Wd And Hitachi Expect To Close Agreement For The Sale Of Hitachi's Hdd Business To Wd On March 8th

Top Quote Western Digital Corp. and Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that having obtained all required regulatory approvals for WD's acquisition of Viviti Technologies Ltd. Read Hitachi news releases for more information. End Quote
  • (1888PressRelease) March 10, 2012 - IRVINE, Calif. and Tokyo - Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) and Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT / TSE:6501) today announced that having obtained all required regulatory approvals for WD's acquisition of Viviti Technologies Ltd. (holding company of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), they expect the acquisition to close on March 8, 2012. WD and Hitachi will provide more information upon closing of the transaction.

    About WD
    WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.

    WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digitalฎ and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

    About Hitachi, Ltd.
    Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011) consolidated revenues totaled 9,315 billion yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
    Western Digital Safe Harbor

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used, the words "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "may", "should" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the expected timing of the completion of the acquisition. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the risk that one or more conditions to the closing is not timely satisfied or waived by the parties; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the company's recent Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on January 27, 2012, to which your attention is directed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
    Hitachi, Ltd. Cautionary Statement

    Certain statements found in this document may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such "forward-looking statements" reflect management's current views with respect to certain future events and financial performance and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "forecast," "intend," "plan," "project" and similar expressions which indicate future events and trends may identify "forward-looking statements." Such statements are based on currently available information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the "forward-looking statements" and from historical trends. Certain "forward-looking statements" are based upon current assumptions of future events which may not prove to be accurate. Undue reliance should not be placed on "forward-looking statements," as such statements speak only as of the date of this document.

    Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any "forward-looking statement" and from historical trends include, but are not limited to:
    • economic conditions, including consumer spending and plant and equipment investment in
    Hitachi's major markets, particularly Japan, Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as levels of demand in the major industrial sectors Hitachi serves, including, without limitation, the information, electronics, automotive, construction and financial sectors;
    • exchange rate fluctuations of the yen against other currencies in which Hitachi makes
    significant sales or in which Hitachi's assets and liabilities are denominated, particularly against the U.S. dollar and the euro;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to access, or access on favorable terms, liquidity or long-
    term financing;
    • uncertainty as to general market price levels for equity securities in Japan, declines in which
    may require Hitachi to write down equity securities that it holds;
    • the potential for significant losses on Hitachi's investments in equity method affiliates;
    • increased commoditization of information technology products and digital media-related
    products and intensifying price competition for such products, particularly in the Components & Devices and the Digital Media & Consumer Products segments;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to continue to develop and market products that incorporate
    new technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis and to achieve market acceptance for
    such products;
    • rapid technological innovation;
    • the possibility of cost fluctuations during the lifetime of, or cancellation of, long-term
    contracts for which Hitachi uses the percentage-of-completion method to recognize revenue from sales;
    • fluctuations in the price of raw materials including, without limitation, petroleum and other
    materials, such as copper, steel, aluminum, synthetic resins, rare metals and rare-earth minerals, or shortages of materials, parts and components;
    • fluctuations in product demand and industry capacity;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to implement measures to reduce the potential negative
    impact of fluctuations in product demand, exchange rates and/or price of raw materials or shortages of materials, parts and components;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of its strategy to
    strengthen its Social Innovation Business;
    • uncertainty as to the success of restructuring efforts to improve management efficiency by
    divesting or otherwise exiting underperforming businesses and to strengthen competitiveness and other cost reduction measures;
    • general socioeconomic and political conditions and the regulatory and trade environment of
    countries where Hitachi conducts business, particularly Japan, Asia, the United States and Europe, including, without limitation, direct or indirect restrictions by other nations on imports and differences in commercial and business customs including, without limitation, contract terms and conditions and labor relations;
    • uncertainty as to the success of alliances upon which Hitachi depends, some of which Hitachi
    may not control, with other corporations in the design and development of certain key products;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's access to, or ability to protect, certain intellectual property rights,
    particularly those related to electronics and data processing technologies;
    • uncertainty as to the outcome of litigation, regulatory investigations and other legal
    proceedings of which the Company, its subsidiaries or its equity method affiliates have become or may become parties;
    • the possibility of incurring expenses resulting from any defects in products or services of
    Hitachi;
    • the possibility of disruption of Hitachi's operations in Japan by earthquakes, tsunamis or other
    natural disasters, including the possibility of continuing adverse effects on Hitachi's operations as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011;
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to maintain the integrity of its information systems, as well
    as Hitachi's ability to protect its confidential information or that of its customers;
    • uncertainty as to the accuracy of key assumptions Hitachi uses to evaluate its significant
    employee benefit-related costs; and
    • uncertainty as to Hitachi's ability to attract and retain skilled personnel.

    The factors listed above are not all-inclusive and are in addition to other factors contained in Hitachi's periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in other materials published by Hitachi.

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