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ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group Acquires Digital Identity Software Company

Irvine, CA April 6, 2005 - ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group (ITG), the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of identification components, announces today that it has acquired Synercard Corporation, a market leader in digital identity and photo card management software. The newly acquired company will become a member of ASSA ABLOY’s Identification Technology Group (ITG) and will report to the executive team of ITG’s HID Corporation, a premier manufacturer of access control cards and readers for the security industry.

“The acquisition of Synercard brings identity management and card personalization software capability to ITG as well as an excellent team of people with skill sets that are new to the group,” commented Denis Hébert, Co-CEO of ITG. “Synercard’s reputation in the market speaks for itself and we are proud to welcome this exciting young company to ITG.”

“ASSA ABLOY and the Identification Technology Group have built a reputation for innovation, quality and service,” said Bruce Bianco, president of Synercard Corporation. “We are excited about the opportunities this acquisition brings and are pleased to be associated with these industry leading brands.”

Headquartered in Canada ’s National Capital Region, Synercard Corporation provides intuitive, fully interoperable digital identity software solutions. Since 1997, Synercard has been designing and distributing robust digital identity and photo card management solutions that enable organizations of any size anywhere to create, manage and verify an individual's identity. With over 4000 customers, Synercard products are sold through an international distribution channel.

About ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group (ITG )

ITG is the world’s leading supplier of RFID components, products, solutions, and services. Comprised of a dynamic group of companies including HID, Sokymat, ACG Identification Technologies, Indala, OMNIKEY, and Interlock, ITG innovation spans the value chain of smart card and RFID-based systems for identification and security. Applications include physical and logical access control, supply chain management, animal tagging, national ID and e-passport programs, transport, and various industrial and manufacturing applications. ITG Research in Denver , Colorado , focused on advanced research projects at the cutting edge of RFID and smart card technologies, and its SmartWorldAcademy in Prague , uniquely position ITG at the forefront of the secure identification industry. ITG headquarter offices are located in Walluf , Germany and Irvine , California.

ITG is part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, an international group listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange with some 30,000 employees and annual sales of about EUR 3 billion. The ASSA ABLOY Group is the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of locking solutions, dedicated to satisfying end-user needs for security, safety and convenience. For more information, visit www.assaabloy.com.