ALPS Achieves Total Production of 100 Billion TACT Switch Units

Equivalent to Circling the Globe Approximately 15 Times*1

Duesseldorf, Germany, October 02, 2009 - ALPS ELECTRIC achieved a total production of 100 billion TACT switch™ units in mid-September 2009. If all 100 billion TACT switch™ units were arranged side by side, they would cover a distance roughly equal to circling the Earth 15 times. *1 ALPS ELECTRIC’s TACT switch™ boasts the world’s top production volume*2 with an approximate 40% share of the global market. ALPS ELECTRIC commenced the production of TACT switches™ at the former Yokohama Plant in 1976 for use in desktop calculator keyboards. In the following year, the production line was moved to the Onahama Plant (in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture) and then to the Kakuda Plant (Kakuda City, Miyagi Prefecture) in 1993, with the aim of enhancing and reinforcing the production structure. Today, product development and design are conducted by the MMP Business Unit at the Furukawa Plant (Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture), while the production function, which remains entrusted to the Kakuda Plant, has spread overseas to facilities in China, Malaysia and Germany. ALPS ELECTRIC steadily increased total TACT switch™ production volume, reaching the one billion unit milestone in 1983, 10 billion in 1990, 20 billion in 1994 and 50 billion in 2004. Currently 70 TACT switch™ series are manufactured across the world. The basic function of the TACT switch™ is to conduct electricity only when pressed, the product being mainly used as an input operation switch for digital devices. The TACT switch™ is characterized by a wide variety of clicking sensations, ranging from soft to hard, each time it is pressed. In recent years, the TACT switch™ has been adopted for a variety of devices, including mobile phones, digital cameras, in-car navigation and audio systems as well as control panel, elevator and vending machine buttons. The unique features of the TACT switch™ include the superior clicking sensation generated by the unit itself. Having accumulated its established technologies, ALPS ELECTRIC has gone to great lengths to realize the good sense of feel required for each type of set product, more specifically to provide users with a better feel when using the product. In addition, ALPS ELECTRIC launched a 0.37mm² product 0.35mm in height*3 in response to the needs for smaller, lighter and thinner products and introduced a type of TACT switch™ that achieved 500,000 repeat operations to meet the demand for highly durable products. Based on its proprietary technologies, ALPS ELECTRIC will continue to offer a variety of compact and slim TACT switch™ units that connect humans and digital devices with quality and reliability. 1 Calculated based on the average TACT switch™ size of approximately 6mm *2 As of September 1, 2009 *3 Representative size of the TACT switch™. Other sizes also available, depending on application

ALPS Electric Co., Ltd. Since its establishment in 1948 ALPS has grown as a comprehensive manufacturer of electronic components. At present ALPS is creating innovative high-value-added products in its main business segments – Components, Magnetic Devices, Communications, Peripheral Products, and Automotive Electronics – which are contributing to the advance of a digital society. ALPS is a global company that carries out its operations with 23 production bases in 9 countries as well as 57 sales bases in 14 countries. Consolidated net sales in the year ended March 31, 2008 amounted to YEN 693 billion. ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, a subsidiary of ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., was established in 1979. Since 1989, the European Head Office has been located in Düsseldorf, where a team of specialists works in Sales, Marketing, and Product Engineering. The activities of our branch offices in Munich, Paris and Milton Keynes, Stockholm, Gothenburg, our sales office in Milan and our European distribution work are co-ordinated from Düsseldorf.