Entivity and Phoenix Contact Form Partnership; Agreement to Offer Bundled Automation Solutions

    CHICAGO--Oct. 28, 2002--Entivity, Inc. and Phoenix Contact Inc. today announced a major partnership involving joint product development, marketing and sales for PC-based control solutions. The partnership agreement brings together the strength of Entivity's automation software and Phoenix Contact's hardware solutions.
    Together, Phoenix Contact and Entivity will develop and market bundled automation solutions containing software, hardware (PCs and embedded controllers) and I/O. Entivity will develop specific drivers and port its flagship products, Entivity VLC(TM) and Entivity Studio(TM), to Phoenix Contact's broad line of industrial PC and embedded controllers. Phoenix Contact will provide scalable, bundled hardware and software configurations including its Windows CE-based computers.
    This partnership includes focusing on the next generation of control software; leveraging open standards-based technologies ensuring that both Phoenix and Entivity are at the forefront of the automation market.
    "We are extremely pleased with the commitment Phoenix has made to Entivity, and to open standards-based solutions, and look forward to providing the best solutions to both customer bases. Offering the best software from Entivity and the hardware and I/O platforms from Phoenix Contact puts both companies in position to compete at the highest level," states Ken Spenser, CEO at Entivity, Inc.
    David Skelton, Director of Automation Systems for Phoenix Contact says, "This relationship allows us to expand benefits like speed of launch, lower installed cost and reduced integration risk to a broader customer base. Entivity and Phoenix Contact have a history of doing this independently and jointly with selected automotive clients. We are excited to be able to expand this strategic alternative to OEMs and users looking for a competitive edge."

    Ann Arbor, MI-based Entivity was formed, in 2001, as a result of the merger between two leading automation software companies, Think & Do(R) and Steeplechase. This merger makes Entivity the leading provider of PC-based control solutions.

    A leading manufacturer of electronic components and connection systems, Phoenix Contact Inc. has U.S. headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with world headquarters in Blomberg, Germany. Phoenix Contact serves a wide variety of customers in the automotive, industrial controls, material handling and process industries. Phoenix Contact Inc. Quality System is registered to ISO 9001: 2000 -- Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in design, development, production, installation and servicing.

    For additional information, contact Entivity at www.entivity.com, or call 800-722-6875. Information on Phoenix Contact's Automation Systems Group is available by calling (800) 586-5525 or via the company's website at www.phoenixcon.com.