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ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- TRNS PowerRating -- Transcat, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRNS), a leading global distributor ofprofessional grade test, measurement and calibration instruments andaccredited provider of calibration and repair services, announced thatit has acquired privately-held Westcon, Inc., a Portland, Oregon basedtest and measurement instruments distributor and calibration servicesprovider.

Westcon, Inc. distributes over 60 product lines of high qualitytest and measurement instruments to its approximately 1,800 customersthat are primarily located in the Western U.S. and offers a full rangeof services from its calibration laboratory. The laboratory, which hasbeen providing calibration and repair services in a variety ofdisciplines including electrical, temperature, pressure and torque toits customers for over 25 years, meets ISO/IEC 17025 accreditationstandards and has the capability to provide quality on sitecalibration services at it customers' locations.

Charles P. Hadeed, President, CEO and COO of Transcat, commented,"The acquisition of Westcon fits perfectly with our growth strategy,which combines organic growth with acquisitions, and leverages ourindustry reputation for quality and integrity. On a regional level,Westcon operates in the same mold as Transcat, gaining the trust andrespect of its customers."

Mr. Hadeed added, "This acquisition provides us a west coastdistribution operation that enables us to provide faster service to abroader base of potential customers while adding a Pacific Northwestfull-service calibration operation that geographically complements andexpands our nationwide network to a total of twelve laboratories. Ofadded value is Westcon's focus on the wind industry, an ideal,high-growth target market that fits well with our energy marketstrategy." Westcon provides wind turbine manufacturers and owneroperators with specific test and measurement instruments andcalibration services.

He added, "We believe that Westcon's consultative, value-addedculture, which is very similar to ours, should enable a smooth andrapid integration into our existing organization."

With 30 employees, Westcon had approximately $9.5 million inrevenue from both product sales and calibration service for its fiscal2008 which ended June 30, 2008. The acquisition was a combination cashand stock transaction valued at approximately $7.2 million.

David Goodhead, President of Westcon, will join Transcat as a VicePresident. He commented, "Our current customers will benefitmeasurably from this transaction by gaining access to a greaterselection of quality instruments and a more diverse repair andcalibration service offering. And, we will be able to compete veryeffectively to gain greater market share in our region. Importantly,given Transcat's resources, we can also more aggressively pursueopportunities in the emerging wind energy sector."

Transcat, Inc. is a leading global distributor of professionalgrade test and measurement instruments and accredited provider ofcalibration, 3-D metrology and repair services primarily for the lifescience, manufacturing, utility and process industries. Through itsdistribution products segment, Transcat markets and distributesnational and proprietary brand instruments to approximately 12,500global customers. The Company's Master Catalog offers access to morethan 25,000 test and measurement instruments. Transcat deliversprecise, reliable, fast calibration, 3-D metrology and repair servicesacross the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico through its elevenstrategically located Centers of Excellence. Transcat's calibrationlaboratories are all ISO-9001:2000 certified and the scope ofaccreditation for ISO/IEC 17025 is believed to be the broadest in theindustry.

Transcat's growth strategy is to expand both its distributionproducts and calibration services in markets that value productbreadth and availability and rely on accredited calibration servicesto maintain the integrity of their processes.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within themeaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties andassumptions and are identified by words such as "expects,""estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "believes," "could," and othersimilar words. All statements addressing operating performance,events, or developments that Transcat, Inc. expects or anticipateswill occur in the future, including but not limited to statementsrelating to anticipated revenue, profit margins, sales operations, itsstrategy to build its sales representative channel, customerpreferences and changes in market conditions in the industries inwhich Transcat operates are forward-looking statements. Because theyare forward-looking, they should be evaluated in light of importantrisk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertaintiesare more fully described in Transcat's Annual and Quarterly Reportsfiled with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under theheading entitled "Risk Factors." Should one or more of these risks oruncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's underlyingassumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially fromthose currently anticipated. In addition, undue reliance should not beplaced on the Company's forward-looking statements. Except as requiredby law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or publiclyannounce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statementscontained in this press release.

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