Hexagon Acquires Minority Stake in Blom ASA

Blom ASA announces today that Hexagon AB, the leading global provider of design, measurement and visualisation technologies, will acquire 25 per cent of the shares in Blom ASA for a total amount of approximately 9 MEUR.

Hexagon is a leading global provider of design, measurement and visualisation technologies. The companys customers can design, measure and position objects, and process and present data, to stay one step ahead of a changing world. Hexagons solutions increase productivity, enhance quality and allow for faster, better operational decisions, saving time, money and resources.

Hexagon has over 13 000 employees in more than 40 countries and net sales of about 2 200 MEUR. The companys products are used in a broad range of industries including surveying, power and energy, aerospace and defence, safety and security, construction and manufacturing.

Our alliances with geospatial information providers around the globe strengthens our vision of providing dynamic, more accurate and in the end real-time updates of the world around us, said Ola Rolln, President and CEO of Hexagon AB. With this investment, Hexagon secures access to high resolution and up-to-date geospatial information which is becoming increasingly important to our entire customer base, especially within Intergraph, where access to such data provides the foundation for industry-specific software solutions.

For Blom, such a close relationship to the vast amount of technology and resources that Hexagon represent, will strengthen the company in all respect, be a support to our competence and help us achieve our long-term strategy, said Dirk Blaauw, CEO Blom ASA.

For further information please contact:

Dirk Blaauw, CEO Blom ASA, tel: +47 22 13 19 20 or email: dirk.blaauw@blomasa.com

ABOUT BLOM

Blom has headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker BLO). The company is a leading European service provider in the geospatial arena, offering a wide selection of geographic services to the government, enterprise and consumer markets. Services include the acquisition, processing and modelling of maps and images. With subsidiaries in 13 countries, and over 900 employees, Bloms geographic information database houses one of the largest collections of maps, aerial images and geospatial models across Europe. Through its online services, Blom provides access to its expansive database enabling customers to update their own datasets and partners the ability to create applications using Bloms location-based services and navigation solutions. For more information, visit www.blomasa.com