Nigel Bowden, Yokogawa Marex Managing Director, said: "To satisfy the world's demand for state-of-the-art Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), it is Yokogawa's corporate aim to become the world leader in intelligent industrial automation. Yokogawa Marex will be the centre-of-excellence of a network which will link specialist centres in Apeldoorn (nl), Singapore, Houston and Sao Paulo."

The GMSC at Cowes will spearhead Yokogawa's drive to satisfy the demand for cutting-edge process/business information to help customers across the world optimize their production systems and maximize their competitive advantage through partnership with Yokogawa.

The GMSC is responsible for all aspects of market development and will liaise with the regional MES centres around the world to create a knowledge-based virtual support network. The GMSC will ensure Yokogawa continues to grow its prominence in the market place through the trade press, conferences and the Internet.

Nigel Bowden adds: "There is already a well established suite of Yokogawa MES-level products. This includes current high-profile products such as the Yokogawa Exaquantum plant management and information system (PIMS), and the Yokogawa plant resource management (PRM) system that are already market leaders. We will build out from this excellent foundation to provide global industry with the intelligent, integrated world-class process systems it needs."

1. The Yokogawa Group's global network of 29 manufacturing facilities, 101 affiliate companies, and over 500 sales and engineering offices, spans 29 countries. Since its founding in 1915, the US$3 billion company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 4,500 patents and registrations, including the world's first distributed control system and the first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement. Industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems and industry support are the core businesses of The Yokogawa Group.

2. The Yokogawa Group is a world leader in information management systems for process industries. The company provides a systems development and integration capability specializing in integrated information systems for the global marketplace.

3. The Yokogawa Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Plant Resource Management (PRM) systems, and Yokogawa Marex Plant Information Management Systems (PIMS) and Management Execution Systems/Operational Excellence Solutions (MES/OES) deliver benefits for plant operators in many process industries in most parts of the world. Yokogawa DCS/PIMS/MES/OES integrate data from many systems in a plant and produce high value business information for use by decision makers at all levels of the enterprise. Yokogawa DCS/PIMS/MES/OES automatically integrate data from process control systems, including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), with other data from quality, maintenance, laboratory, planning, scheduling, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and many other systems. Yokogawa DCS/PIMS/MES convert Plant Data into Business Information

4. The Yokogawa software being installed today is already in use in chemicals, food, petrochemicals, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, power generation and general manufacturing plants throughout the world, providing monitoring, management, optimization, modeling and control of many diverse, dynamic, and hazardous processes.

5. Issued on behalf of: Bill Bambek, Yokogawa Marex Ltd, Marex House, 34 Medina Rd, Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, PO31 7DA. Tel: +44 (0)1983 296011. Fax: +44 (0)1983 291776 e-mail: bill.bambeck@ymx.yokogawa.com

6. Yokogawa Marex Website: www.ymx.yokogawa.com

7. Issued for and on behalf of Yokogawa Marex by John Ockenden, John Ockenden international public relations, Whindrum House, Methven, Perth PH1 3QU. Tel. +44 (0)7710 391 054. e-mail: john@jockenden.freeserve.co.uk

8. Photographs (both high resolution electronic and print) and system/network graphics are available to accompany this story. Please contact John Ockenden.

PR6024 - November 04