Lincolnshire, Illinois  -  July 9, 2007  —  Effective July 1, 2007, Agie Charmilles will combine its Agie, Charmilles and Mikron brands under a new brand identity, known as GF AgieCharmilles. This unification will allow the company to offer industry-leading solutions in the complementary areas of EDM and high-speed and high-performance machining, all under a single brand.

The merger of Agie, Charmilles and Mikron positions Agie Charmilles to provide the world’s most widespread sales and service network, broadest range of products and most comprehensive base of application knowledge in the industry. With the GF AgieCharmilles brand, the company bolsters its leading position as a manufacturer of machine tools for mold and tool making, as well as the production of high precision components.

As of the July 1, 2007 change, all EDM and high-speed and high-performance machining centers offered by Agie Charmilles will bear the GF AgieCharmilles brand name. Machines will be offered through a unique distribution channel, resulting from the previous centralization of distribution channels in all countries. The consolidation creates the most comprehensive sales network in this particular sector of the industry.

Coinciding with the introduction of the GF AgieCharmilles brand, Agie Charmilles will undertake the objective of helping customers achieve its new brand promise, “Achieve More.”

“The unification of our previously separate brands demonstrates a new level of commitment to our customers,” says Glynn Fletcher, president of Agie Charmilles. “In addition to capitalizing on best practices and expanding our sales and service networks, we are now able to offer customers the best possible technology for their specific applications, all under a single brand.”

About Agie Charmilles

Agie Charmilles is the North American leading supplier of wire EDM, CNC, diesinking and manual EDM systems and high speed/performance and 5-axis CNC milling machines.  For more information on the company's products and services, contact Gisbert Ledvon, Agie Charmilles, 560 Bond St., Lincolnshire, IL 60069-4224, Tel: 1-800-CTC-1EDM. Gisbert.Ledvon@AgieCharmilles.us, Fax: 847-913-5340, or visit www.gfac.com/us.