ABB Alliance With Accenture to Provide Manufacturing Solutions

Zurich, Switzerland and New York, November 1, 2001 – ABB (NYSE: ABB), the global power and automation technology group, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN), the world’s leading provider of management and technology consulting services, announced today an alliance to bring a new generation of enterprise manufacturing solutions to the largest global customers in the manufacturing and utility sectors.

ABB and Accenture are joining forces to offer consulting, technology and business transformation solutions, which are based on their common understanding of customer needs and complementary skills.

Jörgen Centerman, ABB’s president and CEO, said the alliance is an important step forward in the implementation of ABB’s Industrial IT strategy.

“This alliance sends a strong signal to our customer base and the marketplace,” Centerman said. “ABB’s Industrial IT, real-time business planning and management solutions, added to Accenture’s supply chain expertise, business transformation outsourcing skills and network of alliances, creates a powerful new combination and will help customers achieve a new level of competitive performance.”

“This alliance is consistent with our vision and strengthens our position to deliver innovative solutions to clients globally,” said Joe Forehand, Accenture chairman and CEO. “Through alliances with companies like ABB, we’re helping to create global manufacturing processes that are not only efficient, but support new product development and accelerate the introduction of new business models.” This new alliance involves no equity or other form of investment.

About ABB
ABB (http://www.abb.com) is a global leader in the power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering their environmental impact. ABB has 160,000 employees in more than 100 countries.

About Accenture
Accenture is the world’s leading management and technology consulting organization. Through its network of businesses approach — in which the company enhances its consulting and outsourcing expertise through alliances, ventures and other capabilities — Accenture delivers innovations that help clients across all industries quickly realize their visions. With more than 75,000 people in 46 countries, the company generated net revenues of $11.44 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001. Its home page is http://www.accenture.com.

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Thomas Schmidt

+41 1 317 7354

media.relations@chi.abb.com