TOKYO, February 2, 2012 – Yamatake Corporation hereby announces that the Board of Directors resolved at a meeting held on February 2, 2012 to change its executive officers as described below:

Effective April 1, 2012, Hirozumi Sone, currently Executive Director and Managing Executive Officer of Yamatake Corporation, will be appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Azbil Corporation. Seiji Onoki, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Yamatake Corporation, will be Chairman.

While domestic and overseas market conditions remain uncertain due to such negative factors as the sharp appreciation of the yen and the financial crisis in Europe, Yamatake Corporation—guided by its management philosophy of “human-centered automation”—is striving to expand business in Japan and overseas by drawing on the synergies of the azbil Group. To further accelerate such efforts and activities, the company is changing its name from Yamatake Corporation to Azbil Corporation as of April 1, 2012. The names of domestic group companies will also be changed to include “azbil”. Consequently, all domestic and overseas group companies will uniformly have "azbil" in their brands and company names.

In tandem with the above changes, the top management, executive directors, and executive officers of the company will change. The new management will strive to reform business structures and operations and enhance the enterprise value of the Group as a whole, with the aim of achieving further advancement and expansion of the azbil Group and realizing the azbil Group’s long-term goal of becoming a “top-class global automation enterprise.”

Having joined the management early, Hirozumi Sone has been involved in a wide range of fields in the azbil Group’s Advanced Automation business and Life Automation business, and engaged in various corporate functions such as marketing, R&D, engineering service, corporate planning, information systems, etc.
He also held responsible positions in academic and other external organizations, including President of the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (2010), and Executive Board Member of the International Fieldbus Foundation (2004 to 2009). As a part-time instructor at Tokyo Institute of Technology (1997 to 2008), he endeavored to cultivate the next generation.

In addition, as Director of Corporate Planning, Sone played a key role in formulating the azbil Group’s long-term plan (fiscal years 2004−2013) and introducing and promoting the azbil brand in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Yamatake Corporation in 2006.

“In conjunction with the company’s name change from Yamatake Corporation to Azbil Corporation effective April 1, 2012, I have decided to put new management in charge,” Onoki said. “I would like the new President and Chief Executive Officer, who has relevant experience in the azbil Group’s long-term plan development and the azbil brand introduction and its promotion, to accelerate all our businesses together with the azbil Group’s philosophy of “human-centered automation”.”

Sone spoke of his aspiration: “The azbil Group philosophy of “human-centered automation” was formulated as our future vision. I understand its meaning and significance very well since I was deeply involved in the formulation process. At the start of Azbil Corporation on April 1, guided by the “human-centered automation” philosophy, I will set the direction of the azbil Group’s future growth, then reform business structures and enhance the enterprise value of the Group.”

Of even date, the Advanced Automation Company president, Building Systems Company president, and executive officers of Azbil Corporation will change as well. The new executive directors will be inaugurated in the 90th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to be held in June 2012.

Under new management, the azbil Group will accelerate business growth based on the Group philosophy of “human-centered automation,” work together with customers worldwide to provide tailored, on-site solutions, and realize safety, comfort, and fulfillment for customers while contributing to global environmental preservation.


Reference:

1. President and Chief Executive Officer of Azbil Corporation
   

   Name: Hirozumi Sone
   Date of Birth: January 16, 1955
   Age: 57
   Career Summary:

   March 1979:	Completed master's degree in Control System Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology
   April 1979:	Joined Yamatake-Honeywell Co., Ltd. (presently Yamatake　Corporation)
   April 1996:	Director of System Marketing, System Development Headquarters, Industrial System Division
   October 1998:	Director of Marketing, Yamatake Industrial Systems Co., Ltd. (presently Yamatake Corporation)
   June 2000:	Executive Director, Director of Marketing, Yamatake Industrial Systems Co., Ltd.
   April 2003:	Executive Officer, Yamatake Corporation; Chief Director, Engineering Headquarters, Advanced Automation Company
   April 2005:	Executive Officer, Director of Corporate Planning, Yamatake Corporation
   April 2008:	Managing Executive Officer, Director of Corporate Planning, Yamatake Corporation
   April 2009:	President and Chief Executive Officer, Yamatake Care-Net Co., Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer, Safety Service Center Co., Ltd.
   June 2010:	Executive Director, Managing Executive Officer, Yamatake Corporation

   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Career summaries of New Executive Directors of Azbil Corporation
   

   * New executive directors will be inaugurated in the 90th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for late June 2012.

   
   Executive Director and Managing Executive Officer (Building Systems Company President)
   

   Name: Keiichi Fuwa
   Date of Birth: November 27, 1951 (age 60)
   Career Summary:

   April 1974:	Joined Yamatake-Honeywell Co., Ltd.
   May 1997:	Manager of Security Office, Sales Department, Building Systems Division
   October 1998:	Director of Security Systems Department, Yamatake Building Systems Co., Ltd. (presently Building Systems Company, Yamatake Corporation)
   October 2000:	Director of Sales 1st Department
   May 2002:	Director of Sales Management Department and Sales 1st Department
   April 2003:	Director of Building Automation Business Headquarters, Building Systems Company, Yamatake Corporation
   April 2004:	Executive Officer, Yamatake Corporation; Chief Director, Building Systems Company
   April 2005:	Osaka Branch Manager, Building Systems Company
   April 2006:	Managing Executive Officer, Building Systems Company
   April 2007:	Director, Security Headquarters, Building Systems Company
   April 2008:	Director, 1st Sales Headquarters, Building Systems Company
   April 2009:	Director, 1st Sales Headquarter and Tokyo Head Office, Building Systems Company
   April 2011:	Managing Executive Officer, Yamatake Corporation (at present); Director, Sales Headquarter and Tokyo Head Office, Building Systems　Company　President)

   
   Executive Director and Managing Executive Officer (Advanced Automation Company President)
   

   Name: Masato Iwasaki
   Date of Birth: March 26, 1960 (age 52)
   Career Summary:

   April 1982:	Joined Yamatake-Honeywell Co., Ltd.
   October 2001:	Manager of Solution Products Planning Office, Marketing Department, Yamatake Industrial Systems Co., Ltd. (presently Advanced Automation Company, Yamatake Corporation)
   April 2003:	Director of Marketing 2nd Department, Manager of Planning Group, and Director of Information Systems Department
   April 2005:	Director of Solution Marketing Department, also belonging to Business Control Department
   April 2009:	Director, Marketing Department
   April 2010:	Director, Yamatake Corporation
   April 2011:	Executive Officer, Yamatake Corporation

   
   
   
3. Azbil Corporation Executive Officers (as of April 1, 2012)
   

   Chairman	Seiji Onoki
   President and Chief Executive Officer	Hirozumi Sone
   Executive DirectorSenior Managing Executive Officer	Tadayuki Sasaki
   Executive DirectorManaging Executive Officer (Production Management Headquarters)	Makoto Kawai
   Managing Executive Officer (Building Systems Company President)	Keiichi Fuwa*
   Managing Executive Officer (Advanced Automation Company President)	Masato Iwasaki*
   Managing Executive Officer (International Business Headquarters)	Toshitsune Okubo
   Managing Executive Officer (Technology Development Headquarters)	Yoshihide Sugino
   Managing Executive Officer (Home Comfort Headquarters)	Ichio Kunii
   Managing Executive Officer (Advanced Automation Company, Sales)	Kenji Hidaka
   Managing Executive Officer (Building Systems Company, Director of Facility Management Headquarters, Service Business)	Mitsuharu Miyazawa
   Executive Officer	Teruyoshi Yamamoto
   Executive Officer	Norio Murase
   Executive Officer	Hiroshi Arai
   Executive Officer	Hirohiko Kazato
   Executive Officer	Takumi Ishiguro
   Executive Officer	Haruo Tamura
   Executive Officer	Seiichiro Hayashi
   Executive Officer	Osamu Tamayori
   Executive Officer	Nobuo Shimizu
   Executive Officer	Yoshifumi Suzuki
   Executive Officer	Kenji Okumura

   * Keiichi Fuwa and Masato Iwasaki will be inaugurated as executive directors in the 90th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled in late June 2012.
   
   
4. Azbil Corporation Directors and Corporate Auditors (End of June 2012)
   

   Chairman	Seiji Onoki
   President and Chief Executive Officer	Hirozumi Sone
   Executive Director	Tadayuki Sasaki
   Executive Director	Makoto Kawai
   Executive Director	Keiichi Fuwa*
   Executive Director	Masato Iwasaki*
   Executive Director	Makoto Yasuda
   Executive Director	Eugene H. Lee
   Executive Director	Katsuhiko Tanabe
   Corporate Auditor (Full-time)	Tomohiko Matsuyasu
   Corporate Auditor (Full-time)	Kensei Sukizaki
   Corporate Auditor (External)	Kinya Fujimoto
   Corporate Auditor (External)	Jyunichi Asada
   Corporate Auditor (External)	Kazuo Yamamoto

   * Present directors Kiyofumi Saito and Masaaki Inozuka will be inaugurated as corporate advisors in the 90th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled in late June 2012.