Acquisition

ABB Ltd
15 June 2001



                     ABB obtains 99.1% of Entrelec's shares
       Eur310-million deal to proceed after successful tender offer

Zurich, Switzerland, June 15, 2001 - ABB says today that its tender offer for
the French company Entrelec, a Lyon-based supplier of industrial automation  and
control products was very successful, The tender expired June 1 2001 and the
final results of the offer were published today by the French 'Conseil des
Marches Financiers' .

After paying for the tendered shares, ABB will obtain 4,789,183 shares,
representing 99.1 percent of the outstanding share capital of Entrelec Group on
a fully diluted basis, and 99.1 percent of the voting rights. The regulatory
authorities have been notified of the transaction and approval is expected in
due course.

ABB made a friendly bid to acquire Entrelec in early April of this year. At that
time, the company said the acquisition is aimed at expanding ABB's product range
and reinforcing its position in key European and American markets.

Of the acquisition, ABB president and CEO Jorgen Centerman says, 'This is a
Strategic move to bolster our capabilities in key, high-growth areas of
technology and geography.'

Jouko Karvinen, executive vice president and head of ABB'S Automation Technology
Products division, says, 'This deal brings together two very strong product
lines and two global customer networks. Now come the interesting tasks -
generating growth across those customer networks and exploiting economies of
scale.'

Entrelec supplies industrial automation and control products, including
electrical connecting devices, time relays, signaling and safety devices, as
well as wiring accessories for the housing market. Entrelec operates in 17
countries and employs about 2,000 people, with, a strong presence in France, the
U.S. a and Germany.

The company has production sites in France, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland the
United, the United States and Mexico.

ABB (www.abb.com) serves manufacturing, process and consumer industries,
utilities, the oil and gas markets, with 160,000 employees in more than 100
countries.  Shares are traded on the New York, London, Zurich, Stockholm and
Frankfurt stock exchanges.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of
an offer to buy, any securities.