Tokyo, Japan, June 15, 2006 – OMRON Corporation (TSE: 6645, US: OMRNY), a global leader in automation, sensing and control technologies, announced today that beginning June 26, 2006 it will release several RFID system components that conform to the RoHS directive(*1), the European regulations on hazardous chemical substances.

RoHS-compliant products to be released are as follows:

The products to be released will contain RoHS-compliant parts to replace those used for the previously available ISO15693-compliant V720 Series (13.56MHz) RFID system components, including a reader/writer, antenna and cable. The new products will also come in newly designed housings. Because the upper-level interfaces for these products are compatible with conventional products, users can easily replace the previously used devices with RoHS-compatible models.

In September 2005, OMRON released RoHS-compatible UHF-band RFID equipment. By adding HF-band (13.56MHz) RFID system equipment to its RoHS-compatible RFID lineup, the RFID Department of OMRON’s Business Development Group will achieve full compliance with the RoHS directive on all of its RFID-related products.

In the distribution and retail industries of Europe, there is a growing trend toward HF-band (13.56MHz) RFID tagging on individual items. EPCglobal Inc. is now considering the development of standards for HF RFID implementation that are similar to those of UHF-band systems. These situations make it easy to anticipate a growth in demand for globally applicable RFID tags/equipment when building an open system such as a supply chain management system for the logistics and retail industries. Accordingly, the fact that OMRON is fully equipped to market RoHS-compliant RFID products will give the company a significant competitive edge in the future.

OMRON is working hard to expand RFID sales by drawing on its excellent track record of RFID system deployment as an RFID equipment vendor, as well as relying on its accumulated expertise and advanced product technology. By fully utilizing its RFID inlay and reader/writer commercialization and production technologies, OMRON is striving to offer products that match market needs on a timely basis.

• *1 Response to the RoHS Directive

  To comply with the RoHS directive (EU Directive on the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment), OMRON has been concentrating its efforts on producing and marketing products free from hazardous chemical substances. In Europe, the RoHS directive bans the use of six substances from products to be sold beginning July 1, 2006. These substances are: lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). To warrant that these substances are not contained in products, it is necessary to survey the presence of chemical substances and their contents in all parts and materials to be used. Besides these six substances, there are other types of hazardous substances as well.

  The European RoHS directive bans the use of hazardous chemical substances or makes it mandatory to eliminate them. As such, this directive requires companies to supply products that are not just environmentally sound but environmentally warranted as well.For the RFID products to be marketed, OMRON has specified 73 substances to be banned or eliminated; five substances for which the use of alternative substances is to be promoted; and 134 substances to be self-controlled.