Kontron AG expands energy portfolio by taking stake in Austrian company Ubitronix

40 percent of shares and voting right majority acquired / strategic investment in future-oriented smart grids market / expansion of innovation leadership

Eching, Munich, July 26, 2010. Kontron AG, a globally leading provider of embedded computer systems, has taken a stake in Ubitronix System Solutions GmbH, which is based at the Austrian location of Hagenberg. As of July 26, 2010, 40 percent of the shares and the majority of the voting rights of the energy management specialist were acquired. Kontron also secured an option to top up its share stake to more than 70 percent. Kontron is providing its shares in Quanmax Inc. in a share exchange as part of this non-cash transaction. Kontron most recently held 19 percent in Quanmax Inc., which is listed on the Taipei stock exchange. The share value at the stock exchange amouts to EUR 4 million. These shares have nevertheless no longer been consolidated in Kontron's balance sheet since 2008.

"The acquisition of the Ubitronix shares represents a strategic investment for us, allowing us to strengthen our position on the future-oriented energy market," commented Ulrich Gehrmann, Kontron CEO. Ubitronix provides energy utilities and network operators with hardware and software solutions for the growing challenges presented by the liberalized energy market. "The creation of smart grids especially also requires smart metering. This smart metering is important for the energy- and cost-efficient management of electricity, gas and water networks, and represents Ubitronix's core competency," Gehrmann went on to comment. In Germany alone, the federal government intends to transition metering operations to smart metering by 2014.

The transaction generates synergies for both parties: Ubitronix will receive access to Kontron's global supply chain, thereby allowing it to cut its materials and production costs, and Kontron will be able to offer OEM solutions for smart grid and smart metering in the future. Kontron is already offering the growing key market of energy standard and customer-specific, robust industry PCs, high-availability and failsafe servers, and gateways and switches – Ubitronix's know-how will allow times to product launch to be reduced. Gehrmann went on to note: "Kontron's highly complex systems and solutions are already indispensable for the management of the smart energy grids of the future. With Ubitronix we are also expanding our innovation leadership in this application area."


Investor Relations:
Gaby Moldan
Kontron AG
Oskar-von-Miller-Str. 1,
85386 Eching
Tel: 08165/77212, Fax 08165/77222
E-mail: Gaby.Moldan@kontron.com

Further information:
Dr. Udo Nimsdorf
Engel & Zimmermann AG
Agentur für Wirtschaftskommunikation
Schloss Fußberg, Am Schlosspark 15,
82131 Gauting
Tel: 089-89 35 633, Fax: 089-89 39 84 29
E-mail: info@engel-zimmermann.de