Paris, 29th April 2009: ESI Group (ISIN FR0004110310), a pioneer and leader in virtual prototyping and manufacturing solutions, today announces that it is expanding into Tunisia with the creation of a ‘near-shore’ services division dedicated to high value-added projects.

This center of competency, which employs a young team of engineers, including graduates from best Tunisian institutes (ex. Tunisia Polytechnic School) and supervised by our national experts, offers extensive expertise in solutions developed by ESI Group for the delivery of projects with high technical content.

This new regional foothold is part of the Group’s growth strategy, which is based on:

• The growing importance of Services, as highlighted by the increasing demand from industrial groups for support services to set up Simulation Based Design integrated solutions, and the interest shown by new players in virtual prototyping.

• The development of centers of competency in economically attractive countries that also offer a high level of education in science and engineering.

Through this new location, ESI Group is also strengthening its strategic partnership with the Tunisian firm Acoustica. Initially positioned in vibro-acoustics, this well recognized engineering and consulting firm is specialized in noise reduction and digital simulation projects.

This strategic partnership aims to:

• Facilitate recruitment of experienced engineers who can be operational immediately,

• Use the market understanding and expertise of a local player to build a foothold in a Mediterranean country that can provide high-end services at very competitive prices.

Lech Tomasz Kisielewicz, Executive Vice-President of ‘Services’ Operations of ESI Group, comments: “We are very happy to announce today the extension of our multi-shore coverage with the opening of a new center of competency close to Europe specializing in high value-added projects. We are also strengthening our strategic partnership with Acoustica. Through this new foothold, we will meet the growth in demand for our Services, in the best interests of our clients, while maintaining a continuous control on our cost structure.”

About ESI Group

ESI is a world-leading supplier and pioneer of digital simulation software for prototyping and manufacturing processes that take into account the physics of materials. ESI has developed an extensive suite of coherent, industry-oriented applications to realistically simulate a product’s behavior during testing, to fine-tune manufacturing processes in accordance with desired product performance, and to evaluate the environment’s impact on product performance. ESI’s products represent a unique collaborative and open environment for Simulation-Based Design, enabling virtual prototypes to be improved in a continuous and collaborative manner while eliminating the need for physical prototypes during product development. The company employs over 750 high-level specialists worldwide covering more than 30 countries. ESI Group is listed in compartment C of NYSE Euronext Paris. For further information, visit www.esi-group.com.

Listed in Eurolist compartment C of NYSE Euronext Paris

ISIN FR 0004110310 - FTSE 977- Bloomberg ESI FP - Reuters ESIG.LN

ESI GROUP has been qualified as “an innovative company” since January 20^th 2000 by the OSEO and is eligible for inclusion in “FCPI” (venture capital trusts dedicated to innovation).

get it right™ is an ESI Group trademark.

Next Press release announcement :

Sales for the first quarter of 2009/10 
will be published on 11th June 2009

(after market)

ESI Group                                 NewCap.

Corinne Romefort-Régnier          Emmanuel Huynh / Axelle Vuillermet

Investor relations                      Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 14 14             esi@newcap.fr

investors@esi-group.com