FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALPHA APPOINTS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR EUROPEAN OPERATIONS

Bellingham, Wash., January 1, 2001 - Leading power supply manufacturer Alpha Technologies has announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas Sloane as Managing Director for Alpha Technologies Europe, Ltd. With this appointment, Sloane assumes responsibility for the Company’s European operations, bringing a wealth of experience and industry insight to the role.

“Tom’s technical expertise and leadership as well as his in-depth understanding of the markets we serve will provide a tremendous resource to this strategically critical region of the world,” commented officials at Alpha.

Sloane has been with Alpha for several years, working in a variety of capacities from principal engineer to his most recent position as Vice President of Corporate Technology. He has had more than 30 articles published and currently serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.

Sloane received both his Ph.D and MSEE from Duke University, and was twice named Professor of the Year at the University of Washington.

Alpha Technologies Inc. develops power conversion, protection and standby products for telecommunications and cable television industries, including custom, application-specific power solutions. In addition to product development, Alpha Technologies provides a comprehensive range of installation and maintenance services to support its global customer base. Alpha Technologies is a member of The Alpha Group of companies.

The Alpha Group represents a global alliance of independent companies that share a common philosophy - create world-class powering solutions for communication, commercial, industrial and renewable energy markets.

For this and/or additional information in electronic form, go to www.alpha.com.