SANTA CLARA, CA -- NEC Technologies, Inc. and NEC Systems, Inc. today announced plans to merge both companies into a new corporate entity over the next few months. Beginning April 1, 2002, the newly formed company will be named NEC Solutions America, Inc. with headquarters in Sacramento, California. "NEC is focused on enhancing its solutions business in North America," said Norio Tanoue, president and CEO of NEC Technologies, Inc. "NEC Technologies has a strong expertise in the hardware platform business, while NEC Systems has experience with software development and ERP system installations. Combining these two knowledge bases offers a complement of skill sets and will provide a solid foundation for the new company. With our range of innovative products, including hardware platforms, software and service resources, the new company can tap into the marketing expertise of its affiliates to develop valuable solutions for the commercial market." "Both companies can blend their expertise to explore potential new product and service offerings," commented Kozo Kuriyama, president and CEO of NEC Systems, Inc. "Sharing marketing strengths to satisfy customer needs will ultimately improve customer satisfaction and pave a path for a successful future." The newly formed company intends to invest additional financing for market development funds, assist with establishing alliances with partners, as well as fund the internal empowerment for the IT infrastructure. Details of the business plan and marketing strategy for NEC Solutions America is currently under development. As a member of NEC Solutions, one of three in-house companies of NEC Corporation, NEC Technologies and NEC Systems have access to the breadth of NEC technological resources to deliver total business solutions. The strategic realignment of NEC Technologies with NEC Systems adheres to the overlying principle of NEC Solutions. Now both companies are able to leverage resources and quickly deliver total solutions to the market. For more information visit www.nec.com