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Motorola and AMP Announce Joint Development Centre

10 November 1998

Motorola and AMP Announce Joint Development Centre for Automotive Mechatronics

    MUNICH, Germany--Nov. 10, 1998--Motorola, the automotive industry's leading supplier of semiconductor solutions, and AMP Incorporated, the global leader in electric and electronic connectors and connector systems, together announced they will create a joint development center which will develop and market intelligent connection devices for the automotive sector.
    The venture will bring together embedded circuit solutions from Motorola with components and connector technology from AMP Inc. The joint activity will provide car manufacturers with simpler and more cost-effective systems for motor-driven applications. The incorporation of semiconductor technology and circuit components in single units will deliver smart connector devices and facilitate the extension of electronic functions in cars.
    Innovative packaging and embedded silicon design technologies will create new, highly-integrated products with greater power control to directly drive motors from a single device. With fewer connector pins and an enhanced thermoplastic casing, the systems will offer greater robustness and simplicity. As all components will be integrated in one package, and automotive manufacturers and their suppliers will benefit from more reliable and straightforward assembly in more modular type electronic systems. With a total size at least 50% smaller than current modules, the devices will offer manufacturers more design flexibility.
    "Automotive manufacturers are looking for ways to individualize the functionality in cars to meet their end customer demands," said Denis Griot, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager, Body Electronics division. "The smaller and more standardized systems we are developing will enable them to provide a greater choice of personalized applications for their customers."
    "We anticipate that together with Motorola, Mechatronics will represent a very interesting market starting in the new millennium," said Bob Summers, director of new business development, Global Automotive Division, AMP Inc. "This co-operation will address this very interesting opportunity."
    Mechatronic products are intelligent connection devices incorporating semiconductor and control function technologies in a single package, which is protected for the mechanical environment and connects directly to an actuator.
    The joint development center will be located in Munich. It is anticipated that the two companies will establish a joint venture next year to address volume production.

    Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector

    As the world's No.1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector offers multiple Digital DNA(TM) solutions which enable its customers in the consumer, networking and computing, transportation, and wireless communications markets, to create new business opportunities. Motorola's semiconductor sales were US $8.0 billion in l997.
    Motorola is a global leader in advanced electronic systems and services. It creates software-driven products that provide integrated customer solutions and Internet access via wireless and satellite communications, as well as computing, networking, and automotive electronics. Motorola also liberates the power of technology by providing essential digital building blocks in the form of embedded semiconductors, controls and systems. Sales in 1997 were $29.8 billion.

    AMP Incorporated

    The AMP Global Automotive Division, headed by Dr. Jurgen W. Gromer, was formed in January 1977 and supplies customers in the automotive industry worldwide with connectors and connector systems as well as with future technologies like radar, fiber optics, sensor systems, and wireless components. The Automotive Division accounts for 24% of the total AMP sales of more than $5.7 billion. The division is headquartered in Bensheim a.d. Bergstrasse, Germany.
    AMP Incorporated is the worldwide leader in electric and electronic connectors and connector systems, components, and application tooling. AMP has 48,300 employees in 53 countries worldwide. To provide optimum service to the global market, AMP is organized in four global divisions that concentrate on the specific requirements of individual industries: automotive, personal computer, communications and consumer, industrial and power.