Press Release

CBA Group Announces Sale of Vitronics Soltec to ITW

The CBA Group, comprised of Universal Instruments Corporation, Vitronics Soltec, Unovis Solutions, and Hover-Davis, announced that they have finalized the sale of Vitronics Soltec to Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW), the parent company of Speedline/Electrovert. ITW has acquired all of the outstanding shares of VS Acquisition Holding Inc., the parent company of Vitronics Soltec Corporation.

April 1, 2008 - VS Acquisition Holding Inc. will be a wholly owned business unit of ITW and part of the company's existing power systems and electronics businesses. ITW will continue to operate VS Acquisition Holding Inc. as a separate business under the Vitronics Soltec brand name.

Vitronics Soltec, founded in 1916, is a global leader in the design and manufacture of mass soldering equipment for the global circuit board assembly market, with products covering the Reflow, Wave and Selective Soldering markets. Vitronics Soltec Corporation is based in Stratham, New Hampshire, with affiliates in Oosterhout, Holland and Suzhou, China. Direct sales and support centers are located in the United States, Holland, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and Shanghai.

“It’s encouraging that an industry leader such as ITW was able to recognize the inherent value of Vitronics Soltec after such short time under the CBA Group. This agreement is an extremely good fit for Vitronics Soltec and represents the best long-term solution for the company”, said Jean-Luc Pelissier, CEO of the CBA Group. “ITW has a long and successful history of acquiring leading companies like Vitronics Soltec and helping realize their long-term growth potential through the application of the ITW Management Process. Vitronics Soltec is a perfect complement to ITW's PC Board Fabrication Business platform. The strength of this platform will provide for a positive future for the employees of Vitronics Soltec, resulting in continued growth of their leading position in the major markets worldwide.”

The transaction is in the best interest of all parties involved, and will allow CBA to sharpen its focus on the continuing success of Universal, Unovis, and Hover-Davis.

For more information, contact a Universal Sales Rep.