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2004-04-27

Orbit® Irrigation Products, Inc. Enters Japanese Marketplace

New Partnership with Green.Com Japan Expands Orbit's Global Reach

North Salt Lake, UT/Kumano Itabashi-ku Tokyo, Japan- April 26, 2004.

Orbit Irrigation Products President K.C. Ericksen today announced the company's entry into the Japanese marketplace, in partnership with Tokyo-based Green.Com Japan LTD. According to Orbit"s International Business Manager Kim Hayes, the new partnership will leverage the increasing trend in Western-style gardening among Japanese consumers, as well as the increasing focus worldwide on water conservation. "Japan is an untouched market with exponential potential for the irrigation industry,” commented Hayes. “We consider our partnership with Green.Com a forward-moving business venture consistent with Orbit’s global strategy to expand our markets worldwide.” 

Tatsuo Miyake, owner and founding president of Green.Com, said the company did extensive research to determine the viability of establishing such an operation in Japan. The company’s findings indicated that irrigation systems in Japan have not yet penetrated the private home market due in large part to the style of gardens traditionally grown and the weather conditions, according to Mr. Miyake. “At the same time, our research highlighted an increasingly significant interest in both gardening and the Western style of gardens, such as the English garden,” added Mr. Miyake. “While there is a rapid increase in the demand for ’green’ products and in the number of home center and flower shops, the availability of quality water irrigation products is highly limited.”

Green.Com is launching Orbit products this spring in a fully functional display garden at the Japan Flower & Garden Show, one of the largest flower shows open to the public in the country. “We approached Orbit as a partner based on its reputation as a worldwide manufacturer of the highest caliber and the conservation-focus and availability of its products,” noted Miyake.

This partnership further extends Orbit’s strategic global expansion efforts. In 2003, Orbit opened a sales and service office in Shanghai, and further expanded its operations in China with the purchase of an equity interest in Di Tai Plastics Corporation. Di Tai is a prominent manufacturer of molded plastic and metals in Ningbo, southeast of Shanghai. Additionally, Orbit was awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification, which serves as an international reference for quality management requirements in business-to-business dealings.

About Orbit® Irrigation Products, Inc.

Orbit manufactures and distributes more than 1,500 quality lawn and garden irrigation and misting products to customers in 33 countries worldwide under the sub-brand names Orbit Professional®, WaterMaster®, DripMaster®, SunMate® and Arizona Mist®. With manufacturing locations in the Far East and United States, Orbit employs 650 worldwide in its peak season. Orbit products can be purchased both domestically and internationally at most home improvement stores and lawn and garden centers. For more information, go to www.orbitonline.com or call 1-800-488-6156.