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AMETEK Acquires Patriot Sensors & Controls Corporation

2 August 1999

AMETEK Acquires Patriot Sensors & Controls Corporation; Highly Profitable Acquisition is an Excellent Strategic Fit

    PAOLI, Pa., Aug. 2 -- AMETEK, Inc. today
announced that it has acquired Patriot Sensors & Controls Corporation
(Patriot), a privately-held company based in the Detroit area, for
approximately $70 million in cash.  Patriot employs approximately 235 persons
and has manufacturing facilities in Clawson, MI; Peck, MI; and Simi Valley,
CA.  With expected annual sales of approximately $40 million, Patriot is a
leading manufacturer of position sensors, aviation sensors, and tank level
gauges that provide highly reliable measurement solutions.
    AMETEK acquired Patriot from First Atlantic Capital, Ltd., a New York-
based private investment firm specializing in acquiring and growing mid-size
companies.
    Patriot Products Complement and Expand AMETEK's Core Sensors Business
Patriot's primary product lines include: Position sensors such as programmable
limit switches, linear displacement transducers, and rotary encoders; tank
gauges such as point level and continuous liquid level measurement devices;
and aviation transducers such as tri-axial accelerometers for flight data
recorders, and pressure transducers.
    These products are used in a wide-range of industrial and aerospace
applications and are especially suited for demanding operating environments,
where high accuracy and fast response are required.  They provide critical
control system inputs for manufacturing, food processing, chemical and
petroleum refining, gas stations, aviation, automobile manufacturing, consumer
products, and material handling equipment.

    AMETEK Chairman Notes Patriot is Excellent Fit with AMETEK
    Walter E. Blankley, AMETEK chairman and chief executive officer said,
"Patriot is an excellent fit with AMETEK's aerospace and process control
businesses. Through its niche marketing strategy, Patriot is developing high
value-added measurement solutions.  Its technology and engineering expertise
have produced excellent new products.  This acquisition demonstrates AMETEK's
strategy to grow our core market base and add new product technology to our
existing sensors  businesses.
    "The aviation transducers business, located in Simi Valley, CA, will
complement our recently acquired Gulton-Statham aerospace transducers
operations in Costa Mesa, CA.  Both units will benefit from AMETEK's well-
established position in commercial aerospace," added Mr. Blankley.

    New Division to Serve as Platform for Growth and Acquisitions
    "Patriot's Detroit-area operations will become AMETEK Patriot Sensors -- a
new AMETEK division.  The division will focus on continuing the double-digit
growth of its level-measurement and position-sensing products.  Those
products, which complement our existing sensors product line, will be an
important part of our long-term growth strategy and serve as a platform for
future acquisitions," noted Mr. Blankley.

    Patriot Profitability, Growth and Operating Synergies Exceed Acquisition
Criteria
    "Patriot's operating margins are excellent, and the business will be
accretive to AMETEK's earnings per share in the first year.  Post-acquisition
synergies coupled with a high revenue growth rate will allow us to exceed our
normal rate of return threshold," Mr. Blankley concluded.
    Patriot will become part of AMETEK's Electronic Instruments Group, which
manufactures analyzers, displays, instruments, sensors, and transducers for
the aerospace, process and heavy-vehicle industries and had 1998 sales of
$414 million.

    Corporate Profile
    AMETEK is a leading global manufacturer of electric motors and electronic
instruments in North America, Europe, and Asia.  Sales are expected to
approach $1 billion in 1999.  Its Corporate Growth Plan is based on Four Key
Strategies: Operational Excellence, New Products, Global & Market Expansion,
and Strategic Acquisitions & Joint Ventures.  Its objective is double-digit
percentage growth in earnings per share from continuing operations and a
superior return on total capital.  The common stock of AMETEK is a component
of the S&P Mid Cap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Growth Index.

    Forward-looking Information
    Statements in this news release that are not historical are considered
"forward-looking statements" and are subject to change based on various
factors and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
significantly from expectations.  Those factors are contained in AMETEK's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings.