BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, June 18, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq:ASMI) (Euronext Amsterdam:ASM) today announced that VLSI Research named ASM International as the number one Large Supplier of Chip Making Equipment in the 2002 Customer Satisfaction Survey on Chip Making Equipment. The Large Suppliers of Chip Making Equipment category, newly added in 2002, is a competition between the 15 largest chip making equipment suppliers as determined by sales across the entire industry irrespective of the type of semiconductor manufacturing equipment produced. Furthermore, VLSI identified ASM among the top five companies in two market segments: ASM ranked number four in Large Suppliers of Wafer Processing Equipment and number three in Assembly Equipment.
"ASM feels extremely honored and proud to have such a respected global group of semiconductor customers rank us at the top of the list this year," said Arthur del Prado, President and CEO of ASM International. "These awards testify to ASM's dedication to technology enhancements and continuing efforts to push technology barriers forward in both wafer processing and assembly and packaging."
"ASM's excellent service and demonstrated commitment to meeting and exceeding its customers' expectations is evident in the high rankings the company achieved this year," said Dan Hutcheson, CEO and President of VLSI Research. "The addition of Large Suppliers of Chip Making Equipment satisfies popular interest in how the top fifteen companies (according to annual chip making equipment sales) perform in customer satisfaction. The surveys promote customer relationships and report on issues most sensitive to customers."
VLSI Research Inc is a market research company regarded in the industry as the leading company covering chip making equipment. The company is an authoritative source for information on trends and issues in the semiconductor industry.
The VLSI Research Customer Satisfaction Survey is conducted annually. Survey respondents are representative from chip-making companies all around the world who rate their suppliers in thirteen categories that exemplify a supplier's relationship with its customers. More than 5,400 evaluations of individual companies were compiled to generate this year's survey results.
About ASM
ASM International N.V. is headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. ASM International is a global company, serving one of the most important and demanding industries in the world. The Company possesses a strong technological base, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, a competent and qualified workforce and a highly trained, strategically distributed support network. ASM International's subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing, assembly and packaging through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock shares trade on Nasdaq (symbol ASMI) and the Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASM's Web site at http://www.asm.com
Safe Harbor Statement under the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements regarding orders, earnings development and the effects of research and new products on ASM's future, and other matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, risk factors related to litigation and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the SEC and Stock Exchange Authorities.
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