INVESTORS

CHICAGO, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, today announced that it has closed a previously announced sale- leaseback transaction with Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), a leading global provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040106/FRLOGO )

First Industrial purchased the properties from Rockwell Automation for $152 million. In the transaction, First Industrial acquired and leased back a portfolio of 24 properties totaling 3.8 million square feet to Rockwell. The portfolio consists of warehouse, manufacturing, and R&D facilities located in key industrial markets in the United States and Canada. The lease terms for the properties range from five to fifteen years.

"We are pleased to close this sale-leaseback transaction with Rockwell Automation that provides them with operational and financial flexibility while ensuring the long-term use of business-critical facilities," said Johannson L. Yap, chief investment officer. "One of First Industrial's competitive advantages is the ability to provide solutions to Corporate America as companies evaluate their real estate requirements as part of their business and capital management strategies."

"This sale-leaseback of 24 manufacturing and office properties in North America reflects the evolution of our company's business model and objective to reduce the number of real estate assets we own," said Denis De Camp, director of Global Real Estate with Rockwell Automation. "This allows Rockwell Automation to invest in higher growth opportunities."

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc., the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, serves every aspect of Corporate America's industrial real estate needs, including customized supply chain solutions, through its unique I-N-D-L operating platform, which utilizes a pure Industrial focus and National scope to provide Diverse facility types, while offering Local, full-service management and expertise. The Company owns, operates and has under development more than 100 million square feet of industrial real estate in markets throughout the United States. Building, buying, selling, leasing and managing industrial property in major markets nationwide, First Industrial develops long-term relationships with corporate real estate directors, tenants and brokers to better serve customers with creative, flexible industrial real estate solutions.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a leading global provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions that help customers meet their manufacturing productivity objectives. The company brings together leading brands in industrial automation for Complete Automation solutions, including Allen-Bradley(R) controls and services, Dodge(R) mechanical power transmission products, Reliance(R) motors and drives, and Rockwell Software(R) factory management software. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company employs about 21,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

This press release contains forward-looking information about First Industrial. A number of factors could cause First Industrial's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including changes in: economic conditions generally and the real estate market specifically, legislative/regulatory changes (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts), availability of financing, interest rate levels, competition, supply and demand for industrial properties in First Industrial's current and proposed market areas, potential environmental liabilities, slippage in development or lease-up schedules, tenant credit risks, higher-than-expected costs and changes in general accounting principles, policies and guidelines applicable to real estate investment trusts. For further information on these and other factors that could impact First Industrial and the statements contained herein, reference should be made to First Industrial's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE  First Industrial Realty Trust
    -0-                             11/14/2005
    /CONTACT:  Sean P. O'Neill, SVP, Investor Relations and Corporate
Communications, +1-312-344-4401, or Art Harmon, Sr. Manager, Investor
Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4320, both of First
Industrial Realty Trust/
    /Photo:  NewsCom:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040106/FRLOGO
             AP Archive:  http://photoarchive.ap.org
             PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com/
    (FR ROK)

CO:  First Industrial Realty Trust; Rockwell Automation, Inc.
ST:  Illinois
IN:  RLT FIN
SU:  RLE

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4371 11/14/2005 16:57 EST http://www.prnewswire.com