Magnetek Receives $6.6 Million Order for Railcar Power Systems

[August 04, 2004]

Magnetek Receives $6.6 Million Order for Railcar Power Systems

LOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 4, 2004 -- Magnetek, Inc. (NYSE:MAG) today announced that it has received an order from FIREMA Trasporti S.p.A for 220 power conditioning systems to retrofit railcars operated by Trenitalia, Italy's leading passenger train operator.

The $6.6-million order is the initial result of a strategic relationship with FIREMA aimed at developing and commercializing advanced Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for surface and subway cars. The 45-kilowatt power conditioning systems convert high-voltage electricity, which propels most European railroad trains, into stable 380-volt, three-phase alternating current (AC) needed for passenger car air conditioning, lighting, and electro-mechanical controls, as well as 24-volt direct current (DC) to recharge back-up batteries aboard each car.

Advanced features of the power systems include very high efficiency, light weight and compact design (enabling them to be installed underneath the cars), convection air-cooling, and the ability to handle a variety of inputs: 3,000-volts DC, 1,500 volts DC, and 1,000 volts AC at frequencies of 50 hertz and 16.67 hertz.

Equipping and retrofitting electrically operated rail and subway cars with compact, lightweight power conditioners and APUs can reduce heavy rail transportation costs and increase passenger safety and comfort substantially. Magnetek management estimates that the electric surface/subway car market for advanced power conditioners and APUs exceeds 5,000 cars in Europe and, worldwide, may exceed 10,000 cars.

Based in Caserta, Italy, FIREMA Transporti S.p.A. has over 80 years of experience in the design and construction of railroad rolling stock and traction equipment.

Magnetek, Inc. manufactures digital power products and systems used in distributed power generation, industrial controls, medical electronics, semiconductor processing, consumer products, transportation, communications, information technology and other applications requiring highly reliable, precise, energy-efficient power. The Company operates manufacturing and research facilities worldwide and reported total revenue of $202 million for its 2003 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2003.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the Company's expectations regarding sales of and markets for its products for rail and subway transportation. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which cannot be predicted or quantified by the Company and are beyond the Company's control. Future events and actual results may differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying these forward-looking statements.

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