Mechdyne's Director of Business Development. "We are confident the advantages offered through the use of this Mechdyne solution will help John Deere enjoy continued competitive success."

"John Deere is an excellent example of how companies are realizing true immersive collaboration between departments and across the enterprise," said Knut Korsell, vice president of industry marketing, SGI. "We're pleased to team with Mechdyne to bring a second advanced visualization system powered by SGI InfiniteReality series technology to this valued customer."

About Mechdyne
Corporation As the world's premier provider of immersive visualization solutions, Mechdyne Corporation specializes in large-scale visualization systems, high-fidelity simulators, and engineering consultation for aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, military, research, and geophysical exploration organizations. Alliances with respected equipment and software suppliers allow the company to serve as a single-source provider of engineering, installation, integration and support. Many of the world's finest businesses and organizations employ Mechdyne systems and services for applications such as command and control, engineering design review, virtual prototyping, manufacturing process simulation, factory layout design, and multivariate analysis. Headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa, Mechdyne also has offices in Houston, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, Canada.

About SGI
Celebrating its 20th year, SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and the management of complex data. SGI products, services and solutions enable its technical and creative customers to gain strategic and competitive advantages in their core businesses. Whether being used to design and build safer cars and airplanes, discover new medications and oil reserves, predict the weather, entertain us with thrilling movie special effects or provide mission-critical support for government and defense, SGI systems and expertise are empowering a world of innovation and discovery. The company, located on the Web at www.sgi.com, is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices worldwide.

About John Deere
Deere & Company, founded in 1837, grew from a one-man blacksmith shop into a worldwide corporation that today does business in more than 160 countries and employs approximately 40,000 people worldwide. As the world's leading producer of equipment for agriculture and forestry, Deere & Company creates smart and innovative solutions, in the form of advanced machines, services and concepts, for customers on the farmsite, worksite and homesite worldwide.

MD Flex, DuraFloor, and Seamless Corners are trademarks of Mechdyne Corporation. Silicon Graphics, SGI, Onyx, InfiniteReality and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and InfiniteReality3 is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

 CONTACT:  Shelley Miller of SGI, +1-256-864-3422, or shelleym@sgi.com; or
Mike Hancock of Mechdyne, +1-641-754-4649, or contact@mechdyne.com; or SGI PR
Hotline, +1-650-933-7777, or SGI PR Fax, +1-650-932-073.