NEWSROOM
1998 Archives - June 11, 1998

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.-- June 11, 1998 -- UNOVA, Inc. (NYSE:UNA) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of the radio frequency identification (RFID) business unit of Amtech Corporation (NASDAQ:AMTC) known as the Transportation Systems Group (TSG). Amtech's TSG generated revenues of approximately $52 million in 1997.

Amtech will operate as a division of UNOVA's Intermec Technologies operation, and will be led by John Wilson, former TSG President. Amtech's division headquarters will remain in Dallas. Dr. Jerry Landt, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, will continue to lead Amtech's RFID advanced research and development activities at its engineering and manufacturing center in Albuquerque. It is expected that all TSG employees will continue to support the new division.

"Amtech's technology, patent portfolio, and people strengthen the competitive position of Intermec Technologies in the emerging industrial market for RFID," said Alton J. Brann, UNOVA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Coupled with Intermec's experience and resources in providing automated data collection (ADC) solutions on a global basis, and our recently acquired RFID semiconductor technology, we believe this new division is well positioned to help customers quickly capitalize on the power of RFID."

UNOVA acquired RFID semiconductor technology from IBM Corporation in December 1997. The new technology should offer complete read/write memory capabilities on an inexpensive, reusable RFID tag. Planned for commercial introduction in early 1999, the tags will be offered as part of an integrated series of readers and data networks operating at several popular ADC frequencies.

"In the transportation industry, RFID is already a proven technology that is generating real results for all major railroads in North America, toll authorities and for access-control customers like Coca-Cola, Disney World, FedEx and Mobil Oil," said Mike Ohanian, President, Intermec Technologies Corporation. "We plan to couple our tag-technology advantage with both Intermec's and Amtech's RFID equipment and application expertise to introduce truly integrated solutions that meet the needs of industrial, warehouse, distribution, retail and government customers."

According to Wilson, Vice President and General Manager of the new Intermec division, Amtech will directly benefit from the combination with Intermec. "UNOVA's strength as a corporate parent will help us to continue to support our existing customers and installations," said Wilson. "On the product side, we have already begun development of next-generation interactive tags for transportation-, parking- and asset-tracking applications based on UNOVA's RFID semiconductor technology. With its unique read/write memory capabilities and its frequency-independent architecture, the new technology could allow Amtech to offer even more competitive tags for customers in the transportation and access-control markets."

Independent research firms predict the U.S. RFID market will approach $300 million in equipment sales in 1998 and will continue to grow at a rate faster than the general ADC market. It is believed that more rapid expansion of the market has been limited by the high cost and limited capability of earlier RFID-tag technology.

About Intermec

The Amtech Systems Division of Intermec is one of the leading suppliers of RFID technology for ADC in applications such as electronic toll collection, rail- and motor-fleet tracking, and access control to parking and other structures. The division has more than 14,000 readers and seven million tags distributed throughout the world.

Intermec Technologies Corporation is a global leader in the development, manufacture and integration of automated data collection and mobile computing systems. Its products and services are used by customers in multiple industries to improve productivity, quality and responsiveness of business operations, from supply chain management and enterprise resource planning to field sales and service.

UNOVA is a $1.5 billion industrial technologies company with headquarters in Beverly Hills, California. The Company is a market leader in automated data collection and mobile computing products and networks, and a leading designer of sophisticated manufacturing systems, primarily for the global automotive industries. UNOVA was formed in October 1997 when its activities were spun off from Western Atlas Inc.

For more information about Intermec's Intellitag RFID systems, visit the Intermec web site at www.intermec.com or call 1.800.923.4824 or 1.972.733.6600. This and an entire press kit of Intermec news are available at www.intermec.com/newsroom.

The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding the demand for the Company's services and statements regarding the Company's ability to profitably exploit new technologies acquired or developed, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve and are dependent upon certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the following which are beyond the Company's control: the presence of competitors with greater financial and other resources; technological changes and developments; regulatory uncertainties; worldwide political stability and economic conditions; operating risks associated with international activities; and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Copyright ©1998 Amtech Systems Corporation. All rights reserved.