Revised: April 10, 2002

We are pleased to confirm that our new E-Series of manual Die Bond Machines, which became available September 1^st, has replaced the B-Series Die Bonders at year-end as scheduled. This, in fact, marks the end of all B-Series manual machines, and completes a major consolidation of our manual line to just C/D-Series and E-Series. These two Series embody all options but in two distinct styles that offer the customer a clear choice between two levels of sophistication and price. This now completes the "new line for the new millennium", that we promised earlier.

Of equal importance, this consolidation of product is paralleled by computer control of all engineering, manufacturing, and sales processes, to enable us to "build to stock", rather than "make to order" and so to realize a long-standing goal to deliver in "real-time" from existing stock. Proceeding from forecast forward, we expect to be able to stay ahead of the curve during the coming recovery. (It is coming…isn’t it?)