OMRON Announces First-ever European CEO, Roberto Maietti.

Tokyo, Japan, Apr 6, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - OMRON Corporation today announced the appointment of Mr. Roberto Maietti as President & CEO of OMRON Europe B.V. Reporting to Mr. Fumio Tateisi, the Japanese-based president of OMRON's Industrial Automation Business, Mr. Maietti will also take over the role of President of the OMRON Management Center Europe. Mr. Maietti will be confirmed as Executive Officer of OMRON Corporation at the shareholder's meeting on June 22nd, 2006.

Following the appointment last year of the company's first non-Japanese executive officer, this announcement of the first-ever European Chief Executive Officer represents a clear break with tradition for the Japanese corporation, and signals a major step in encouraging international management within its global organization.

According to Dave Sanders, European Finance & Administration Director, "This move illustrates that the Japanese board of OMRON Corporation will reinforce the emphasis it places on regional dynamics in determining its global strategy, and is now seeking to accelerate the company's move from a multi-local corporation with a global infrastructure, to one characterized by a global culture and driven by a world view."

As an executive officer, Mr. Maietti will become part of the Steering Committee in Japan, reflecting the importance OMRON Corporation places on moving even closer to its European customer base. This represents a major opportunity for the region to voice local customer interests, raise understanding of their needs, and influence corporate strategy from a European perspective. "That means not only taking the strategic view from Japan and localizing it for Europe," Maietti said, "but also bringing a European perspective to corporate strategy."

The result, he feels, will be that customers will get more attention. "In the new elan, OMRON has indicated a clear desire to increase its understanding of the real needs of customers, and what is behind those needs. This is a marvelous opportunity for me to continue what I started within my sales role - to deliver on the promise that next to our innovations, which help customers to differentiate -we are committed to making our solutions easier to install and use, which raises customer efficiency and speeds their time to market."

In his most recent role, Roberto Maietti held the post of European Sales Director for OMRON Europe B.V., a position he will continue to fulfill alongside that of acting Chief Operating Officer until further notice.

Former European President & CEO, Kojiro Tobita, who will be returning to Japan to take on a new assignment stated, "Roberto Maietti's dedication to the company's customer focus and its concern for putting people first has made him an outstanding European Sales Director. This sense of empathy and his commitment to business excellence qualifies him well for this all-important new role as the European CEO."

About Roberto Maietti

Mr. Maietti has worked for OMRON for the past 19 years in various functions, including several international assignments. His experience covers sales, marketing and production as well as general management. During his tenure as head of the company's Italian operations, OMRON Italy was recognized by The Great Place to Work Institute Inc., an independent US based research centre, for the excellent working climate within the company.

Maietti has strong views on the shift in mind-set from quantity-driven to quality-driven companies. He believes that quality is becoming the key element that can make the difference in organizations. He sees quality in the broadest sense of the word, covering service, customer relations, market approach and organizational processes.

Although he'll be combining the operational activities of COO - and a continued sales role - with corporate governance responsibilities in his new CEO position, Mr. Maietti has a clear view on where his priorities lie. "Customer intimacy may not be a new term, but I strongly believe in direct contact with customers. Managers should be more in the field than in the office. That's the only way to really understand their needs."

About OMRON Europe

OMRON Europe BV is the largest single entity outside Japan within OMRON Corporation from a sales point of view and makes an important contribution to its profitability.

The company has had a presence in Europe for more than 30 years, and established its own offices here in 1986 following its all-out purchase of the previous joint venture with Carlo Gavazzi.

About OMRON

Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation. Established in 1933 and headed by President Hisao Sakuta, OMRON has more than 25,000 employees in over 35 countries working to provide products and services to customers in a variety of fields including industrial automation, electronic components industries, and healthcare. The company is divided into five regions and head offices are in Japan (Kyoto), Asia Pacific (Singapore), China (Hong Kong), Europe (Amsterdam) and US (Chicago). 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 Web site at www.omron.com.

Source: OMRON

Contact:

OMRON Europe B.V.
Michel Min
Zilverenberg 2,
5234 GM's-Hertogenbosch,
The Netherlands,
Tel: [phone],
Fax: [phone],
Email: [e-mail]
Homepage: www.omron-industrial.com

OMRON Corporation
Corporate Brand Communications Department
James Seddon ([e-mail])
Takayuki Nakamura ([e-mail])
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]

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