Omron Europe B.V. Acquires Yelland Control from Powertech

Business Wire, April 1, 2008

New Company Will Sell Control Equipment in Fast-Growing South African Market

HOOFDDORP, Netherlands -- Omron Europe B.V. and Power Technologies (Pty) Ltd (Powertech), a subsidiary of the JSE-listed Altron Group, are pleased to announce the finalisation of Omron Electronics (Pty) Ltd's acquisition of Yelland Control from Powertech on April 1st, 2008. Yelland Control will be merged with Omron Electronics (Pty) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Omron Europe B.V., which began operations on May 1st, 2007. The company will handle sales and servicing of Omron control equipment in Southern Africa.

Omron's decision to acquire Yelland Control was based on accelerating global technology developments in automation as well as the company's strategy to get closer to its African target market through direct representation in South Africa. Omron is confident that the move will allow it to better serve its customers of factory automation and sensing products in the country.

The acquisition includes the entire Yelland Control business as a going concern with all staff and assets.

Yelland Control has been a business partner of Omron for 40 years and has built an excellent reputation in the South African automation market. As Omron Electronics (Pty) Ltd, the company will continue to serve its customers with a full array of control products, including sensors, components, controllers (PLCs, motion controllers, inverters, servos) and networking systems, and enhanced technical support, servicing and delivery.

Norbert Claussen, CEO of Powertech, comments, "We are convinced that this transaction is in the best interest of the customer as well as Yelland Control as a growing business. We thank Yelland Control's staff and its customers for their loyal support over the many decades and wish the new Omron company the best of success with its endeavours."

Customers benefiting from the strengthened Omron organisation are chiefly in the food and beverage, packaging, mining, security and automotive industries. The South African market is experiencing a sustained boom and is generally acknowledged to have the best business infrastructure in Africa. The mining and industrial area in Johannesburg, as well as the automotive industry in Durban, are expected to be key target areas for new business. Going forward, it is expected that Omron Electronics (Pty) Ltd will be a base for all sub-Saharan business.

Omron would like to thank Powertech and Yelland Control for representing its brand in a positive, professional manner.

About Omron

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, Omron Corporation (TOKYO:6645)(ADR:OMRNY) is a global leader in the field of automation. Established in 1933 and headed by President and CEO Hisao Sakuta, Omron has more than 33,000 employees in over 32 countries working to provide products and services to customers in a variety of fields, including industrial automation, electronic components, social systems (ticket gate machines, ticket vending machines and traffic control) and healthcare. The European organisation has its own development and manufacturing facilities, and provides local customer support in all European countries. For more information, visit Omron's website at www.omron.com.

About Powertech

Powertech, a wholly owned subsidiary of the JSE-listed Altron Group, has an annual turnover of over R 6 billion and employs approximately 5,000 people in over 20 sales offices and 10 factories in South Africa and Europe. Its products (cables, transformers, batteries and electrical products) and services (engineering and project management) are offered to customers in the power utilities, mines, industrial transport and telecommunications industries. More information on the Powertech group and all of its subsidiaries is available at www.powertech.co.za.