SONO Sonos Inc

Aloka Announces Alliance With SonoSite for Distribution of SonoSite's TITAN(TM) System in Japan TOKYO, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Aloka Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese manufacturer and distributor of ultrasound systems announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement for Japan with SonoSite, Inc. (NASDAQ:SONO), the worldwide leader in high-performance, hand-carried ultrasound. The agreement names Aloka as SonoSite's exclusive distributor for TITAN(TM), the Company's newest generation of high performance, hand-carried ultrasound systems, for all of Japan's clinical ultrasound markets, including cardiology, abdominal, vascular, Ob/gyn and emergency medicine. "This agreement brings together two leaders in ultrasound," said Mr. Yoshihiro Yoshikawa, President, Aloka Co., Ltd. "Hand-carried ultrasound is Japan's most rapidly growing ultrasound market. Aloka is fully committed to optimizing this major opportunity through this strategic alliance with SonoSite and to bringing the finest hand-carried ultrasound available to Japan's medical practitioners." "Aloka's history in ultrasound and respected position as a leading technology innovator make this an exciting partnership for SonoSite," said Kevin M. Goodwin, SonoSite President and CEO. "Our agreement with Aloka is a cornerstone of our strategy to serve the Japanese market by establishing multiple distribution channels through which SonoSite's products can be promoted across a broad clinical spectrum. We believe the market for hand-carried ultrasound systems could eventually equal or exceed Japan's current market for cart-based systems. We look forward to working with the Aloka team to further strengthen our position in and expanding this key market." The TITAN system is based on SonoSite's proprietary ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) technology, which integrates millions of transistors onto one circuit, reducing size while offering excellent image quality and performance. Weighing only 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg), TITAN is designed for durability and highly mobile use. The ASIC technology allows for a 12-second boot speed enabling clinicians to immediately deliver patient care efficiently and effectively. Japan is the world's second largest ultrasound market and accounted for an estimated $400 million in sales in 2003. About Aloka: Aloka Co., Ltd. (http://www.aloka.com/), headquartered in Tokyo is a leading manufacturer of medical devices, which introduced the 1st Diagnostic Ultrasound system in 1960. With having more than 50 years history in Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound, it is one of the longest experienced and most innovative companies in the diagnostic ultrasound market. One of the important innovations, introduced by ALOKA in 1983, was the 'Color Doppler' technology. Today this technique became an indispensable diagnostic tool for every ultrasound examination in any application. DATASOURCE: Aloka Co., Ltd. CONTACT: Masanobu Tada, Marketing Department of Aloka Co., Ltd., +81-422-45-9247, or fax: +81-422-45-7751, Web site: http://www.aloka.com/

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