News Releases

TARRYTOWN, NY, December 1, 2004 -- Hitachi America, Ltd., Power and Industrial Division, today announced the SJ-EN Ethernet option board, which provides the SJ300 and L300P families of AC inverters with a high performance, easy-to-use Ethernet interface. The board installs in one of the inverter’s two internal option board expansion slots, and connects to the user’s network by means of a standard RJ45 connector.

The SJ-EN implements the widely-accepted MODBUS/TCP protocol for maximum versatility. It incorporates six LEDs to monitor board status and activity, and an 8-position DIP-switch for setting the node address. No special software or hardware is required.

For more information, please contact www.hitachi.us/inverters or inverterinfo@hal.hitachi.com.

Hitachi America, Ltd., Power & Industrial Division supplies a broad range of Industrial and Power generation products and services. The division supplies major equipment to power generation and distribution facilities, including hydroelectric, thermal and nuclear power plants. The division also supplies sophisticated industrial equipment and components for application in pharmaceutical plants, food & beverage processing, steel making, mass transit systems, chemical plants, and other manufacturing facilities.

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, and consumer electronics, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit http://www.hitachi.us.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 326,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2003 (ended March 31, 2004) consolidated sales totaled 8,632.4 billion yen ($81.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s Website at http://www.hitachi.com.