Baldor Australia Pty, Limited

Zurich, Switzerland, January 27, 2011 – ABB Ltd (NYSE: ABB), the leading power and automation technology group today announced that is has completed its acquisition of Baldor Electric Company (NYSE: BEZ), a North American leader in industrial motors. The transaction, which was originally announced on November 30, 2010, was valued at $4.2 billion, including $1.1 billion of net debt. The acquisition of Baldor advances ABB’s strategy to become a leader in the North American industrial motors business and a global leader for movement and control in industrial applications. The combination provides an even stronger growth platform from which ABB can increase its penetration of North American markets by building on Baldor’s strong presence while at the same time facilitating the sale of Baldor’s products globally through ABB’s worldwide distribution network. The addition of Baldor’s around 6,800 North American employees brings the number of ABB’s employees in North America to approximately 17,000.