AMETEK Acquires CAMECA from The Carlyle Group

Paris, France – The Carlyle Group, the global private equity firm, today announces the sale of CAMECA, a manufacturer of high-end elemental analysis systems used in advanced laboratory research, semiconductor and nanotechnology applications, to AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME), a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices, for €82 million.

CAMECA designs, manufactures and services ion and electron probes for academic institutions, governmental institutions and corporations. The company offers the largest available range of instruments for research application in earth and planetary sciences, materials and nuclear sciences and biology. In addition, CAMECA provides a range of tools to the semiconductor industry for both in-line and off-line metrology applications. CAMECA joins AMETEK’s Electronic Instruments Group—a global manufacturer of advanced instruments for the process, aerospace, power and industrial markets, with 2006 sales of more than $1 billion.

Carlyle Europe Venture Partners (CEVP) acquired CAMECA in April 2005, and has helped the company to expand internationally and grow significantly. Under Carlyle’s ownership, the company completed the highly complementary acquisition of German ion probe manufacturer Atomika in July 2005. The acquisition contributed to CAMECA’s product offering and presence in Germany and Asia and strengthened CAMECA’s position in the semiconductor capital equipment sector.

Georges Antier, President and Chief Executive Officer of CAMECA, comments, “Our collaboration with The Carlyle Group has been highly successful; their expertise in the semiconductor industry and financial support has enabled us to substantially expand our Asian presence and to grow our revenues by over 60%. We look forward to becoming part of AMETEK, which offers the international presence and infrastructure to help CAMECA's products reach further in the global market.”

Vladimir Lasocki, Director, The Carlyle Group, adds, “In 2005, we recognised that CAMECA had great potential due to the increasing demand for tools for nanotechnology research and the adoption of new materials in the semiconductor industry. In close collaboration with CAMECA's excellent management team we have helped the company to deliver on this potential by successfully building the business, and we are delighted that AMETEK has identified CAMECA as a growth story for the future.”

Wolfgang Hanrieder, Managing Director and co-head of Carlyle Europe Venture Partners, comments, “The CAMECA investment has been an excellent deal for our investors, and is a perfect demonstration of value creation for the benefit of owners, employees and customers. It is a great example of the type of investment we are focusing on in our European tech team.”

The Carlyle Group was advised by Jefferies International, Deloitte and Latham & Watkins.